Who Is FIDO?

Founded in 2021, the FIDO Alliance initially aimed to replace password-based authentication with phishing-resistant protocols tied to user devices. Now, it is broadening its focus through an Agentic Authentication Technical Working Group, which concentrates on specifications for agent-initiated commerce, and a Payments Technical Working Group chaired by Mastercard and Visa.

FIDO’s initiatives will center around agent authentication, ensuring actions are performed on behalf of legitimate users, as well as trusted delegation frameworks that maintain transactions within user-approved parameters.

Google’s Agentic Ambitions

Google has been progressively enhancing its role in agentic commerce. In January, it introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), an initiative designed to enable AI agents to manage the entire shopping journey from discovery to checkout.

Developed with partners including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target, UCP offers a streamlined checkout experience that allows users to complete purchases directly within Google’s AI Mode.