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The payments industry is entering a new phase of transformation — one driven not by cards or mobile wallets, but by autonomous agentic commerce agents.
Defining the future of agentic commerce
Two of the most significant developments leading this charge are OpenAI’s Agent Commerce Protocol (ACP) and Google’s Agent Payments Protocol (AP2).
While both initiatives aim to enable AI agents to transact on behalf of users, their philosophies and technical architectures suggest two distinct paths toward the same goal: a future of frictionless, agent-mediated commerce.
“The payments industry has always been defined by shifts in infrastructure — from the emergence of card networks to mobile wallets, and now, autonomous agents,” says Tom Hay, senior manager at PSE Consulting.
“ACP and AP2 underline just how quickly this next chapter is moving from theory into practice.”
A Tale of Two Architectures
OpenAI’s ACP, launched in partnership with Stripe and more recently joined by Worldpay, is being tested first in the US through Etsy and Shopify merchants, including brands such as Glossier, SKIMS and Vuori.
The system enables ChatGPT agents to complete purchases directly inside conversations, without merchants needing to overhaul their existing infrastructure.
“ACP is built to work on top of existing payment rails, not replace them,” explains Hay. “It’s a secure conduit that preserves merchant control over fulfilment, payments, returns and customer relationships.”
Google’s AP2, by contrast, takes a more expansive approach.
Announced with more than 60 collaborators across fintech, payments, and infrastructure, AP2 aims to become an open, payment-agnostic standard for the agentic economy.
It supports both “in-session” and “delegated” transactions through cryptographically signed mandates and verifiable credentials, setting the stage for deeper integration with blockchain and smart contract frameworks.
“While ACP is a tactical bridge to get agentic commerce live quickly, AP2 anticipates structural change,” says Hay. “It’s not just about checkout; it’s about rethinking how identity, consent, and payment provenance operate in an AI-driven economy.”
Competing Visions, Common Destination
The divergence between ACP and AP2 reflects the strategic DNA of their backers. OpenAI, leveraging its consumer-facing reach, is prioritising speed to market with a merchant-friendly rollout.
Google, on the other hand, is positioning AP2 as a long-term infrastructure standard, betting that collaboration and interoperability will ultimately define the agent-commerce ecosystem.
These early moves raise critical questions for issuers, merchants, and regulators alike.
Will OpenAI’s pragmatic approach give it a first-mover advantage? Or will Google’s open, standardised model become the industry norm?
And as agents begin executing real transactions, who bears liability for fraud, failed payments, or misuse?
What is certain is that AI agents are no longer theoretical. They are active participants in commerce — negotiating, authorising and executing payments autonomously.
For fintechs, merchants, and consumers, ACP and AP2 mark the opening act of a new era: one where agent-driven payments evolve from experimental to essential in the digital economy.
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