AP2 (Agent Payments Protocol)
An open protocol that gives an AI agent a cryptographically signed permission slip from a human before it can spend money on that person's behalf.
Current status
As of October 2026: announced by Google in September 2025 with more than 60 partners, including Mastercard, PayPal and Coinbase. On April 28, 2026, Google donated AP2 to the FIDO Alliance, which now governs it as a platform-agnostic, community-led standard.
Explanation
AP2 is an open protocol Google announced in September 2025, developed together with more than 60 organizations including Mastercard, PayPal, and Coinbase. It works through a mandate, a cryptographically signed permission slip a human grants an AI agent before that agent can spend money on their behalf. Google positions AP2 as complementary to its A2A and MCP interoperability standards, together forming the emerging agentic commerce stack. Retail and commerce marketers need to understand it as shopping increasingly moves through AI agents rather than storefronts.
Usage context / examples
Google Cloud's September 2025 announcement listed Adyen, American Express, Mastercard, PayPal, and Coinbase as founding partners.
Related terms
Conversational AI Commerce, ACP, UCP, x402, MCP, A2A
Turkish definition
AP2, bir yapay zeka ajanının kişi adına harcama yapabilmesi için önce imzalı bir yetki belgesi almasını zorunlu kılar.