Cloudflare, Visa and Mastercard May Enable AI Agentic Commerce With Web Bot Auth, Potentially Allowing Cryptocurrency Payments

• Web Bot Auth enables AI agents to authenticate and transact securely at scale for merchants.

• Major payment networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) are integrating the protocol for agentic commerce.

• Cloudflare’s Trusted Agent Protocol and related work (including an x402 format) target interoperability across agent frameworks and support credit, debit, crypto, and other methods.

Web Bot Auth: Cloudflare’s protocol for secure agentic commerce, enabling AI agents to shop at millions of merchants—read the implications and next steps for payments.

Published: October 14, 2025 — Updated: October 14, 2025
Author/Organization: COINOTAG

What is Web Bot Auth and how does it enable agentic commerce?

Web Bot Auth is an authentication protocol developed by Cloudflare that allows bots and AI agents to identify themselves, convey intent, and securely interact with merchants and payment platforms. The protocol, used within the Trusted Agent Protocol framework, enables merchants to accept agent-initiated transactions across payment methods while preserving trust and transparency.

How will integration with Visa, Mastercard, and American Express work?

Payment networks are incorporating the Trusted Agent Protocol to enable agentic payments at scale. Visa is adding the protocol to its Visa Intelligence Commerce platform, Mastercard is integrating it into Mastercard Agent Pay, and American Express plans to adopt the same standards for merchant verification. These integrations aim to let merchants verify an agent’s identity and intent, and accept payments—including credit, debit, and cryptocurrency—securely and consistently across platforms. Cloudflare’s Agents SDK and the previously introduced x402 format (announced in July in collaboration with Coinbase) are designed to ensure compatibility across agent frameworks, enabling frictionless interoperability for millions of merchants worldwide.

Cloudflare said AI agents built with its Agents SDK will be able to use the Trusted Agent Protocol to shop autonomously across merchant sites. The company emphasized that the protocol provides an authentication layer compatible with major agent-based frameworks, enabling merchants and developers to deploy agentic commerce safely at Internet scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Web Bot Auth let AI agents pay with cryptocurrency?

Yes. The Trusted Agent Protocol is designed to be payment-method-agnostic. Cloudflare and participating payment networks state that merchants can accept payments from agents using credit, debit, cryptocurrency, and other supported payment methods, subject to individual merchant and network policies.

How does this affect my online shopping experience?

In plain language: AI assistants will be able to shop and pay on your behalf only after proper authentication. You should see improved personalization and faster checkout when you opt into agentic services, while merchants use the protocol to verify agent intent and transaction legitimacy.

Background and context

Cloudflare first collaborated with Visa on the Trusted Agent Protocol and later worked with Coinbase on the x402 protocol to establish shared formats for agent-driven, real-time payments. Industry executives framed the initiative as a cross-industry effort to build trust and scale for agentic commerce. Forestell, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Visa, described the shift as a new era of commerce where trust and transparency are essential. Jorn Lambert, Chief Product Officer at Mastercard, said the collaboration simplifies agent verification for merchants and supports a unified, scalable approach. Luke Gebb, EVP & head of global innovation at American Express, confirmed plans to utilize Web Bot Auth for agentic initiatives, and Stephanie Cohen, Chief Strategy Officer at Cloudflare, positioned the company’s global network as a foundation for secure agentic transactions.

Key Takeaways

• Enterprise adoption: Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are integrating Web Bot Auth to bring agentic commerce to mainstream payments.
• Interoperability: Cloudflare’s Trusted Agent Protocol and the x402 format aim to ensure compatibility across agent SDKs and merchant platforms.
• Payment flexibility: Merchants will be able to accept multiple payment methods from authenticated agents, including crypto, subject to merchant policies.

Conclusion

Cloudflare’s Web Bot Auth and the Trusted Agent Protocol mark a coordinated industry step toward secure, scalable agentic commerce, integrating major payment networks and emphasizing trust, intent verification, and interoperability. As AI agents become capable of transacting on behalf of consumers, merchants and payment platforms will need to adopt these protocols to support authenticated, transparent agent-driven purchases. For merchants, developers, and consumers, the next phase will focus on implementation, user consent, and operational safeguards.

Sources (plain text): Cloudflare press release; Visa statements; Mastercard statements; American Express statements; Coinbase announcement; Cryptopolitan reporting.