The agentic commerce standards
Five open standards underpin agentic commerce. Each page below is answer-first, dated and linked to primary sources.
ACPBetaAgentic Commerce ProtocolOpenAI and StripeAgent commerce protocol behind product discovery in ChatGPT, after powering Instant Checkout. OpenAI + Stripe, Apache 2.0.verified 2026-09-01UCPBetaUniversal Commerce ProtocolGoogle and Shopify (with Etsy, Wayfair, Target, Walmart)Full-journey commerce standard announced for agentic checkout on Google AI Mode and Gemini. Google + Shopify, Apache 2.0.verified 2026-08-30AP2FoundationAgent Payments ProtocolCreated by Google; donated to the FIDO AlliancePayment-agnostic framework for agent-led payments. Google, 60+ partners, extends A2A and MCP.verified 2026-09-01MCPStableModel Context ProtocolCreated by Anthropic; named as a founding technical contribution to the Agentic AI Foundation (Linux Foundation)The context layer connecting agents to tools and data. Anthropic, now a Linux Foundation project.verified 2026-09-01x402Stablex402Created by Coinbase; specification stewarded by the x402 FoundationHTTP-native stablecoin payments for agents and APIs. Coinbase, built on the 402 status code.verified 2026-09-01
Adjacent protocols and programs
Trust, card-network and agent-layer initiatives that interlock with the five core standards: agent verification (TAP), card-rail agentic payments (Mastercard Agent Pay), agent-to-agent communication (A2A) and machine payments (MPP).
TAPBetaTrusted Agent ProtocolVisa, developed in collaboration with CloudflareVisa trust framework: merchants cryptographically verify AI agents at checkout. With Cloudflare, RFC 9421.verified 2026-06-18Agent PayAnnouncedMastercard Agent PayMastercardMastercard agentic payments program: verified agents pay via Agentic Tokens. Proprietary network program.verified 2026-06-18A2AFoundationAgent2Agent ProtocolCreated by Google; now a Linux Foundation projectAgent-to-agent communication standard. Created by Google, now a Linux Foundation project. Apache 2.0.verified 2026-08-27MPPBetaMachine Payments ProtocolTempo and Stripe (co-authors)Programmatic agent payments over HTTP, stablecoins and fiat. Open standard by Tempo and Stripe.verified 2026-06-10
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