Alipay introduced China’s first full-stack agentic commerce platform on August 17, 2026, at its AI Ecosystem Partner Conference in Hangzhou. The platform is designed to help merchants move from standard digital operations to AI-powered operations.
An agentic commerce platform is essentially a set of tools that lets AI agents, i.e. automated assistants that can understand requests and complete tasks on their own, handle parts of the shopping and service process for a business. Instead of a customer clicking through an app or website, an AI agent can interpret what they want and carry out the transaction directly.
Cyril Han, CEO of Ant Group, said “agentic commerce is poised for rapid growth over the next 6 to 12 months” and that AI agents will connect large numbers of users with merchants, creating what he called an intent-driven commercial ecosystem.
The new platform offers merchants a selection of AI business tools they can adopt based on their needs. Businesses that already run digital operations but lack AI capabilities can use the platform to convert their existing pages, products, and service workflows into what Alipay calls agent-ready Skills and MCP tools — building blocks that AI agents can use to complete tasks such as browsing a catalog or booking a service.
For merchants that already use AI, the platform adds extra helpful features for creating AI agents, organizing their skills, executing tasks, and managing operations, etc. to improve customer insights, product recommendations, and membership programs. Merchants can also connect their services to Alipay’s broader “Ah Bao” ecosystem through a system called the AHA protocol, which is built to let different AI agents and devices work together. A single integration with Ah Bao allows a merchant to reach users not just on Alipay, but also on smartphones, in cars, on AI glasses, and within other AI applications. The platform also includes Alipay’s existing payment, identity verification, risk management, and order fulfillment systems.
Ah Bao itself launched in June 2026 and functions as a general-purpose AI agent that can carry out more than 10,000 everyday services, such as paying utility bills, booking pet care or locating EV charging stations, all through conversation. Retail brands including KFC, Mixue Bingcheng, and Luckin Coffee have integrated with Ah Bao, letting customers order and pay by chatting with the agent. As of August 2026, Ah Bao is connected to five major smartphone brands, together covering more than 70% of the market, along with 16 automakers.
Jun Li, President of Alipay Business Group, said “in the age of AI agents, Alipay will continue to strengthen the infrastructure for industry-wide AI transformation and work with partners to build a thriving agentic commerce ecosystem.”
Earlier examples of the technology in use include a July 2026 demonstration at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference, where an AI agent running on StepFun’s StepX Neo smartphone located an EV charger and ordered coffee for a user in a single request. OPPO has also partnered with Alipay so its Breeno assistant can complete tasks like movie ticket bookings through Ah Bao without leaving another app.
To encourage adoption, Alipay launched an AI Business Incentive Program that includes 100 million free tokens per user, subsidies tied to real transactions, and reduced payment fees.
