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EMVCo is stepping up efforts to bring order and security to the fast-evolving world of agentic payments, as artificial intelligence begins to assume a more active role in how consumers shop and pay.
EMVCo to standardise agentic payments
The standards body, responsible for the global specifications underpinning billions of card transactions, has launched a strategic review to determine how its frameworks should adapt to an emerging environment where AI agents purchase goods and services on behalf of users.
Agentic commerce is gaining momentum as consumers experiment with AI assistants capable of comparing products, managing subscriptions and completing purchases with minimal oversight.
Yet this shift introduces a new layer of complexity: machines can now initiate transactions that previously required explicit human action.
EMVCo argues that this development raises critical questions about how transactions are authenticated, how risk is managed, and how trust is established between all parties involved.
Adapting EMV Standards for AI Future
To address these challenges, EMVCo is analysing whether and how existing specifications — including EMV 3-D Secure (3DS), Secure Remote Commerce (SRC) and payment tokenisation — should evolve to support AI-driven interactions.
These standards form the backbone of security for remote and card-not-present payments, and any gaps could become more pronounced as AI-initiated transactions scale.
The organisation is considering how transaction initiation should be verified when the “cardholder” may be an AI model acting on delegated authority.
It is also exploring how tokenisation frameworks might be adapted to provide stronger safeguards against misuse, ensuring that credentials issued for agentic workflows cannot be exploited by untrusted bots.
Patrik Smets, chair of EMVCo’s executive committee, said that the body now has an opportunity to work with the wider payments ecosystem “to extend the trusted EMV experience to emerging agentic payment solutions.”
He highlighted that EMVCo’s global footprint — its specifications are used in both physical and digital payments worldwide — positions it to steer the industry toward a coherent and interoperable model.
Collaborating Across the Global Payments Landscape
As part of its work, EMVCo is actively engaging with its network of Associates and Subscribers, which includes merchants, issuers, acquirers and technology providers.
These contributors help shape the evolution of EMV Specifications to meet market demands and emerging risks.
The body is also strengthening its dialogue with international technical organisations to ensure alignment with adjacent standards and regulatory frameworks.
The industry has been here before.
In 2025, EMVCo partnered with CharIN e.V. to align EMV-based open payments with ISO 15118 Plug & Charge standards for electric vehicle charging — a move that demonstrated its ability to bridge sectors and promote global interoperability.
Creating the Foundations for Trusted AI-Driven Commerce
The rise of agentic payments signals a fundamental shift in how commerce will operate.
If AI agents are to transact safely and at scale, the underpinning security protocols must evolve accordingly.
EMVCo’s exploration of agentic payments interoperability marks one of the first major attempts to future-proof global card infrastructure for a world where machines increasingly act — and pay — on our behalf.
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