Mastercard has unveiled a new payment system for AI agents, designed to permit secure and permissioned transactions to be settled across its payment network at machine speed. Agent Pay for Machines (AP4M) envisions a future in which businesses create services AI agents can buy and use. Operating at machine speed, these agents will transact continuously with each other at high speed, executing trains of transactions including microtransactions. Mastercard said in a statement that it believes this will “unlock a massive new wave of innovation, business models and economic activity, where any company, from solopreneurs to the largest enterprises, can become a virtual powerhouse.” It gives the example of a florist…
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Mastercard Adds Stablecoin Settlement Support
Circle, Ripple, SoFi, and PayPal stablecoins are among those supported
Mastercard today announced plans to make it easier to settle transactions by expanding its intraday, weekend, and holiday settlement capabilities via regulated stablecoins. Settlement with fiat currency is also supported. The goal is to offer greater flexibility for card issuer banks and merchant acquirer financial institutions, which have to manage settlement timing and liquidity without disrupting existing processes. Mastercard said these upgrades are particularly relevant to settlements where stablecoins bring big benefits, including cross-border payments, corporate treasury management, and liquidity needs outside of traditional banking hours. Mastercard will support settlement using Circle’s USDC, Ripple’s RLUSD, SoFi’s SoFiUSD, and three Paxos-issued stablecoins: USDG, USDP, and PayPal’s PYUSD. These stablecoin payments will…
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MoonPay Launches Mastercard for AI Agents
MoonAgents Card will draw on an onchain wallet
Crypto payments firm MoonPay has launched a new virtual debit Mastercard designed for AI agents as well as human users. Using stablecoins and offering merchants payment in fiat, the MoonAgents Card is accepted at any online merchant across 210 countries that accepts Mastercard. The card is issued through Monavate, a regulated global payments platform and principal member of the Mastercard network. The launch comes just a day after digital wallet and payment app startup Oobit announced the launch of a new stablecoin-backed corporate Visa debit card designed for AI agents. Unlike the Oobit card, the MoonAgents Card does not require users to pre-load a custodial balance in stablecoins, but rather…
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Mastercard Accepting Crypto Payments
A Look Into Cryptocurrency in The Asia-Pacific Region
On November 8, 2021, Mastercard made an important announcement regarding their payment systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Because of the company’s partnerships with Amber Group, Coinjar, and Bitkub, anyone in the region will now be able to apply for a crypto-linked Mastercard. This will allow users to instantly convert their cryptocurrency into fiat dollars which they can spend wherever you can use a normal card. This doesn’t mean that people will be paying for their purchases in Bitcoin (BTC) or other coins, but instead Mastercard does an instant transfer from crypto to fiat. This allows for buyers to use the card at any merchant that accepts normal cards, which gives…
