Alchemy Launches AgentPay Interoperability Layer for AI Payment Systems

Alchemy AgentPay Functions as Payment Protocol Middleware

The new tool addresses the problem that agentic payment systems currently coming online aren't "interoperable," meaning merchants wanting AI agents as customers must build separate integrations for every protocol. "That's not sustainable, and it's only going to get more fragmented as more systems launch," said Alchemy CTO Guillaume Poncin. "AgentPay fixes that. A merchant registers their existing API with us, we give them a new endpoint, and any agent on any supported protocol can pay them through it."

AgentPay promises one integration for every protocol, citing support for x402, MPP, A2P, and L402 standards. The system operates as middleware, with Alchemy routing payment instructions while never touching the actual funds. This positions the company as neutral infrastructure enabling cross-protocol compatibility across the emerging agentic finance ecosystem.

Visa Reports 4,700% Surge in AI-Driven Commerce Traffic

Alchemy's launch comes amid explosive growth in AI-driven commerce, with Visa reporting a 4,700% surge in AI-driven traffic to U.S. retail sites over the past year. Visa announced in December 2025 that hundreds of secure, agent-initiated transactions have now been successfully completed in collaboration with partners, signaling that "2025 will be the final year consumers shop and checkout alone".

PayPal adopted OpenAI's Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP) in October 2025 to power payments within ChatGPT, while Coinbase rolled out "Agentic Wallets" in February 2026, building on the x402 protocol for autonomous crypto payments "without human intervention". Ant Group unveiled its Anvita platform in April 2026, designed to let AI agents serve as main players in cryptocurrency transactions in an "agent-to-agent" economy.

Major Exchanges Build Agentic Infrastructure

Several major payment infrastructure developments signal mainstream adoption: Visa's Trusted Agent Protocol provides cryptographic standards for recognizing approved AI agents, while PayPal and OpenAI's partnership enables instant checkout and agentic commerce in ChatGPT via the Agent Checkout Protocol. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has argued that AI agents cannot meet Know Your Customer requirements and therefore cannot use traditional banking infrastructure, pointing to Coinbase's Agentic Wallets as already operational for agent-native payments.

OKX has also launched its own agentic wallet solution, enabling AI-powered on-chain execution and joining the growing ecosystem of crypto exchanges building infrastructure for autonomous agent transactions. The broader trend reflects what Chainalysis describes as the convergence of AI and cryptocurrency, with research indicating the agentic commerce market could reach significant scale as autonomous agents increasingly handle transactional processes.

Alchemy Addresses Protocol Fragmentation During Formation Phase

AgentPay signals a critical infrastructure maturation phase for autonomous AI commerce. By providing protocol translation rather than proprietary payment rails, Alchemy positions itself as neutral infrastructure—a strategic choice that could accelerate adoption across competing payment standards while avoiding platform lock-in concerns.

The timing reflects institutional recognition that agentic finance fragmentation creates genuine friction for commercial adoption. Unlike consumer-facing interoperability solutions that often emerge after market consolidation, Alchemy is addressing protocol compatibility during the formation stage of the agentic economy—potentially shaping how AI payment standards develop rather than merely responding to them.