Stripe offers Link, a digital wallet that independent AI agents can also use

Financial services platform Stripe offers a digital wallet designed specifically for the age of artificial intelligence, where independent agents can perform tasks that include shopping, paying for reservations, purchasing tickets, and more.

At its annual conference this week, the company introduced Link, a wallet that lets you link different payment methods, track your spending, and view your recurring subscriptions. It also lets you integrate your AI agents so they can spend on your behalf securely.

Available on web, iOS, and Android, Link offers many of the things you might expect from a digital wallet. You can link payment methods, including cards, banks, cryptocurrency wallets, and buy now/pay later services, as well as store important online payment details like billing and shipping information.

The wallet offers other useful features as well, like the ability to see what you’re spending, track your recurring subscriptions — and even update the payment method registered with the Services, as needed. It also offers 90 days of protection on qualifying purchases from select merchants.

But what makes Link interesting is its ability to work with standalone AI agents, like OpenClaw and others.

The number of people experimenting with autonomous AI has soared, to the point where Apple has sold its base model Mac Minis, a popular platform for powering new always-on AI agents. However, some people (rightly) bristle at the idea of ​​giving an agent initial payment information, even if it provides convenience by automating various reservations.

The link aims to offer a solution, where users can connect their AI agents and give them permission to pay, without revealing their payment credentials.

To work, users will first grant their agent access to the Link wallet via an OAuth (standard authentication) flow. The agent can then create a spending request, provide you with context, and wait for your approval. It currently works with traditional payment methods, but Stripe says support for proxy tokens, stablecoins, and other types of payments is coming “soon.”

On mobile and web, users will receive a notification to approve the spending request, which requires them to review the transaction first before sharing payment credentials with the AI ​​agent. In the future, Stripe says it will expand its controls so users can set their own spending limits, or even choose when their agents can act without approval.

The wallet is built on Stripe’s new version for agents, which allows users to issue virtual cards to agents to use to make purchases autonomously, with real-time authorization, spending controls, and complete transaction visibility. Instead of giving an agent access to your payment credentials, users can either give agents programmatic access to Link, which provides a single-use card, or they can use a Shared Payment Token (SPT), which is supported by payment cards and banks.

Developers, businesses, building agents or personal assistants using AI can also use the Link wallet instead of creating their own from scratch, Stripe notes.