Stripe has recently introduced a range of tools designed to facilitate agency commerce, a new way of conducting online transactions where AI agents can act on behalf of consumers. These tools are available to companies in France and across Europe. One of the key innovations is the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP), developed in collaboration with Tempo, a company that builds a blockchain focused on payments. This protocol allows AI agents to make direct payments to access APIs and digital services. Companies using Stripe can offer direct access to their online services to AI agents with minimal coding, bypassing traditional payment processes. Additionally, businesses can integrate direct payment options into their own AI assistants on their websites, allowing customers to move seamlessly from asking for information to making a purchase without leaving the page. Stripe also enables merchants to make their product catalogs visible to AI agents, so their offerings can be discovered, suggested, and purchased when a consumer asks an agent to find something. Several major brands in the United States, as well as platforms like Wix and BigCommerce, have already adopted these tools. Mirakl, a company that helps businesses sell through marketplaces, also assists its customers in becoming visible in these new purchasing environments. Stripe regularly collaborates with its clients to identify and resolve any integration challenges. So far, the feedback has been largely positive, with most integrations occurring smoothly and without significant complexity. The biggest challenge for the widespread adoption of agent payments is building trust among the general public. Stripe is working to reduce technical barriers by handling much of the complexity on behalf of merchants, who don’t have to deal with different protocols or coding. While technical issues are manageable, gaining public confidence in this new form of commerce will be more critical for its success. In September, Mastercard released a report predicting that more than one in ten consumers will regularly use AI agents to complete purchases by 2030. Stripe finds this estimate reasonable, though agency commerce is still in its early, experimental phase. How it evolves by 2030 may vary by country, and companies are already preparing for these changes. Stripe celebrated its tenth anniversary in France in 2026, highlighting the country’s importance as a market. France is home to nearly 800,000 companies and solo entrepreneurs using Stripe’s services, including two-thirds of French unicorns and more than half of the companies listed in the CAC 40. The company also collaborates with leading French AI firms like Mistral AI and Hugging Face. Stripe’s customer base is diverse, ranging from traditional businesses to innovative startups and independent entrepreneurs. The company has several projects and investments planned for France and aims to continue growing by supporting businesses in the region.