Mastercard has achieved a landmark in South Korea by completing the country's first live, authenticated agentic transaction, where an AI agent autonomously booked and paid for a car ride from Incheon International Airport to a hotel in Seoul's Gwanghwamun district. The transaction was powered by Mastercard Agent Pay, a framework for secure, authenticated payments initiated by AI agents that allows interoperability between issuers, acquirers and merchants in line with industry standards.

AGENTIC COMMERCE UNVEILED

Agentic commerce refers to an ecosystem in which AI-powered agents search for, discover and make purchases on behalf of cardholders. In the Korean transaction, the AI agent, facilitated by CardInfoLink and connected to global mobility provider hoppa's platform, automatically searched for available transport options, booked a ride and paid for it.

By complying with industry standards, Mastercard says, Agent Pay gives cardholders and businesses trusted, consistent agent-powered experiences across partners and platforms. "This successful live transaction represents a significant milestone for the future of AI-powered commerce," said Jae-Youl Yang, Vice President of Digital Payments at Mastercard Korea. "It demonstrates how AI agents can safely and reliably conduct payments in a real-world commercial environment. Mastercard will continue working closely with our financial institutions, digital partners and merchants to build a trusted ecosystem for AI-driven transactions in Korea."

The U.S. saw the initial Agent Pay rollout in 2025, followed by launches in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and India in 2026.

ASIA-PACIFIC EXPANSION

In South Korea, the company plans to accelerate the expansion of its AI-enabled commerce ecosystem by collaborating closely with card issuers and digital partners, and aims to commercialise agent-driven payments in other sectors. Across Asia-Pacific, Mastercard is establishing a regional AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore to drive technological innovation and reinforce governance, and is deepening partnerships with leading LLM providers and AI agent developers.