EMVCo Proposes Intent Layer for Agentic Card Payments

Global payments standards body EMVCo on Tuesday (Sept. 1) released a draft framework aimed at establishing common technical standards for card payments initiated by AI agents, helping issuers, merchants, and other parties determine whether an agent is acting within a consumer's authorization. The proposal introduces a shared layer called "Intent Services," allowing authorized participants to register, reference, retrieve, and manage consumer payment intents before, during, and after transactions. The public comment period runs through Sept. 30.

EMVCo notes that existing card systems already provide tools for consumer identity verification, credential protection, and single-transaction authorization, but agentic payments introduce new challenges: when a consumer authorizes an agent to "spend up to $300 per month on groceries," the first three $70 purchases may be compliant, while a fourth could breach the monthly cap—even if the credentials are valid and the merchant is not at fault. The draft is designed specifically to address such scenarios.

The framework is still in its early stages, and the final specification will be revised based on industry feedback. If adopted, the intent layer could become part of the agentic payment infrastructure, complementing machine-to-machine payment protocols like x402 and facilitating the compliant deployment of AI agents in real-money contexts.

Source: https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/emvco-proposes-intent-layer-for-agentic-card-payments/