AI payments infrastructure provider Nevermined has introduced a new capability allowing AI agents to make real-world transactions using delegated credit cards, marking a significant step toward fully autonomous AI commerce.
In a recent announcement, Nevermined co-founder Donald Gossen revealed the launch of “persistent card delegation,” a system designed to give AI agents controlled spending authority. The feature enables agents to hold a delegated credit card, execute payments per transaction, and settle directly with merchants without human intervention.
This innovation builds on the growing concept of agentic commerce, where AI systems act not just as assistants but as independent economic participants. According to Gossen, the new system allows businesses to assign AI agents real budgets with predefined rules, including spending limits, duration, and revocability.
How Card Delegation Works
The card delegation model is designed to mirror corporate expense systems but for AI. Companies can define strict policies, such as maximum spend, transaction scope, and timeframes, ensuring that agents operate within clear financial boundaries. These constraints are embedded at the infrastructure level, meaning agents cannot override them through reasoning or decision-making processes.
The system is powered by several underlying innovations, including persistent policy delegation, micropayments, and direct merchant settlement. Together, these elements enable AI agents to conduct transactions continuously over extended periods, rather than requiring one-off approvals.
Nevermined’s broader platform supports real-time billing, licensing, and payments for AI services, positioning itself as a foundational layer for AI-driven economic activity.
The startup’s founder and CEO, Don Gossen notes that creating a true agentic payment ecosystem requires focusing on both sides of the payment process (payer and receiver):
“You see how an agent can be delegated a payment method. How credentials can be securely stored or tokenised. How a transaction can be initiated autonomously. Then comes the harder question. What happens on the merchant side?Payments are inherently two-sided systems. A buyer can only transact if a seller has the infrastructure to recognise, route and settle that intent. Today, much of the agent payments stack has focused on enabling the buy-side execution layer: card delegation, wallets, stablecoins, orchestration logic. But when an AI agent reaches the point of conversion, merchants are often still operating within payment flows designed for humans.”
This structural gap is something the company strives to address.
Unlocking Machine-to-Machine Commerce
The introduction of card delegation could accelerate the shift toward AI-to-AI transactions, where autonomous agents buy and sell services without human involvement. Use cases include AI systems purchasing datasets, licensing content, or paying for API access in real time.
Industry observers note that this development addresses one of the biggest bottlenecks in agentic AI adoption: payments. Traditional payment systems are not designed for dynamic, machine-driven interactions, particularly those involving microtransactions or continuous usage-based billing.
Nevermined has been actively working to solve this challenge by building what it describes as a “PayPal for AI,” enabling agents to pay and get paid seamlessly across platforms. The startup has recently upgraded this infrastructure with multi-currency payments , API key analytics, and advanced payment controls, too.
A New Customer Class Emerges
With this launch, businesses may need to rethink their customer base. AI agents are increasingly positioned as a new category of buyers capable of independently sourcing services, negotiating transactions, and executing payments.
Gossen suggests that companies offering digital products, APIs, or data services could see AI agents become a major revenue driver. This aligns with broader industry predictions that AI-powered commerce will reshape global markets, with autonomous systems handling a growing share of economic activity.
As AI continues to evolve, infrastructure like card delegation could play a crucial role in enabling scalable, secure, and accountable financial interactions between machines bringing the concept of autonomous commerce closer to reality.
The article was updated on March 26, 2026, with the CEO comment.
