Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that can also be used by autonomous AI agents

Applications of AI


Financial services platform Stripe is introducing a digital wallet purpose-built for the AI ​​era. This digital wallet allows autonomous agents to perform tasks such as shopping, paying for reservations, and purchasing tickets.

At its annual conference this week, the company announced Link, a wallet that lets you connect to different payment methods, track your spending, and view your recurring subscriptions. You can also integrate AI agents to safely spend on your behalf.

Link is available on the web, iOS, and Android and offers many of the features you’d expect from a digital wallet. Connect payment methods like cards, banks, cryptocurrency wallets, buy now/pay later services, and save important online checkout details like billing and shipping information.

This wallet also offers other useful features, such as the ability to see how much you spend, track recurring subscriptions, and update payment methods registered with the service if necessary. We also offer 90 days of protection on eligible purchases from select sellers.

But what makes Link interesting is that it can work with autonomous AI agents like OpenClaw.

Image credits:stripe

The number of people experimenting with autonomous AI has skyrocketed, and Apple has sold out of the basic model of Mac Mini, a popular platform for running these new always-on AI agents. But even as it offers convenience by automating various bookings, some (understandably) give pause at the idea of ​​providing raw payment information to agents.

Link aims to provide a solution, as users can connect to their AI agents and give them permission to make payments without exposing their payment credentials.

To work, the user first grants the agent access to the linked wallet via an OAuth (standard authentication) flow. The agent then creates a spend request, provides context, and waits for approval. For now, it works with traditional payment methods, but Stripe says support for agent tokens, stablecoins, and other types of payments will be coming “soon.”

Image credits:stripe

On mobile and web, users receive notifications to approve spending requests. This requires the transaction to be confirmed first before the payment credentials are shared with the AI ​​agent. In the future, Stripe says it will expand controls to allow users to set their own spending limits and choose when agents can act without authorization.

The wallet builds on Stripe’s new issuance capabilities for agents, allowing users to issue virtual cards that agents use to make purchases autonomously, with real-time authentication, spend management, and full transaction visibility. Instead of giving agents access to payment credentials, users can give agents programmatic access to links to provide one-time cards, or use payment cards or bank-supported shared payment tokens (SPTs).

According to Stripe, developers and businesses building agents and AI personal assistants can also use Link’s wallet instead of building their own wallet from scratch.

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