The Trust Protocol: How EMVCo Plans to Govern AI-Driven Payments

LONDON – September 01, 2026 – As artificial intelligence increasingly moves from our search bars to our shopping carts, the global payments industry is facing a foundational question: When an AI agent makes a purchase, who's really in charge? Today, EMVCo, the global technical body owned by the world's largest card networks, offered its answer by releasing a draft framework aimed at building the rails for this new era of 'agentic commerce'.

The proposed "EMV® Agentic Payments – Framework for Specifications" is the first major, collaborative step toward creating a secure and interoperable global standard for transactions initiated by AI agents on a consumer's behalf. At its heart is a new concept called 'Intent Services,' a system designed to create a trusted, shared record of a consumer's delegated authority. For an industry built on split-second authorisations and ironclad security, this framework isn't just an update; it's a blueprint for trust in an automated future.

The Technical Blueprint: A 'Common Coordination Point'

At the core of the challenge is the abstract nature of delegation. How can a merchant or a bank be certain that a purchase initiated by an AI—whether for a recurring grocery order or a dynamically priced airline ticket—is precisely what the human consumer authorized? EMVCo's answer is to create a common language for intent.

The draft framework introduces 'Intent Services' as a shared, interoperable layer accessible to all participants in a payment. This service would allow for the registration, referencing, retrieval, and management of a consumer's authorized intent before, during, and even after a transaction is complete. It's designed to handle complex scenarios that go beyond a simple one-click purchase, such as managing a monthly budget for an AI shopping assistant, authorizing recurring subscriptions with variable amounts, or handling post-transaction activities like returns or service adjustments.

This move is strategically significant. The framework clarifies that 'Intent Services' are meant to complement, not replace, existing cryptographic assurance solutions like 'Verifiable Intent.' While cryptographic methods can provide a technical proof of an instruction, EMVCo's proposed layer acts as a 'common coordination point' for the entire ecosystem. It ensures that the intent cryptographically signed by a user is consistently interpreted by the merchant's bank, the card issuer, and every intermediary in between. An industry analyst noted, "Cryptography tells you what was signed, but a coordination layer tells everyone what it means. In a global network, that shared understanding is everything."

However, building this digital ledger of intent is fraught with technical hurdles. The system will need to offer near real-time access to intent data to avoid slowing down transactions, all while securing highly sensitive information about consumer spending habits and permissions. Integrating this new layer with legacy payment systems and existing EMV specifications like 3-D Secure and Payment Tokenisation will require a carefully managed evolution of the entire infrastructure.

Who's in Charge? Securing Trust in an Automated Wallet

Beyond the technical architecture, EMVCo's initiative tackles the more human element of agentic commerce: trust. The convenience of an AI agent that can autonomously manage subscriptions or find the best deals is compelling, but it's predicated on the unwavering belief that the agent will act strictly within the boundaries set by its owner. A single unauthorized purchase could shatter that trust entirely.

The 'Intent Services' framework directly addresses this by creating a verifiable audit trail. By providing a standardized way to register and retrieve a consumer's explicit permissions, it offers a mechanism for resolving disputes and proving delegated authority. This is a critical piece of the consumer protection puzzle in an automated world.

This work, which began with the formation of an Agentic Payments Task Force in late 2025, has made privacy and consumer control initial focus areas. The framework's success will depend on its ability to navigate a complex web of global privacy regulations, from GDPR in Europe to various state-level laws in the U.S. The management of 'intent-related data' must be handled with robust, privacy-preserving models.

Further down the road, EMVCo is considering even more sophisticated tools for building trust, including concepts like 'Know Your Agent (KYA)' and 'Agentic Transaction Indicators.' KYA would establish a system for identifying and verifying the AI agent itself, while transaction indicators would flag to the entire payment network that a transaction was initiated by a non-human agent. This would allow for specialized risk modeling and fraud prevention, adding another layer of security for consumers.

A Strategic Play for a New Payment Paradigm

EMVCo's move is a clear strategic play to extend its role as the de facto standard-setter for card payments into the age of AI. Backed by its owners—American Express, Discover, JCB, Mastercard, UnionPay, and Visa—the organization is uniquely positioned to drive global adoption and prevent the kind of fragmentation that could stifle innovation.

Significantly, EMVCo is not working in a vacuum. The press release highlights active collaboration with key technical and standards bodies, including the FIDO Alliance (authentication), the OpenID Foundation (digital identity), the OpenWallet Foundation (digital wallets), and the W3C (web standards). This broad coalition signals a recognition that agentic payments are not just a payment problem, but an issue at the intersection of identity, security, and the future of the web. By engaging these partners, EMVCo is aiming to build a holistic standard that is deeply integrated with the broader digital ecosystem.

Junya Tanaka, EMVCo Executive Committee Chair, underscored this vision in the official announcement. "Card-based agentic payments require a globally interoperable foundation that consumers, merchants and issuers can all trust," he stated. "This publication marks an important step forward by outlining a consistent approach for establishing and communicating intent alongside payment-related information."

The Road Ahead: From Framework to Global Standard

Today's release marks the beginning, not the end, of a long and complex process. The draft framework is now open for public review until September 30, inviting feedback from hundreds of stakeholders, from fintech startups to multinational banks. This collaborative feedback phase is crucial for refining the concepts and ensuring the final specifications are robust, flexible, and globally applicable.

Following this consultation period, the real work of developing detailed technical specifications will begin. This will involve defining the precise data fields, API protocols, and security requirements needed to bring 'Intent Services' to life. Simultaneously, EMVCo will continue to evaluate how existing technologies, from EMV 3-D Secure to Secure Remote Commerce (SRC), must be enhanced to support these new agent-driven interactions.

As the industry pores over this initial blueprint, one thing is clear: the transition to agentic commerce is no longer a theoretical exercise. The foundational work is underway to build a system where consumers can confidently delegate financial tasks to AI, backed by a global standard of security and trust.