Agent Payment Rails

Definition ∞ Agent Payment Rails are specialized infrastructure components that facilitate the transfer of value between autonomous software agents or systems. These rails provide the underlying pathways and protocols for automated, secure, and verifiable financial transactions. They are designed to support machine-to-machine payments, often involving microtransactions, within decentralized networks. Their function is to ensure efficient and reliable value exchange without human intervention.
Context ∞ The development of agent payment rails is crucial for the growth of decentralized autonomous organizations and the machine economy, where software agents perform economic tasks. Current efforts concentrate on building scalable and interoperable solutions that can handle high volumes of automated payments. This technology is viewed as foundational for future digital commerce involving artificial intelligence and distributed ledger systems.