# AP2

> Payment-agnostic settlement inside the A2A task lifecycle — handles cards, bank transfers and crypto through one mandate-based framework.

_The Agent Protocol Atlas · /protocols/ap2 · [JSON](/api/protocols/ap2) · [all The Agent Protocol Atlas](/protocols)_

- **name:** AP2
- **full_name:** Agent Payments Protocol
- **layer:** payments
- **creator:** Google (with 60+ payments & finance orgs)
- **status:** emerging
- **year:** 2025
- **one_liner:** Payment-agnostic settlement inside the A2A task lifecycle — handles cards, bank transfers and crypto through one mandate-based framework.
- **spec_url:** https://ap2-protocol.org
- **snippet:**

```
An agent presents a signed mandate; AP2 routes it to cards, ACH, or crypto rails.
```
- **abbreviation:** AP2
- **also_known_as:** Agent Payments Protocol, Agents-to-Payments Protocol
- **canonical_spec_url:** https://ap2-protocol.org
- **entity_uri:** https://agentpaymentsprotocol.info/
- **taxonomy_layer:** payments
- **sub_layer:** mandate-based-settlement
- **protocol_type:** settlement
- **central_problem:** Gives an AI agent a verifiable, cryptographically signed permission slip (a mandate) from a human before it can spend money, and routes that mandate across cards, bank, and crypto rails.
- **maintainer:** Google + 60+ payments/finance partners (AP2 project)
- **governance_body:** vendor (Google-led, open partner consortium)
- **license:** Apache-2.0
- **maturity_tag:** emerging
- **current_spec_version:** — (verify-against-primary-at-build)
- **spec_date:** — (verify-against-primary-at-build)
- **launch_date:** 2025-09-16
- **last_verified:** 2026-06-15
- **transport:** Extension of A2A / MCP task lifecycle; mandates carried as W3C Verifiable Credentials
- **core_mechanism:** AP2 introduces three signed mandates — Intent, Cart, and Payment — carried as W3C Verifiable Credentials; the agent presents the signed mandate and AP2 routes settlement to cards, ACH, or crypto rails, with stablecoins treated as first-class alongside cards and bank transfers.
- **discovery_endpoint:** Carried within the A2A task lifecycle (no standalone well-known endpoint)
- **settlement_type:** card-rail / bank / stablecoin (payment-agnostic, routed by mandate)
- **adoption_metric:** Announced with 60+ payments & technology partners (e.g. Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, Coinbase, Adyen, Worldpay) (source: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol)
- **notable_adopters:** {"value":"Google","source":"https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol"}, {"value":"Mastercard, PayPal, American Express, Coinbase (launch partners)","source":"https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol"}
- **relationships:** {"predicate":"extends","target":"x402","note":"AP2 -extends-> x402 (research §2 seed triple)."}, {"predicate":"built_on","target":"a2a","note":"AP2 is designed as an extension of the A2A (and MCP) task lifecycle."}
- **ideal_use_case:** Agent-led purchases that need a human's signed, auditable authorization across mixed payment rails.
- **when_to_use:** When an agent must spend a user's money with verifiable consent and you need card/bank/crypto routing under one mandate framework.
- **when_not_to_use:** When you only need sub-cent inline API metering (use x402) or an in-conversation checkout for retail (use Agentic Commerce / ACP).
- **code_example:** // AP2 mandates are W3C Verifiable Credentials (Intent → Cart → Payment).
// The agent presents a signed Payment mandate; AP2 routes it to the chosen rail.
// { "type": ["VerifiableCredential", "PaymentMandate"], "credentialSubject": { "amount": "42.00", "currency": "USD" } }
- **source:** Launch 2025-09-16 + 60+ partners + three-mandate (Intent/Cart/Payment) VC design: https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/ai-machine-learning/announcing-agents-to-payments-ap2-protocol .
- **agent_readiness_link:** agent-readiness/x402
- **layer_legacy:** payment