Cloudflare Partners With Visa, AmEx, Mastercard on AI Commerce
New collaboration will use Cloudflare's technology to secure and authenticate transactions made by AI shopping agents.
Cloudflare announced a significant partnership with financial giants Visa, Mastercard, and American Express to create a new security layer for the burgeoning world of AI-driven commerce. The collaboration will leverage Cloudflare's Web Bot Auth protocol to authenticate and secure transactions made by autonomous AI shopping agents, a move that could cement the company's position as a critical infrastructure provider for the future of online retail.
The initiative aims to build trust in 'agentic commerce,' where AI agents make purchases on behalf of users. , Cloudflare's technology will help merchants distinguish between legitimate AI shoppers and malicious bots, a growing concern in cybersecurity. Visa is incorporating the protocol into its Trusted Agent Protocol, while Mastercard will use it for its Mastercard Agent Pay service.
This partnership places Cloudflare (NET) at the forefront of a major shift in e-commerce. As AI agents become more prevalent, the need for a standardized and secure authentication method is paramount. 'We're excited to be working with the world's leading payment companies to build a more secure and reliable future for agentic commerce,' said a Cloudflare representative in a statement. The company is also contributing to the development of open standards, such as the Agent Payments Protocol, to foster a more interoperable ecosystem.
The announcement comes as Cloudflare's stock has seen significant positive momentum. , with year-to-date returns exceeding 106%. This strong performance reflects investor confidence in Cloudflare's strategic direction and its expansion into new markets like AI and digital payments.
Wall Street has taken notice of Cloudflare's recent moves. The company currently holds a , and several have recently revised their price targets upwards. Bank of America, for instance, raised its target to $240, citing the company's innovative technology and strong growth prospects. This latest partnership is likely to further bolster analyst and investor confidence in the company's long-term outlook.