Mastercard opens AI payment API access for developers after crypto-linked pilots

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Mastercard opens AI payment API

Highlights

Mastercard expands developer access to its Agent Pay for Machines API after pilots with Cloudflare, Ant International, BVNK, AIsa, Base and Coinbase.
The pilot enables AI agents to make direct online payments for services using cards, bank accounts or stablecoins, but remains in testing and is not commercially available.
Coinbase's x402 protocol and Developer Platform provided wallet and settlement support, while BVNK processed multi-currency settlements through Mastercard's Global Money Platform.

Pilot program expands developer testing

As reported by The Block, Mastercard is giving developers early access to Agent Pay for Machines after pilots with Cloudflare, Ant International, BVNK, AIsa, Base and Coinbase. The company first introduced the initiative in June, with support for spending controls and payments through cards, bank accounts and stablecoins, but the product remains in the pilot stage and is not yet commercially available.

Mastercard is asking developers to test the APIs and provide feedback on features they want added. In a statement shared with The Block, the company said AI agents now need a payment layer for using online services, extending the way software already communicates through the web and APIs.

Crypto and cloud partners support the payment flow

During a demonstration at Cloudflare Connect, marketing agency Hype assigned an AI agent a sample task to prepare a campaign for a protein bar launch. The agent bought social media research from AIsa and obtained eight campaign images from Cloudflare AI Gateway within a pre-approved budget, completing nine payments to the two providers.

The agent used the Coinbase-incubated x402 protocol to pay for those services. Under that model, a merchant can return an HTTP 402, or Payment Required, response, then verify the agent's signed payment voucher before delivering the service, while Mastercard said vouchers can also be batched and redeemed later instead of being settled one by one.

Coinbase Developer Platform provided the wallet infrastructure used to fund the agent in the Hype pilot, while Base served as the onchain settlement network. BVNK, the stablecoin infrastructure provider acquired by Mastercard in August, acted as the agent wallet and used Mastercard's Global Money Platform to process settlement in fiat or stablecoins, allowing sellers to receive funds in their preferred currency, token or payment rail.

In our earlier article on how CEOs view AI agents, we covered survey results showing that many large U.S. companies are already seeing efficiency and growth gains, even though only a small share consider the technology transformational so far. The piece also highlighted that scaling AI agents typically requires more investment in AI infrastructure, process redesign, and workforce efforts such as hiring and retraining—signaling that broader adoption is still a build-out phase rather than plug-and-play.

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