Kyle WisniewskiMenu

Ledger and guide · updated Nov 13, 2026

Agent Economy Infrastructure

A dated record of what has been built for AI agents to connect, pay and buy, and a guide to reading it.

105

Sourced actions by 45 institutions, in 6 layers · released or published, not adopted

01 Start here

What an agent is, and what the web lacks for it

A chat assistant answers questions. An AI agent, as this record uses the word, goes a step further: it is software that acts for a person or a firm. It searches and compares, and within the limits it has been given, it books and buys.

The web it meets was built for people. A checkout expects a person entering card details. A login expects a person with a password. A site’s defences often treat an automated visitor as a threat.

This record follows what companies, standards bodies, regulators and courts have done in six areas an agent meets: being found, connecting to a service, showing who it acts for, paying, completing a purchase, and answering to rules. Each action is filed under one of those six layers.

It can be read as a course or used as a dataset. Every entry links to a primary source, such as an announcement, a specification, a bill, a court filing or a ruling.

To start with one sourceHow buying inside a conversation was meant to work, from the company that launched it.OpenAI · Sep 29, 2025

02 One purchase

One purchase, traced through the six layers

No single purchase uses every name below. Each step shows what one layer supplies, with examples from the record.

  1. 1 Discovery

    Find

    First the agent has to learn that a service exists and what it offers. Registries list the servers that offer tools an agent can use, as a directory lists businesses.

    From the record

  2. 2 Protocols

    Connect

    It talks to the service through a protocol: an agreed set of rules that lets two pieces of software communicate, so neither side writes a custom integration for the other. One protocol in the record connects an agent to tools and data. Another connects one agent to another.

    From the record

  3. 3 Identity

    Show who it is

    The merchant’s site has to tell an agent shopping for a customer from a malicious bot. Identity schemes give the agent something a site can verify.

    From the record

  4. 4 Payments

    Pay

    The record holds several ways to pay. A card network issues a token, a stand-in for the card number, made for agents. A payment processor issues a token that the agent passes to the merchant. Or the agent pays in stablecoins, digital tokens that hold the value of a currency, over HTTP, the web’s own protocol.

    From the record

  5. 5 Commerce

    Buy

    The purchase completes inside a conversation, inside a search engine, or on the merchant’s own site. Several sources state that the agent asks the person before it pays.

    From the record

  6. 6 Rules

    Answer to rules

    Regulators, courts and standards bodies all act in this layer. A regulator has published guidance on consumer law, a dispute over a shopping agent has reached a federal appeals court, and the card industry’s standards body has published a draft framework.

    From the record

03 Six layers

Six layers: when each was built, and a lesson for each

Discovery

11

Protocols

19

Identity

11

Payments

33

Commerce

18

Rules

13
One mark per action, Nov 2024 – Nov 2026 · point at a mark for the entry, select it for its rowSources on every entry

Lesson 1

Discovery

Where agents and their tools are listed and found.

11 entries · the first in Nov 2024

See them in the record

Before an agent can use a service, it has to know the service exists and what it can do. Registries and marketplaces answer that, as an app store does for apps.

Some in this record are open catalogs. Most are one vendor’s marketplace or directory, where its customers find agents and tools. A standards group has also chartered work on a common way to discover agents.

Read first

  1. An open catalog, explained by the project that runs it.Model Context Protocol · Sep 8, 2025
  2. What it looks like when a cloud vendor lists agents as products to buy.Amazon Web Services · Jul 16, 2025
  3. The record of the IETF approving a working group on a standard way to discover agents.IETF · Oct 22, 2026

Terms

Registry
A list that software can query to find services and how to reach them.
MCP Registry
An open catalog of publicly available MCP servers, the services an agent connects to through MCP, which software can also query directly.Model Context Protocol, Sep 2025
DAWN
Discovery of Agents With Names, an IETF working group chartered to specify how agents are discovered.IETF, Oct 2026

Lesson 2

Protocols

How an agent connects to tools and to other agents.

19 entries · the first in Nov 2024

See them in the record

A protocol is an agreed set of rules that lets two pieces of software communicate. Without one, every agent needs a custom integration with every service it uses.

Two protocols recur in this record, and they do different jobs. The Model Context Protocol connects an agent to tools and data. Agent2Agent connects one agent to another. Each began at one company and now sits under the Linux Foundation, a non-profit home for open-source projects.

Read first

  1. Where the Model Context Protocol was introduced, and the problem it set out to solve.Anthropic · Nov 25, 2024
  2. The case for a second protocol, for agents talking to each other.Google · Apr 9, 2025
  3. How a protocol moved from the company that wrote it to a neutral foundation.Linux Foundation · Dec 9, 2025

Terms

Model Context Protocol (MCP)
An open standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data lives.Anthropic, Nov 2024
Agent2Agent (A2A)
An open protocol for communication between AI agents.Google, Apr 2025
Agentic AI Foundation
A Linux Foundation body formed with three founding projects: MCP, Block’s agent framework goose, and OpenAI’s AGENTS.md, a file convention that guides coding agents.Linux Foundation, Dec 2025

Lesson 3

Identity

How a site knows which agent is acting, and for whom.

11 entries · the first in May 2025

See them in the record

A website cannot easily verify who is behind an automated visitor. Identity work gives an agent something to show.

It takes two main forms in this record. On the open web, an agent signs its requests: it attaches a cryptographic signature that a site can check, so the site knows which agent is calling. Inside a company, an agent gets an identity in the directory that holds the employees, so its access can be managed alongside theirs.

Read first

  1. How a card network proposes that merchants tell a customer’s agent from a bot.Visa · Oct 14, 2025
  2. How a site can verify an agent by the signature on its requests.Cloudflare · Aug 28, 2025
  3. What an identity for an agent means inside an organization.Microsoft · May 19, 2025

Terms

Trusted Agent Protocol
Visa’s protocol for merchants to verify AI agents and tell them from malicious bots.Visa, Oct 2025
Signed agent
Cloudflare’s category for an agent verified by Web Bot Auth signatures.Cloudflare, Aug 2025
Web Bot Auth
A method for cryptographically authenticating automated clients, AI agents among them, to websites.IETF, Oct 2025
Entra Agent ID
Microsoft’s extension of identity management and access controls to AI agents.Microsoft, May 2025

Lesson 4

Payments

How an agent pays and is paid.

33 entries · the first in Nov 2024

See them in the record

Online card checkout was built for a person entering card details. Giving an agent those details would expose the full card credentials.

The record shows three main answers. Card networks issue tokens made for agents. A processor issues a token that an agent passes to a merchant; Stripe’s is limited to one merchant and one cart total. And a newer protocol, x402, lets software pay per request in stablecoins, using HTTP 402, a status code the web reserved for payment that long sat dormant.

Read first

  1. A card network’s agent payments program, built on tokens.Mastercard · Apr 29, 2025
  2. The protocol behind ChatGPT’s Instant Checkout at launch, from the processor that co-developed it.Stripe · Sep 29, 2025
  3. The case for paying over HTTP itself, in stablecoins.Coinbase · May 6, 2025

Terms

Token
In card payments, a stand-in for a card number that can be limited in where and how it is used.
Agentic Token
Mastercard’s token for agent payments, built on its existing tokenization.Mastercard, Apr 2025
Shared Payment Token
Stripe’s token, issued for an agent to pass to a merchant and limited to that merchant and a cart total.Stripe, Sep 2025
Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)
A protocol co-developed by Stripe and OpenAI, released with Shared Payment Tokens to power checkout in ChatGPT.Stripe, Sep 2025
Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)
An open protocol for agent-led payments, announced by Google and developed with more than 60 organizations.Google, Sep 2025
x402
An open protocol that uses the HTTP 402 status code to let APIs, apps and AI agents pay in stablecoins over HTTP.Coinbase, May 2025
Machine Payments Protocol (MPP)
An open standard, co-authored by Stripe and Tempo, for agents to pay.Stripe, Mar 2026
Stablecoin
A digital token designed to hold the value of a currency such as the US dollar.

Lesson 5

Commerce

Where an agent can complete a purchase.

18 entries · the first in Nov 2024

See them in the record

This layer is where a purchase completes. In some products the agent buys inside a conversation. In others it fills in the checkout on a merchant’s own site.

Merchants take part by opening their catalogs and checkouts to agents, through a protocol or through a platform that does it for them.

Read first

  1. How buying inside a conversation was introduced.OpenAI · Sep 29, 2025
  2. The same company’s later account of what it changed.OpenAI · Mar 24, 2026
  3. What a merchant platform exposes so that an agent can search, fill a cart and check out.Shopify · Oct 13, 2026

Terms

Instant Checkout
OpenAI’s checkout inside ChatGPT, launched on the Agentic Commerce Protocol.OpenAI, Sep 2025
Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)
An open standard for agentic commerce that Google co-developed with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart.Google, Jan 2026
Shop MCP
Shopify’s server that lets an agent search its catalog, build a cart and check out after the shopper confirms.Shopify, Oct 2026

Lesson 6

Rules

What regulators, courts and standards bodies have set.

13 entries · the first in Oct 2025

See them in the record

Rules reach agents from three directions in this record. Regulators and governments publish guidance, open consultations and introduce bills. Courts decide disputes. Standards bodies charter groups and draft specifications.

Most entries in this layer are not final: they are drafts, consultations, charters, a bill, or filings and rulings in a case that continues.

Read first

  1. A federal appeals court on whether an agent using a customer’s account “accessed” a retailer’s computers.US Court of Appeals, 9th Cir. · Aug 4, 2026
  2. A regulator’s statement of how consumer law applies when a business uses an agent.CMA · Mar 9, 2026
  3. The card industry’s draft framework for possible card-based agent payment specifications.EMVCo · Sep 1, 2026

Terms

Preliminary injunction
A court order that holds a party to certain conduct while a case proceeds.
Consultation
A government’s or regulator’s request for public comment before it writes a rule.
Working group
A team that a standards body charters to write a specification.

04 The record

105 entries, newest first, each with its source

Show one layer
DateInstitutionActionLayerSource
Nov 13, 2026OpenAILaunches ChatGPT Wallet for agent purchasesOpenAI introduced ChatGPT Wallet, built with American Express, Mastercard and Visa, letting agents pay with user approval, initially through dots for US ChatGPT Pro subscribers.CommerceOpenAI
Nov 4, 2026AmazonOpens Shop Direct Merchant Workspace to merchantsAmazon opened a self-service portal for eligible merchants to join Shop Direct, whose products its Buy for Me agent may purchase from merchants' sites.CommerceAbout Amazon
Oct 22, 2026IETFCharters the DAWN agent discovery working groupThe IETF approved the charter of the Discovery of Agents With Names (DAWN) working group to specify a generic, interoperable agent discovery mechanism.DiscoveryIETF Datatracker
Oct 21, 2026AnthropicLaunches Claude Duet with agent purchasingAnthropic opened a waitlisted research preview of Claude Duet, which can buy things for a business using Stripe's Link and check out with Shop Pay.CommerceClaude
Oct 21, 2026VisaPilots agent B2B invoice payments with BILL, BilltrustVisa, BILL and Billtrust launched a live pilot in which trusted AI agents initiate and complete approved business invoice payments through supplier portals.PaymentsVisa Investor Relations
Oct 13, 2026ShopifyReleases Shop MCP for agent checkoutShopify released Shop MCP, letting any agent or app search Shopify Catalog, build carts and complete Shop Pay checkout after the shopper confirms.CommerceShopify Developer Changelog
Oct 8, 2026IETFCharters the Agent Communication Protocols working groupThe IETF approved the charter of the Agent Communication Protocols (agentproto) working group to define a baseline agentic dialog management protocol and reference architecture.ProtocolsIETF Datatracker
Sep 30, 2026MastercardExpands Agent Pay with trust and intelligence servicesMastercard expanded Agent Pay with trust and intelligence services, first a US test of a score estimating whether an AI agent initiated a transaction.PaymentsMastercard
Sep 28, 2026ShopifyOpens checkout to browser agents via WebMCPShopify added WebMCP checkout tools that let browser agents read and update Shopify checkouts and submit them after buyer confirmation.CommerceShopify Developer Changelog
Sep 23, 2026TempoLaunches Mercator tool router for paid agent servicesTempo launched Mercator, a tool router that lets agents find and pay for services reachable through MPP and x402 without per-provider accounts.PaymentsTempo blog
Sep 8, 2026MetaLaunches Muse agent that checks out with LinkMeta launched Muse, a personal AI agent that asks before making purchases and pays with Stripe's Link, which issues a one-time-use card.CommerceMeta Newsroom
Sep 1, 2026EMVCoPublishes draft framework for card-based agentic paymentsEMVCo released a draft 'EMV Agentic Payments – Framework for Specifications' for card-based agentic payments, open for public review until 30 September 2026.RulesEMVCo
Aug 31, 2026Amazon Web ServicesMakes AWS Agent Registry generally availableAWS made Agent Registry generally available, a private, governed catalog for discovering agents, tools, skills and MCP servers within an organization.DiscoveryAWS What's New
Aug 17, 2026Agentic AI FoundationTakes in A2A as a hosted projectThe Agentic AI Foundation announced that the Agent2Agent protocol is joining it as a hosted project.ProtocolsAgentic AI Foundation
Aug 7, 2026OSL GroupLaunches AgentPay stablecoin payments for agentsOSL Group launched OSL AgentPay, stablecoin payment infrastructure for AI agents that supports x402, AP2 and MPP, with API integration open from launch.PaymentsOSL Group (GlobeNewswire)
Aug 4, 2026US Court of Appeals, 9th Cir.Vacates injunction against Perplexity's agentic browserThe Ninth Circuit vacated the preliminary injunction against Perplexity, finding Amazon unlikely to show Perplexity itself 'accessed' Amazon's computers under the CFAA.RulesUS Court of Appeals, 9th Cir.
Jul 28, 2026Model Context ProtocolPublishes stateless MCP specification 2026-07-28The MCP project released specification 2026-07-28, which retires the initialize handshake and session header so any server instance can handle any request.ProtocolsModel Context Protocol Blog
Jul 21, 2026US SenateIntroduces the AI AGENT Act (S. 5051)Senator Mark Warner introduced S. 5051, the AI AGENT Act of 2026, which his office said establishes rights and responsibilities for consumer-facing AI agents.RulesGovInfo, S. 5051 (IS)
Jul 14, 2026HM TreasuryOpens consultation on payments rules including agentic paymentsHM Treasury opened a consultation on modernizing payment services regulation, citing tokenized payments, Open Banking and agentic payments; it closed on 6 October 2026.RulesGOV.UK (HM Treasury)
Jul 14, 2026Linux FoundationOpens x402 Foundation operations with 40 membersThe Linux Foundation announced the operational launch of the x402 Foundation, with 40 member organizations, to standardize internet-native payments for AI agents.PaymentsLinux Foundation
Jul 2, 2026VisaRuns live agentic transactions with European issuersVisa said AI agents were making live purchases for cardholders of over 30 European issuers, with merchants enabled through Trusted Agent Protocol and Agent Directory.PaymentsVisa UK Newsroom
Jul 1, 2026CloudflareSplits AI bot controls into Search, Agent, TrainingCloudflare let all customers, including Free plans, manage AI crawler traffic separately for Search, Agent and Training uses.IdentityCloudflare blog
Jun 16, 2026AdyenLaunches Adyen Agentic API suiteAdyen launched Adyen Agentic, modular APIs for selling through conversational AI platforms, in limited availability for US enterprise merchants.PaymentsAdyen Press
Jun 10, 2026MastercardLaunches Agent Pay for MachinesMastercard introduced Agent Pay for Machines, a service to permission, orchestrate and settle agent payments at machine speed, naming more than 30 industry supporters.PaymentsMastercard
May 20, 2026FireblocksLaunches Agentic Payments Suite for x402 and MPPFireblocks launched an Agentic Payments Suite letting agents pay merchants that accept x402 or MPP within defined limits, and joined the x402 Foundation.PaymentsFireblocks (PR Newswire)
May 13, 2026AmazonLaunches Alexa for Shopping agentic assistantAmazon introduced Alexa for Shopping, an AI shopping assistant that can buy items at a target price and, through Buy for Me, complete eligible purchases.CommerceAbout Amazon
May 11, 2026CircleLaunches Agent Stack with agent walletsCircle introduced Agent Stack for AI agents using USDC, releasing Agent Wallets, an Agent Marketplace and Circle CLI that day.PaymentsCircle blog
May 7, 2026Amazon Web ServicesPreviews AgentCore Payments using x402AWS released a preview of Amazon Bedrock AgentCore payments, built with Coinbase and Stripe, letting agents pay for APIs, MCP servers and content via x402.PaymentsAWS What's New
Apr 28, 2026FIDO AllianceForms an agentic authentication working groupThe FIDO Alliance formed an Agentic Authentication Technical Working Group and said its Payments Technical Working Group is developing specifications for agent-initiated commerce.RulesFIDO Alliance
Apr 23, 2026AnthropicAdds booking and ordering connectors to ClaudeAnthropic added Claude connectors including Booking.com, Instacart, Resy, Uber and Uber Eats, and said Claude checks with the user before booking or purchasing.CommerceClaude
Apr 8, 2026VisaUnveils Intelligent Commerce Connect in pilotVisa unveiled Intelligent Commerce Connect, a network-, protocol- and token-vault-agnostic on-ramp to agentic commerce, in pilot with partners including AWS, Highnote and Payabli.PaymentsVisa
Apr 2, 2026Linux FoundationLaunches x402 Foundation with Coinbase's protocolThe Linux Foundation announced the x402 Foundation, with Coinbase contributing the x402 protocol, which the release said would remain vendor neutral under its governance.PaymentsLinux Foundation
Mar 24, 2026OpenAILets merchants use own checkout in ChatGPTOpenAI said the initial Instant Checkout lacked the flexibility it wanted and that it was allowing merchants to use their own checkout experiences.CommerceOpenAI
Mar 24, 2026Ping IdentityMakes Identity for AI generally availablePing Identity made Identity for AI generally available, with Agent IAM Core, Agent Gateway and Agent Detection components.IdentityPing Identity press room
Mar 18, 2026VisaReleases card specification and SDK for MPPVisa introduced a card-based specification and SDK for the Machine Payments Protocol so agents can pay with cards over MPP.PaymentsVisa
Mar 18, 2026StripeLaunches Machine Payments Protocol with TempoStripe launched the Machine Payments Protocol, an open standard co-authored with Tempo for agents to pay.PaymentsStripe Blog
Mar 17, 2026WorldReleases AgentKit proof-of-human betaWorld released a limited AgentKit beta that lets verified World ID holders delegate proof of human to agents, extending the x402 v2 protocol with Coinbase.IdentityWorld blog
Mar 16, 2026OktaLaunches Okta for AI AgentsOkta released Okta for AI Agents in early access, registering agents as identities and governing their access, with general availability set for April 30, 2026.IdentityOkta blog
Mar 12, 2026Linux FoundationReleases A2A specification version 1.0The Linux Foundation's A2A project released Agent2Agent specification v1.0.0, adding a tasks/list method and replacing implicit and password OAuth flows with device code and PKCE.ProtocolsGitHub, a2aproject/A2A
Mar 9, 2026CMAPublishes consumer-law guidance for businesses using AI agentsThe CMA published guidance on complying with consumer law when using AI agents, alongside research on agentic AI and consumers.RulesGOV.UK (CMA)
Mar 9, 2026US District Court, N.D. Cal.Enjoins Perplexity's Comet agents from Amazon accountsJudge Maxine Chesney granted Amazon a preliminary injunction barring Perplexity from accessing Amazon's protected systems with AI agents deployed through Comet.RulesCourtListener (order, No. 3:25-cv-09514)
Mar 3, 2026StripeExtends Shared Payment Tokens to network agent programsStripe extended Shared Payment Tokens to Mastercard Agent Pay and Visa Intelligent Commerce, and added Shared Payment Token support for Affirm and Klarna.PaymentsStripe Blog
Feb 17, 2026NISTLaunches the AI Agent Standards InitiativeNIST's Center for AI Standards and Innovation launched the AI Agent Standards Initiative so AI agents can operate securely and interoperate across the digital ecosystem.RulesNIST
Feb 11, 2026CoinbaseLaunches Agentic Wallets for autonomous agentsCoinbase launched Agentic Wallets, wallet infrastructure that lets AI agents spend, earn and trade with security guardrails, built on the x402 protocol.PaymentsCoinbase Developer Platform
Feb 5, 2026NISTReleases concept paper on agent identity, authorizationNIST's NCCoE released a concept paper on software and AI agent identity and authorization, open for public comment through April 2, 2026.RulesNIST
Jan 28, 2026MastercardCompletes authenticated Agent Pay transactions in AustraliaMastercard said it completed Australia's first fully authenticated agentic transactions, with Commonwealth Bank and Westpac cards, and expanded Agent Pay to Asia Pacific.PaymentsMastercard Newsroom (Asia Pacific)
Jan 26, 2026Model Context ProtocolShips MCP Apps as an official extensionMCP's core maintainers made MCP Apps an official MCP extension, available in Claude, Goose and VS Code Insiders, with ChatGPT support starting that week.ProtocolsModel Context Protocol Blog
Jan 22, 2026Singapore IMDALaunches Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AISingapore's Minister for Digital Development and Information announced at Davos the launch of IMDA's Model AI Governance Framework for Agentic AI.RulesMDDI Singapore
Jan 12, 2026NISTIssues request for information on securing AI agentsNIST's Center for AI Standards and Innovation published a request for information on the security of AI agent systems, with comments due March 9, 2026.RulesNIST
Jan 11, 2026GoogleLaunches Universal Commerce ProtocolGoogle launched the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard for agentic commerce co-developed with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart.CommerceGoogle Blog
Jan 8, 2026MicrosoftLaunches Copilot Checkout in the USMicrosoft began rolling out Copilot Checkout on Copilot.com in the US, with PayPal, Shopify and Stripe as partners and Etsy sellers among launch merchants.CommerceMicrosoft Advertising Blog
Dec 17, 2025OpenAIOpens app submissions and ChatGPT app directoryOpenAI let developers submit apps for review, with approved apps listed in a new in-product directory in ChatGPT.DiscoveryOpenAI
Dec 11, 2025CoinbaseReleases x402 V2 specificationCoinbase Developer Platform's x402.org published x402 V2, adding wallet-based identity, automatic API discovery, dynamic payment recipients and support for more chains and fiat.Paymentsx402.org
Dec 10, 2025ShopifyLaunches Agentic Storefronts for AI chat salesShopify launched Agentic Storefronts, letting merchants sell in ChatGPT, Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, with in-chat checkout as a merchant option.CommerceShopify News
Dec 10, 2025Google CloudReleases managed remote MCP servers for its servicesGoogle released fully managed, remote MCP servers for Google and Google Cloud services, starting with Google Maps, BigQuery, Compute Engine and Kubernetes Engine.ProtocolsGoogle Cloud Blog
Dec 9, 2025Linux FoundationForms the Agentic AI FoundationThe Linux Foundation formed the Agentic AI Foundation with founding projects MCP from Anthropic, goose from Block and AGENTS.md from OpenAI.ProtocolsLinux Foundation
Dec 8, 2025InstacartLaunches Instacart app with Instant Checkout in ChatGPTInstacart launched its app in ChatGPT, letting users shop and pay inside the chat through Instant Checkout, built on the Agentic Commerce Protocol.CommerceInstacart Newsroom
Nov 25, 2025PayPalLaunches Instant Buy checkout inside PerplexityPayPal enabled its merchants to be discoverable in Perplexity and let US users complete purchases with PayPal inside Perplexity's chat.CommercePayPal Newsroom
Nov 25, 2025Checkout.comAdopts Agentic Commerce Protocol for enterprise merchantsCheckout.com announced support for the Agentic Commerce Protocol so its enterprise merchants can offer checkout inside AI platforms such as ChatGPT's Instant Checkout.PaymentsCheckout.com Newsroom
Nov 25, 2025Model Context ProtocolPublishes MCP specification revision 2025-11-25The Model Context Protocol released specification 2025-11-25, adding experimental tasks, URL-mode elicitation, extensions and client registration via hosted metadata documents.ProtocolsModel Context Protocol Blog
Nov 19, 2025Auth0Makes Auth0 for AI Agents generally availableAuth0 made Auth0 for AI Agents generally available, with user authentication, Token Vault, asynchronous authorization and fine-grained authorization for RAG.IdentityAuth0 blog
Nov 18, 2025MicrosoftAnnounces Agent 365 control planeMicrosoft announced Agent 365, a control plane with an agent registry and access controls that can require every agent to have an Entra agent ID.IdentityMicrosoft 365 Blog
Nov 13, 2025GoogleRolls out agentic checkout in SearchGoogle began rolling out agentic checkout on Search and AI Mode, buying with Google Pay from eligible US merchants such as Wayfair, Chewy and Quince.CommerceGoogle Blog
Nov 7, 2025Google CloudPreviews agent identity for Agent EngineGoogle Cloud added IAM agent identity, in preview, to manage access and authentication for agents on Vertex AI Agent Engine.IdentityGoogle Cloud
Nov 4, 2025AmazonSues Perplexity over the Comet shopping agentAmazon sued Perplexity AI in the Northern District of California, alleging its Comet AI agent accessed private Amazon customer accounts without authorization, violating computer-fraud laws.RulesCourtListener (complaint, No. 3:25-cv-09514)
Oct 23, 2025CoinbaseLaunches Payments MCP for agent walletsCoinbase launched Payments MCP, giving LLM agents such as Claude, Gemini and Codex a wallet, onramp and x402 stablecoin payments without an API key.PaymentsCoinbase Developer Platform
Oct 23, 2025IETFCharters the Web Bot Auth working groupThe IETF approved the Web Bot Auth working group charter to standardize methods for cryptographically authenticating automated clients, including AI agents, to websites.RulesIETF Datatracker
Oct 14, 2025VisaIntroduces Trusted Agent ProtocolVisa released the Trusted Agent Protocol, developed with Cloudflare, letting merchants verify AI agents and distinguish them from malicious bots.IdentityVisa Investor Relations
Oct 6, 2025OpenAIReleases Apps SDK built on MCPOpenAI introduced apps in ChatGPT and released the Apps SDK in preview, built on the Model Context Protocol.ProtocolsOpenAI
Sep 29, 2025StripeReleases Agentic Commerce Protocol with OpenAIStripe released the Agentic Commerce Protocol co-developed with OpenAI and introduced Shared Payment Tokens to power Instant Checkout in ChatGPT.PaymentsStripe Newsroom
Sep 29, 2025OpenAILaunches Instant Checkout in ChatGPTOpenAI launched Instant Checkout in ChatGPT on the Agentic Commerce Protocol; Stripe said US users could buy from US Etsy businesses, with Shopify next.CommerceOpenAI
Sep 23, 2025CloudflareAdds x402 payments to Agents SDK and MCPCloudflare added x402 payment support to its Agents SDK and MCP servers and said it is partnering with Coinbase to create the x402 Foundation.PaymentsCloudflare blog
Sep 16, 2025GitHubLaunches GitHub MCP RegistryGitHub launched the GitHub MCP Registry for discovering MCP servers, starting with a curated set of servers.DiscoveryGitHub Changelog
Sep 16, 2025GoogleAnnounces Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)Google announced the Agent Payments Protocol, an open protocol for agent-led payments, developed with more than 60 organizations including Mastercard, American Express, PayPal and Adyen.PaymentsGoogle Cloud Blog
Sep 10, 2025RSL CollectiveLaunches Really Simple Licensing standardRSL Collective launched the RSL Standard, letting publishers add machine-readable licensing and royalty terms for AI applications and agents, with support from Reddit and Yahoo.PaymentsRSL Standard press page
Sep 10, 2025MastercardLaunches Agent Toolkit and Agent Sign-UpMastercard launched Agent Toolkit, giving AI agents its API documentation through a Model Context Protocol server, and Agent Sign-Up for developers to identify their agents.PaymentsMastercard
Sep 9, 2025CoinbaseLaunches x402 Bazaar discovery layerCoinbase launched x402 Bazaar, a discovery layer where agents can find, interact with and pay for services across the x402 ecosystem.DiscoveryCoinbase Developer Platform
Sep 8, 2025Model Context ProtocolLaunches MCP Registry in previewThe Model Context Protocol project launched the MCP Registry in preview, an open catalog and API for discovering publicly available MCP servers.DiscoveryMCP Blog
Aug 29, 2025IBMMerges Agent Communication Protocol into A2AIBM's Agent Communication Protocol team announced that ACP would merge into A2A under the Linux Foundation and wind down its standalone active development.ProtocolsLF AI & Data Foundation
Aug 28, 2025CloudflareLaunches signed agents classificationCloudflare added a signed agents category, verified by Web Bot Auth signatures, with ChatGPT agent, Goose, Browserbase and Anchor Browser as the first cohort.IdentityCloudflare blog
Jul 29, 2025Linux FoundationTakes in the AGNTCY projectThe Linux Foundation welcomed AGNTCY, open-source infrastructure for agent discovery, identity and messaging, with Cisco, Dell, Google Cloud, Oracle and Red Hat as formative members.ProtocolsLinux Foundation
Jul 16, 2025Amazon Web ServicesPreviews Bedrock AgentCore IdentityAWS previewed Bedrock AgentCore, including AgentCore Identity, which lets agents access AWS and third-party services such as GitHub, Salesforce and Slack.IdentityAWS News Blog
Jul 16, 2025Amazon Web ServicesAdds AI agents and tools to AWS MarketplaceAWS Marketplace began offering AI agents and tools from AWS Partners for customers to find and buy.DiscoveryAWS What's New
Jul 14, 2025AnthropicLaunches Claude connectors directoryAnthropic launched a directory of tools that connect to Claude, which users can browse and add with one click.DiscoveryClaude Blog
Jul 1, 2025CloudflareIntroduces pay per crawl for AI crawlersCloudflare introduced pay per crawl in private beta, letting site owners charge AI crawlers per request using HTTP 402, with Cloudflare as merchant of record.PaymentsCloudflare blog
Jun 26, 2025SkyfireLaunches identity and payments platform for agentsSkyfire publicly launched its platform letting AI agents sign up, authenticate and pay for services, using verified identity tokens and programmable payment tokens.PaymentsSkyfire
Jun 23, 2025Linux FoundationLaunches the Agent2Agent protocol projectThe Linux Foundation launched the Agent2Agent (A2A) project for the open agent-to-agent protocol created by Google.ProtocolsLinux Foundation
Jun 18, 2025Model Context ProtocolPublishes MCP specification revision 2025-06-18The Model Context Protocol published revision 2025-06-18, classifying MCP servers as OAuth resource servers and adding elicitation and structured tool output.ProtocolsModel Context Protocol specification
May 22, 2025MicrosoftLaunches Agent Store in Microsoft 365 CopilotMicrosoft launched the Agent Store in Microsoft 365 Copilot, a curated marketplace of agents from Microsoft, partners and customers, with more than 70 agents.DiscoveryMicrosoft 365 Developer Blog
May 19, 2025MicrosoftIntroduces Microsoft Entra Agent IDMicrosoft introduced Entra Agent ID, extending identity management and access controls to AI agents built in Copilot Studio and Azure AI Foundry.IdentityMicrosoft Security Blog
May 19, 2025MicrosoftAdopts MCP across its agent platformsMicrosoft announced first-party MCP support across GitHub, Copilot Studio, Dynamics 365, Azure AI Foundry, Semantic Kernel and Windows 11, and joined the MCP Steering Committee.ProtocolsOfficial Microsoft Blog
May 19, 2025MicrosoftIntroduces NLWeb open projectMicrosoft introduced NLWeb, an open project for natural-language interfaces to websites, in which every NLWeb instance is also an MCP server.ProtocolsMicrosoft Source
May 6, 2025CoinbaseLaunches x402 HTTP payment protocolCoinbase launched x402, an open protocol that uses the HTTP 402 status code to let APIs, apps and AI agents pay in stablecoins over HTTP.PaymentsCoinbase Developer Platform
Apr 30, 2025VisaLaunches Visa Intelligent Commerce for AI agentsVisa introduced Visa Intelligent Commerce, opening its payment network to developers building AI agents, with tokenized digital credentials, integrated APIs and a partner program.PaymentsVisa Investor Relations
Apr 29, 2025MastercardLaunches Agent Pay and Agentic TokensMastercard announced Agent Pay, its agentic payments program, introducing Mastercard Agentic Tokens built on its existing tokenization capabilities.PaymentsMastercard Newsroom
Apr 9, 2025GoogleLaunches the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocolGoogle launched Agent2Agent, an open protocol for communication between AI agents, with more than 50 technology partners.ProtocolsGoogle for Developers Blog
Apr 3, 2025AmazonTests Buy for Me agent in Shopping appAmazon began testing Buy for Me in beta, letting a subset of US customers buy from other brands' websites through the Amazon Shopping app.CommerceAbout Amazon
Mar 26, 2025Model Context ProtocolPublishes MCP specification revision 2025-03-26The Model Context Protocol published specification revision 2025-03-26, adding an OAuth 2.1 authorization framework and a Streamable HTTP transport.ProtocolsModel Context Protocol specification
Mar 26, 2025OpenAIAdds MCP support to its Agents SDKOpenAI released version 0.0.7 of its Agents SDK for Python, adding Model Context Protocol support.ProtocolsOpenAI on GitHub
Mar 4, 2025SalesforceLaunches AgentExchange marketplace for AgentforceSalesforce launched AgentExchange, a marketplace and community for Agentforce, with more than 200 initial partners.DiscoverySalesforce Newsroom
Nov 25, 2024AnthropicOpen-sources the Model Context ProtocolAnthropic open-sourced the Model Context Protocol, an open standard for connecting AI assistants to the systems where data lives.ProtocolsAnthropic
Nov 20, 2024Google CloudLaunches AI Agent Space in Cloud MarketplaceGoogle Cloud launched AI Agent Space, a Google Cloud Marketplace category where customers find and deploy partner-built AI agents.DiscoveryGoogle Cloud Blog
Nov 18, 2024PerplexityLaunches Buy with Pro checkout for Pro usersPerplexity launched Buy with Pro, letting US Pro subscribers buy select products from select merchants in Perplexity, and opened a merchant program free to merchants.CommercePerplexity
Nov 14, 2024StripeReleases agent toolkit for Stripe API accessStripe released an agent toolkit SDK giving agents access to the Stripe API, including single-use virtual cards through Stripe Issuing for business purchases.PaymentsStripe Developers blog
Nov 8, 2024CoinbaseLaunches AgentKit for onchain AI agentsCoinbase Developer Platform launched AgentKit, a framework for building AI agents that can perform onchain operations such as transfers, token swaps and token deployment.PaymentsCoinbase Developer Platform

05 Open questions

What the record does not settle

  1. Is any of this used?

    The record does not measure it. An entry records an action, not its use. A few sources report activity: live purchases for the cardholders of European banks, and authenticated transactions in Australia.

    In the record

  2. May an agent use a site that does not want it?

    One case tests it. A retailer sued over a shopping agent, a federal trial court barred the agent from the retailer’s accounts, and an appeals court cancelled that order and sent the case back.

    In the record

  3. Who answers when an agent buys the wrong thing?

    No final rule in this record settles it. It holds a regulator’s guidance that a business answers for the agents it uses, a bill, and a consultation on payment rules.

    In the record

  4. Cards or stablecoins?

    Both are being built. A card network runs an agent payments service. A foundation now holds x402, the protocol for paying in stablecoins over HTTP. And a card network has written a card specification for the Machine Payments Protocol.

    In the record

  5. One protocol or several?

    Several. The record holds payment and commerce protocols from different groups of companies, and one case of an earlier protocol merging into another.

    In the record

  6. Who keeps the list of agents?

    Open registries list servers for agents, vendors’ marketplaces list agents and tools, and a standards group is chartered to specify how agents are found. The record holds no single directory.

    In the record

06 Terms

Words used throughout

Agent
Software that acts for a person or a firm: it searches and compares, and within the limits it has been given, it books and buys.
Agentic
Of or done by an AI agent. The adjective the industry uses, as in “agentic commerce”.
Card network
A company, such as Visa or Mastercard, that runs the system connecting the banks that issue cards with the merchants that accept them.
HTTP 402
“Payment Required”, one of the numbered replies a web server can give (404, “Not Found”, is another). HTTP, the web’s protocol, reserved it for future use.
IETF
The Internet Engineering Task Force, the body that writes the internet’s technical standards.
Linux Foundation
A non-profit that hosts open-source projects, so that no single company controls them.
Payment processor
A company that handles card payments on behalf of merchants.
Protocol
An agreed set of rules that lets two pieces of software communicate.

Each layer’s own terms stand beside its lesson, above.

07 Method

How this record is kept

What counts

An entry is one action by one named institution: a launch, a published specification, a rule, a filing or a ruling. It carries the date the institution gave it and a link to a primary source. Opinions, forecasts, funding rounds and market estimates are left out, and nothing here measures use.

How it is checked

Each source was opened, and its date and wording were checked against the page, before the entry was added. An announcement of something still to come is left out until it is released. A correction can be sent through the contact section.

Cite and reuse

Wisniewski, K. (2026). Agent Economy Infrastructure [Data set]. https://www.kylewisniewski.com/agent-economy

Licensed CC BY 4.0 · Data as JSON · CSV

Released or published, not adopted · each action as its source states it · not investment advice