Mastercard, Flybits and Rogers Bank say they have completed what they describe as Canada’s first successful agentic commerce transaction, using an AI-powered assistant to select and purchase a product on behalf of a consumer within pre-set spending limits.
The companies say the transaction is intended to demonstrate how AI agents can be used in commerce while maintaining consumer control, transparency and security as the technology becomes increasingly capable of making purchasing decisions and completing transactions.
AI transaction
The initiative involved a Flybits-powered AI assistant acting on instructions from a Rogers Red credit card cardholder. The assistant identified an eligible product within a specified budget and completed the purchase using Mastercard Agent Pay.
The transaction was designed to show how AI agents can operate within defined parameters, including validated consumer instructions and predetermined spending limits. It also demonstrated how AI-powered assistants can provide personalized recommendations and explain how and why those recommendations are generated.
“Agentic commerce represents one of the most significant shifts in the future of commerce and payments,” said Craig Reiff, senior vice-president, Core Payments, Mastercard, Canada. “As AI becomes increasingly capable of acting on behalf of consumers, trust will determine how quickly these experiences scale. Mastercard is helping establish the standards and infrastructure for secure, transparent and consumer-controlled commerce in Canada.”
The companies said the work is part of Mastercard’s global Agent Pay framework, which is intended to support trusted, interoperable and secure transactions involving AI agents. The collaboration is also being used to examine safeguards, governance principles and industry standards for the adoption of agentic commerce in Canada.
Consumer controls
Mastercard said its Canadian research indicates there is interest in AI-assisted shopping, although consumers place importance on maintaining control over how the technology is used.
The research found that 41 per cent of respondents were open to using AI assistants to help them shop online. Among respondents with positive feelings toward AI shopping assistants, 53 per cent said they were open to AI-assisted purchasing when it operates within pre-set preferences and budget limits.
“We are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the customer experience and deliver value to Canadians,” said Nick Bednarz, CEO, Rogers Bank. “This collaboration shows how AI technology can simplify commerce while preserving the security, transparency and control consumers expect from their payment experiences.”
Flybits supplied the agentic intelligence and explainability layer behind the experience. Its platform was used to provide personalized recommendations while helping consumers understand the basis for those recommendations.
The company said future phases are expected to incorporate Mastercard Insight Tokens, which it describes as a secure and governed method for AI agents to access and apply permissioned insights. The companies said the technology is intended to support more personalized and dynamic experiences with consumer consent.
“For consumers to embrace AI-powered commerce, the experience must be transparent, fast and personalized,” said Dr. Hossein Rahnama, Founder and CEO of Flybits and the Edward Rogers Sr. Chair in AI and Human Creativity at TMU. “By combining contextual intelligence with auditable AI, we are building a new generation of digital commerce experiences that enable consumers to make more informed decisions with greater confidence, clarity and access to relevant choices.”
Building an agentic commerce framework
Mastercard, Flybits and Rogers Bank said they are continuing to work on applying safeguards, transparency and security to agentic commerce as the technology develops.
The companies said the initiative is aimed at moving agentic commerce from an emerging concept toward a consumer experience in which controls, transparency and security are incorporated into the way the technology operates.
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