October 14, 2025 — Leads & Copy — Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) has launched Trusted Agent Protocol, a framework designed for secure communication between AI agents and merchants during transactions. Developed with Cloudflare, the protocol aims to address challenges in agent-driven commerce, allowing AI to conduct searches, comparisons, and payments on behalf of consumers while maintaining trust between merchants and AI agents. The protocol is now accessible in the Visa Developer Center and GitHub.
AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites has increased by over 4,700% in the past year, with 85% of AI shoppers reporting an improved experience. The Trusted Agent Protocol seeks to manage bot detection systems, support agent-driven checkouts, and preserve visibility into consumer and payment data by enabling approved agents to securely transmit critical information to merchants.
According to Jack Forestell, Chief Product & Strategy Officer at Visa, the payments ecosystem must ensure sellers can trust AI agents. Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer at Cloudflare, emphasized the shared responsibility in securing the future of commerce as AI agents act on behalf of consumers.
The protocol uses agent-specific cryptographic signatures to verify agent intent, consumer recognition, and payment information. It is built on the HTTP Message Signature standard and aligns with Web Both Auth, requiring minimal UX changes on merchant websites.
Early partners providing feedback include Adyen, Ant International, Checkout.com, Coinbase, CyberSource, Elavon, Fiserv, Microsoft, Nuvei, Shopify, Stripe and Worldpay.
Learn more at Visa.com.
Source: Visa
