The next wave of software runs itself. But the moment your AI agent tries to pay for an API, cloud resource, or SaaS seat, it hits a hard wall: traditional finance wasn’t built for autonomous systems.
Why agents need wallets
- ▸Ability to hold value, send/receive funds
- ▸Deterministic, API-driven behavior
- ▸Transparent audit trails for every transaction
- ▸Programmatic permissions, limits, and revocation
A wallet gives your agent an identity and balance. On top of that identity, you can issue spending instruments.
Why virtual cards (per agent, per workflow)
- ▸Per-merchant and per-category controls prevent misuse
- ▸Spend caps, velocity limits, and time windows reduce risk
- ▸One card per workflow keeps blast radius small and reconciliation easy
- ▸Instant revoke/rotate if an integration is compromised
The safety model: policy-first, real-time
Spending must be authorized by policy before it leaves the wallet. That includes:
- ▸Allowed merchants/categories
- ▸Max transaction amount and monthly cap
- ▸Approved time windows and geos
- ▸Additional human approvals for high-risk transactions
Autonomous doesn’t mean ungoverned
Every charge should emit rich events: who/what/why/when, linked back to the agent and workflow that initiated it. That’s what enables automated reviews, alerts, and chargeback responses.
What you can ship today
- ▸Create a wallet per agent
- ▸Issue virtual cards per workflow
- ▸Enforce policy at authorization time
- ▸Stream webhooks for real-time audit and analytics
If you’re building autonomous purchasing, start by giving your agent a wallet and its own card. It’s the simplest way to unlock safe, traceable commerce for AI.
Talk to us to enable programmatic wallets and virtual cards for your agents.