Google Unveils Agent Payments Protocol
Google has introduced the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open-source framework designed to enable AI-powered applications to send and receive payments. The protocol supports credit cards, debit cards, and stablecoins, making it one of the most versatile attempts to standardize AI-driven commerce.
To bring crypto rails into the project, Google partnered with Coinbase, which has been developing AI-integrated payments infrastructure.
Announcing Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open, shared protocol that provides a common language for secure, compliant transactions between agents and merchants.
— Google Cloud Tech (@GoogleCloudTech) September 16, 2025
AP2 can be used as an extension of the A2A protocol and MCP. Learn how it works ↓ https://t.co/RBFzpU2qUI
Announcing Agent Payments Protocol (AP2), an open, shared protocol that provides a common language for secure, compliant transactions between agents and merchants.
— Google Cloud Tech (@GoogleCloudTech) September 16, 2025
AP2 can be used as an extension of the A2A protocol and MCP. Learn how it works ↓ https://t.co/RBFzpU2qUI
Tech Giants Back Interoperability
The protocol isn’t just a Google–Coinbase project. More than 60 companies are involved, including the Ethereum Foundation, Mastercard, PayPal, Revolut, American Express, UnionPay, Worldpay, and Salesforce, as well as Ant International, JCB, Adyen, and Etsy.
This broad coalition ensures that AP2 can work across traditional finance systems while adapting to emerging crypto rails, making it flexible for global adoption.
AI Agents Enter Financial Transactions
Google has been pioneering “AI agents” that can already write code, browse marketplaces, and interact online. With AP2, these agents gain the ability to make financial transactions autonomously.
That means digital agents could soon shop for clothes, pay bills, or even negotiate mortgages without human intervention. The goal is to ensure these transactions remain safe, interoperable, and aligned with user intent.
By combining credit card rails with stablecoins, AP2 makes it easier to build AI-driven payment systems that are both globally scalable and user-friendly. With backing from tech and financial giants, adoption could spread quickly across ecosystems.
Stablecoins Gain Momentum Under GENIUS Act
The timing of AP2’s launch coincides with growing momentum in the stablecoin market. Since the GENIUS Act became U.S. law in July 2025, providing the first federal framework for issuing stablecoins, demand has surged.
Circle, the issuer of USDC, held an oversubscribed IPO, while Tether announced a U.S.-regulated stablecoin. Even American Express Travel joined the blockchain space in September with a mobile app supporting crypto alongside credit and debit cards.
The stablecoin market cap has climbed to $289 billion in circulation, up from $205 billion earlier this year. Coinbase Institutional forecasts the market could hit $1.2 trillion by 2028, while McKinsey projects $2 trillion by the same date.
A New Era of AI and Finance
By pairing AI-driven agents with crypto-enabled payments, Google and Coinbase are laying the groundwork for a new era in digital finance. AP2 represents not just a payments protocol, but a blueprint for how AI, blockchain, and traditional finance can converge into a single interoperable system.
If adopted widely, AP2 could make autonomous financial transactions as routine as online shopping today, accelerating both AI adoption and stablecoin integration worldwide.
