Ant International, the overseas branch of China's Ant Group, has open-sourced its Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP) to allow autonomous AI agents to perform mobile payments across 10 major digital wallets servicing over 1.5 billion accounts, marking a pivotal move toward AI-driven commerce in Asia.
- AMP enables AI agents to transact across wallets serving 1.5 billion accounts in Asia.
- Joint KYA framework with Visa and Mastercard advances AI agent identity verification globally.
- AgentSafePay feature offers transaction protections and consumer control assurances.
What happened
Ant International has announced the open-source release of its Agentic Mobile Protocol (AMP), designed to enable autonomous AI agents to make secure payments across a network of 10 major Asian digital wallets. Built upon the existing Alipay+ cross-border payment platform, AMP connects wallets including AlipayHK, Starryblu, KakaoPay, and Toss, collectively servicing about 1.5 billion consumer accounts in the initial rollout.
This protocol allows AI agents to integrate as trusted entities within established mobile payment ecosystems. Alongside this launch, Ant International collaborated with Visa and Mastercard to introduce a know-your-agent (KYA) framework, aiming to create standardized ways to verify AI agents’ identities across various payment and marketplace platforms worldwide.
Why it matters
The introduction of AMP represents a strategic push by Ant International to pioneer autonomous AI-powered transactions on a global scale. By establishing technical standards and security features such as AgentSafePay—which safeguards merchants with money-back guarantees and ensures consumers maintain control over permissions—AMP addresses key concerns around privacy and transactional risks tied to automated spending.
This initiative comes amid growing interest in AI agent economies, particularly in China and wider Asia, where many merchants currently face challenges adapting their services for AI interactions. Ant International’s efforts promise to accelerate adoption by creating robust infrastructure that facilitates seamless AI payment workflows, potentially reshaping mobile commerce and digital wallet use.
What to watch next
Future developments to monitor include the expansion of AMP-supported wallets beyond the initial 10 Asian platforms and the global adoption of the KYA framework for AI agents, especially within Visa and Mastercard networks. Market response from merchants and consumers will also be critical in determining how quickly autonomous AI payment agents become commonplace in everyday transactions.
Additionally, Ant International’s continued funding efforts and partnerships will be vital to scaling this technology internationally. The integration of AI agents into diverse digital payment systems and their regulatory acceptance will shape the evolution of secure, automated commerce across regions.