$ ACP Info

What is the Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)?

Last verified 2026-05-31

The Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) is an open, payment-agnostic protocol announced by Google on 16 September 2025 to securely authorize and execute agent-led payments across platforms. It was developed with more than 60 organizations, including Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, Adyen and Coinbase, and is designed as an extension of the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and the Model Context Protocol (MCP). AP2 spans cards, stablecoins and real-time bank transfers, and uses verifiable credentials (mandates) to capture user intent. Crypto payments are handled through the A2A x402 extension.

Key facts

Author / stewardGoogle, with 60+ partner organizations
Announced2025-09-16
LicenseOpen specification (public GitHub repository)
GovernanceLed by Google Cloud, developed openly with more than 60 organizations; public technical specification on GitHub
ScopeAn open, payment-agnostic protocol to securely initiate and transact agent-led payments across platforms; uses verifiable credentials / mandates to capture user intent
TransportExtension of the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and Model Context Protocol (MCP)
PaymentPayment-agnostic: cards, stablecoins and real-time bank transfers; crypto via the A2A x402 extension
Maturityannounced

What makes it distinctive

  • Announced by Google on 16 September 2025
  • Developed with more than 60 organizations (Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, Adyen, Coinbase, Etsy and others)
  • Designed as an extension of the A2A protocol and MCP
  • Payment-agnostic framework spanning cards, stablecoins and bank transfers
  • Crypto payments enabled through the A2A x402 extension

Adoption

  • Google Cloud: Protocol author (2025-09-16). source
  • Mastercard: Payment network (2025-09-16). source
  • PayPal: Payments platform (2025-09-16). source
  • American Express: Payment network (2025-09-16). source
  • Coinbase: Crypto / x402 extension (2025-09-16). source

See the full adoption tracker →

Frequently asked questions

Who is behind AP2?
Google announced AP2 on 16 September 2025, developed with more than 60 organizations including Mastercard, PayPal and American Express.
How does AP2 relate to MCP?
AP2 is designed as an extension of the Agent2Agent (A2A) protocol and the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
What payment methods does AP2 support?
It is payment-agnostic: cards, stablecoins and real-time bank transfers, with crypto via the A2A x402 extension.