UnionPay has officially released the Agentic Payment Open Protocol (APOP) framework, a solution for agent-based payments designed to enable secure, standardised interactions across agents, merchants, financial institutions, and technology platforms.

The framework uses trusted routing to allow plug-and-play integration, simplifying participation in agentic payment processes.

The APOP framework manages agent identity lifecycles and supports end-to-end intent management.

The framework streamlines user identity management through single sign-on (SSO) and handles payment authorisation, including activation authentication, payment debiting, and user consent verification.

APOP streamlines user identity management through single sign-on (SSO) and handles payment authorisation, including activation authentication, payment debiting, and user consent verification.

Four additional principles guide its design. The framework ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and prioritises security through traceable processes.

Trust is enhanced by clearly defining responsibilities and risks. Broad compatibility allows participants to integrate seamlessly and scale effectively.

The practical applications of the framework are emerging.

On 2 April, a test taxi booking in Hong Kong, China, used an AI assistant developed by technology company Evonet.

After entering booking details, the tester received a list of available taxi types and prices from the ride-hailing platform Hoppa.

The system also provided a recommended option. This demonstrates how agentic payment systems can integrate seamlessly into real-world services.

Dong Junfeng, Chairman of China UnionPay, said:

“We will continue to uphold our vision of ‘Trusted Ties, Shared Success’, working with industry partners to embrace the opportunities brought by AI and develop a secure, controllable, inclusive, and globally connected agentic payment ecosystem.”

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by Supertramp via Freepik