Commerce

UCP in 2026: What Has Changed Since Launch

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Google introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) at the National Retail Federation show on January 11, 2026. It was built with Shopify, with Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart as founding partners and more than 20 other backers at launch, including Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, American Express, Best Buy and The Home Depot.

Our earlier article covered the basics: what UCP is for, how a purchase works, and how to get ready. Almost nine months later, a lot has changed. The protocol has shipped four spec releases, added new features, set up a formal governance structure that includes some of Google’s biggest rivals, and started moving into grocery, food delivery and travel. This post brings the picture up to date.

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The Machine Payments Protocol (MPP): An Updated Guide

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What MPP is

The Machine Payments Protocol (MPP) is an open standard that lets software agents pay for things over the web without a human filling in a checkout form. Stripe and Tempo launched it together, and it works inside the normal request and response cycle that every website and API already uses.

The problem it solves is simple. Pricing pages, plan pickers and card forms were built for people. An AI agent that needs to buy one API call, one dataset or one browser session has no good way through them. MPP gives the agent a direct route: ask for the resource, get told the price, pay, and receive it.

Six months after its March 2026 launch, MPP has moved from an announcement to a working network with real, if still small, usage. This post covers how it works, what has changed since launch, and what to watch next.

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Agentic Commerce: The Future of Business Transactions

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Agentic Commerce header image

The digital economy is on the brink of its most significant transformation since the advent of e-commerce. Autonomous AI agents are beginning to conduct business transactions on behalf of companies and individuals, ushering in what many are calling the era of “agentic commerce.”

This isn’t science fiction, it’s happening now, and it’s reshaping how business gets done.

Just as cloud computing revolutionized data storage and the Internet transformed communication, agentic commerce is poised to fundamentally alter the mechanics of buying, selling, and negotiating in the global marketplace. The implications are profound, touching everything from procurement and supply chain management to customer service and strategic planning.

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