Google Gives AP2 Payments Protocol to FIDO Alliance, Adds Preapproval

Google donated its Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) to the FIDO Alliance on April 28, 2026, and released a new version that lets agents make payments under instructions users approved in advance.

Google announced AP2 in September 2025 as an open protocol developed with more than 60 organizations. It supports cards, stablecoins and real-time bank transfers. Signed digital “Mandates” record evidence of a user’s instructions. Version 0.2 adds “Human Not Present” payments, allowing an agent to act within permissions set before the transaction without the buyer present.

Google introduced its Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) in January 2026 for coordinating online commerce flows. It can work with AP2 and integrate through application programming interfaces, Agent2Agent and Model Context Protocol. Several retailers helped develop UCP, and more than 20 partners endorsed it.

OpenAI and Stripe announced the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) in September 2025. At its launch, U.S. ChatGPT users could buy individual items from U.S. Etsy sellers. The buyer confirmed the order, while the merchant used its existing systems to handle payment and fulfillment.

Visa announced its Trusted Agent Protocol in October 2025. It uses cryptographic signatures specific to each agent to help merchants verify the agent’s identity and intent.

The protocols address different parts of an agent-led purchase. UCP covers commerce flows, while AP2 carries evidence of a buyer’s instructions and supports payment methods. ACP’s launch flow included buyer confirmation, and Visa’s protocol focuses on agent verification. Their functions show how commerce data, payment authorization and identity checks can be handled by separate systems.