Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now. The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now. TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIApps EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too Sarah Perez 10:15 AM PDT · April 30, 2026 Financial services platform Stripe is introducing a digital wallet specifically built for the AI era, where autonomous agents can perform tasks that include shopping, paying for reservations, buying tickets, and more. At its annual conference this week, the company introduced Link, a wallet that allows you to connect various payment methods, track your spending, and view your recurring subscriptions. It also lets you integrate your AI agents so they can spend on your behalf, securely. Link, which is available on the web, iOS, and Android, offers many things that you might expect from a digital wallet. You can connect payment methods, including cards, banks, crypto wallets, and buy now/pay later services, as well as store important details for online checkout like your billing and shipping information. The wallet offers other handy features, too, like the ability to see what you’re spending, and track your recurring subscriptions — even updating the payment method the services have on file, as needed. It also offers 90 days of protection on eligible purchases from select merchants. But what makes Link interesting is its ability to work with autonomous AI agents, like OpenClaw and others. The number of people experimenting with autonomous AI has been booming, to the point that Apple sold out of its base model Mac Minis, a popular platform for running these new, always-on AI agents. However, some people (rightly) take pause at the idea of giving an agent raw payment information, even if it’s providing convenience by automating various bookings. Link is meant to offer a solution, as users can connect their AI agents and give them permission to pay, without exposing their payment credentials. To work, users will first grant their agent access to the Link wallet via an OAuth (standard authentication) flow. The agent can then create a spend request, provide you with the context, and wait for your approval. Currently, it works with traditional payment methods, but Stripe says support for agentic tokens, stablecoins, and other types of payments is coming “soon.” On mobile and web, users will get a notification to approve the spend request, which requires they first review the transaction before the payment credential is shared with the AI agent. In the future, Stripe says it will expand its controls so users can set their own spending limits, or even choose when their agents can act without approval. The wallet has been built on Stripe’s new Issuing for agents, which lets users issue virtual cards for agents to use to make purchases autonomously, with real-time authorization, spending controls, and full transaction visibility. Instead of giving an agent access to your payment credentials, users can either give agents programmatic access to Link, which provides a one-time-use card, or they can use a Shared Payment Token (SPT), which is backed by payment cards and banks. Developers and businesses building agents or AI personal assistants can also use Link’s wallet instead of building their own wallet from scratch, Stripe notes. When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Sarah Perez Consumer News Editor April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Register now for unfiltered fireside chats and VC insights with leaders from Uber, Replit, Eclipse, and more. Plus, high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. Most Popular On the stand, Elon Musk can’t escape his own tweets Tim Fernholz OpenAI ends Microsoft legal peril over its $50B Amazon deal Julie Bort DeepMind’s David Silver just raised $1.1B to build an AI that learns without human data Anna Heim The Stanford freshmen who want to rule the world … will probably read this book and try even harder Connie Loizos Two college kids raise a $5.1 million pre-seed to build an AI social network in iMessage Dominic-Madori Davis Meta’s loss is Thinking Machines’ gain Connie Loizos Google to invest up to $40B in Anthropic in cash and compute Rebecca Bellan X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct AnthropicElon MuskMeta EarningsSatya NadellaMythosTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.