Agentic commerce sees AI-powered agents search for, discover, and in some instances even make purchases on behalf of consumers. It's an exciting opportunity for New Zealanders, with research showing 69% of consumers are convinced agentic AI will make their lives easier1. Specifically, AI that can interpret intent, make decisions and take autonomous action appeals to 75%1 of consumers.
Mastercard is accelerating this future by completing New Zealand's first fully authenticated agentic transactions on its network, as it continues to scale its Agent Pay solution across the region.
By enabling fully recognised and authenticated agentic transactions, Mastercard's trusted agentic framework process brings AI agents into the payment flow as visible, governed participants - ensuring that every transaction is secure, transparent, and trusted.
Unlocking agentic commerce: Interoperability and standards for consumers and businesses
Mastercard's Agent Pay framework enables seamless interoperability between issuers, acquirers and merchants. By adhering to industry standards, consumers and businesses benefit from trusted and consistent agent-powered experiences - regardless of which partners or platforms are involved.
New Zealand's first Agent Pay transaction saw Mastercard use a Westpac-issued debit card to purchase cinema tickets from Event Cinemas. The transaction was fully authorised with cardholder consent, and every participant in the payment flow - issuer, acquirer and merchant - could see and recognise that an agent conducted the transaction.
Building on this, a separate transaction booked accommodation with QT Hotels & Resorts in Queenstown, demonstrating how agentic payments could support travel bookings. Both transactions were processed through IPSI and completed using Maincode's large language model, Matilda, reinforcing the flexibility and scalability of agentic commerce across different payment environments.
"New Zealand has the potential to be leaders in digital payments again, and this milestone is testament to that," said Megan Simons, Country Manager for New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. "Our role is to ensure this future is built on trust, security and transparency, the same standards New Zealanders expect from everyday card payments. We're proud to partner with Westpac on this initiative, demonstrating what's possible when technology is matched with strong governance."
Westpac NZ Managing Director of Product, Sustainability and Marketing, Sarah Hearn, says the bank is looking forward to rolling out this cutting-edge technology: "We're investing heavily in innovative technology and processes to make banking faster, safer and easier for New Zealanders. Agentic AI has huge potential to improve payment experiences, and we're pleased to be working with Mastercard to bring the technology to our customers in the future".
Accelerating agentic commerce across Australasia and beyond
Mastercard is focused on advancing agentic commerce across Australasia and Asia Pacific with additional efforts:
- Establishing a regional AI Centre of Excellence to accelerate innovation and governance for agentic commerce
- Building deep partnerships with leading LLM providers across Asia Pacific
- Deploying dedicated agentic commerce teams across the region to support financial institutions and merchants as they transition to agent-led experiences - including a dedicated team based at Mastercard's Sydney Tech Hub
In New Zealand, there is already a growing desire to use AI assistants for shopping, with entertainment (36%), clothing (34%), and health and beauty (32%) popular categories1. Among the shoppers already using AI assistants, 83% report positive experiences 1.
Delivering transparency and trust in every agentic transaction
Transparency in agentic commerce is vital for building trust, enhancing security, and protecting all parties involved in a transaction. When AI-powered agents lead purchases, ensuring visibility throughout the payment flow allows issuers, acquirers and merchants to apply robust controls, resolve disputes efficiently and detect fraud patterns more effectively. Mastercard Agent Pay recognises and authenticates agents, paving the way for transparent, governed agentic commerce experiences and setting a new standard for security and reliability.
This latest milestone in New Zealand follows successful Agent Pay launches in the U.S., as well as pilots in Australia, the UAE and Latin America, and is part of Mastercard's ongoing global commitment to responsible innovation and industry collaboration. Mastercard continues to work with leading technology partners and standards bodies to shape the future of agentic commerce worldwide.
