Animoca partners on AI agents for verified shopping

AIR and Minds by Animoca Brands have partnered with Reap and Pivota to develop identity-based agentic commerce, centred on AI agents making purchases on behalf of verified users.

The arrangement is designed to let an AI agent prove a user's eligibility for offers or benefits, choose a product and merchant, and complete a purchase within limits set by that user. The model combines identity credentials from AIR, agent software from Minds, payment functions from Reap, and product and merchant data from Pivota.

The initiative targets a practical problem in AI-led shopping: agents may be able to search for goods or compare offers, but they often struggle to show who they represent, what permissions they have, or whether they can access discounts tied to an individual account. The partners said their system is intended to enable those checks without revealing the user's underlying personal information.

Under the proposed structure, AIR will let users share selected verified identity attributes and earned entitlements with a Minds agent. An agent could then present proof that a user qualifies for a loyalty reward, discount, or access right while limiting exposure of the data behind that proof.

Minds will provide the user-facing AI layer. Its agents are intended to interpret user requests and manage the purchase process while relying on AIR to verify credentials.

Reap's role is focused on payments. The fintech said it will issue payment credentials tied to a specific merchant, spending amount, and time window, allowing an agent to complete a transaction within a narrow set of approved conditions. It will also apply relevant coupons and process checkout.

Pivota will provide the commerce decision and order execution layer. Its software is intended to help an agent decide which product to buy, which merchant to use, and which route offers the best chance of completing the transaction, based on factors including price, stock availability, and merchant setup.

Merchant access

For retailers and brands, the arrangement is intended to work within existing loyalty schemes, eligibility rules, and promotional offers rather than requiring a separate agent-specific workflow. The companies said this could allow merchants to serve AI-led shoppers without changing their current storefront systems.

The initial phase will be limited. The partners said they will begin with a controlled demonstration involving one merchant integration to show the full sequence of an agent-led purchase.

The demonstration is expected to include a cryptographic proof of eligibility, product and merchant selection through Pivota, application of an offer, issuance of a scoped payment credential through Reap, and final transaction authorisation. The companies did not identify the merchant involved.

The announcement reflects a broader effort by technology and payments groups to define how AI agents can act as transactional intermediaries rather than simply recommendation tools. While chatbots and assistants already help users search for products, a more advanced model requires mechanisms for identity, delegated authority, and payment controls.

Animoca Brands has been expanding its work in digital identity and AI through AIR and Minds. AIR is described as an integration layer linked to Moca Chain's identity infrastructure, while Minds is positioned as a persistent personal AI platform.

Reap brings a different background, having built card and payments systems tied to stablecoin-based finance. The company said it processed billions in stablecoin-funded transaction flows in 2025 and employs 300 people worldwide. Palo Alto-based Pivota focuses on making merchant catalogues and order execution systems usable by AI shopping agents, especially beyond the largest consumer brands.

Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, said: "AI agents should not have to interact with digital ecosystems as unverified entities. By combining Minds' persistent understanding of the user with AIR's privacy-preserving identity and entitlement infrastructure, we are equipping agents to act with context, consent, and strict parameters. Pivota provides the data and Reap provides the critical payment capabilities required to translate that intelligence into secure transactions. Together, we are building an agentic web where users will retain the value of their identity and reputation across every agent-led interaction."

"AI agents are quickly becoming a new kind of customer, but the payment layer hasn't caught up. Most agents still can't prove who they represent or what they're allowed to spend. Reap has spent years building programmable card infrastructure for businesses, and agentic commerce is a natural extension of that work. This pilot is an early step toward agents that can transact with the same verified access to offers and benefits a person gets when they shop directly," said Daren Guo, Co-Founder of Reap.

"Product discovery is only the first step in agentic commerce. The harder problem is determining where and how a transaction should actually be executed. Pivota provides the merchant decision and order execution layer that connects agent intent with merchants, helping agents choose the right merchant and transaction path and carry the resulting order through checkout," Peng Xu, Founder and CEO of Pivota, said.