From groceries to investments AI agents could soon make payments for you

Under the proposed system, AI agents could make payments for users based on instructions given to them, reducing the need for people to approve every transaction separately.The system is expected to begin with simple, low-value transactions. (Photo: Getty Images)The governmnet is working on a system to verify and monitor artificial intelligence agents that can make payments on behalf of users, as the country prepares to bring agentic payments to its digital payments network, Reuters reported.The payments authority is building a registry that will identify and track AI agents involved in transactions. The registry will be part of the National Payments Corporation of India’s (NPCI) planned Unified Agentic Protocol, according to three sources familiar with the discussions.The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media.REGISTRY TO START WITH UPIThe registry will initially focus on AI agents making payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), India’s widely used instant payments system. It could later be extended to other payment methods, including cards and bill payments, one of the sources, a senior industry executive, told Reuters. NPCI, which operates UPI and other retail payment systems in India, did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.The move comes as NPCI prepares to introduce agentic payments on UPI. Reuters reported last week that the payments body is working towards bringing such transactions to the platform. Under the proposed system, AI agents could make payments for users based on instructions given to them, reducing the need for people to approve every transaction separately.SMALL PAYMENTS COULD BE THE FIRST USEThe system is expected to begin with simple, low-value transactions. Groceries and other routine purchases could be among the early uses, the report mentioned.This could allow an AI agent to make several small payments on a user's behalf without requiring approval each time.Over time, technology could take on more complicated tasks. For example, users could instruct an AI agent to buy a product when its price falls to a certain level or make an investment when prices cross a specified threshold, one of the sources said.That would give AI agents a much bigger role in everyday financial decisions and transactions.RULES NEEDED FOR UNAUTHORISED PAYMENTSThe proposed registry could help verify and monitor the agents operating on the payments network, but it may not by itself resolve all the risks linked to agentic payments.One of the key questions is who would be responsible if an AI agent makes an incorrect or unauthorised payment. The third source said issues such as liability would need to be addressed through regulation.As AI systems gain more control over financial transactions, clear rules around responsibility, security and user protection are likely to become increasingly important.GLOBAL PUSH TO REGULATE AI AGENTSIndia's plans come as governments and payments companies in other countries also work on systems to identify and authenticate AI agents.China's Payment & Clearing Association has issued guidelines for AI-agent payments covering areas such as identification, security and risk controls.Technology giants including Amazon, Google and Microsoft have also developed agent registries as they explore AI-driven commerce.The push comes amid growing attention on the risks posed by AI agents, including concerns about unexpected or unwanted actions by autonomous systems developed by leading AI companies.- EndsPublished By: Jasmine anandPublished On: Sep 10, 2026 18:32 IST