Three steps for the core flow, three more for the ZK aggregation layer. All designed for embedded, high-frequency agent commerce.
Two flows, one mandate primitive. Pick the direction of initiation that fits your service.
Order Mode is a payment flow where the payee initiates a payment request. The payee first returns a payment request containing the amount and terms. The payer then signs and submits a payment mandate, and the payee verifies it before completing the transaction.
Intent Mode is a flow where the payer initiates the payment intent. The payer embeds a one-time payment mandate directly within a request (e.g. x402, A2A, MCP). The payee verifies the mandate before providing the service.
The payment flow's roles and mechanisms can be flexibly extended based on different scenarios.
Defines a debit-capable wallet.
It can be extended to support additional functions such as credit capability or marketing-related vouchers.
Defines settlement mechanisms.
Beyond the default deferred settlement, it can be extended to models like result-based payments, credit-based settlements, or marketing-driven schemes.
Provide trusted identity verification for agent transactions and payments.
Supports both anonymous and verified (real-name) transaction modes.
Provides a dispute-handling mechanism for payers.
Enabling this feature may increase fees or extend settlement timeframes.
ZK aggregation engineered for gasless UX, very-high-frequency & micro-payments.
The Settlement Processor (SP) extends ASP's authorize first, settle later model with a zero-knowledge settlement aggregator. It batches signed Payment Mandates and proves their correctness in one Groth16/BN254 proof on EVM, then executes multi-payout settlement in a single transaction.
Authorizes specific SPs to debit and enforces a withdrawal delay to protect pending settlements.
Verifies mandates off-chain and forwards them to the SP.
Ingests mandates, builds batches, generates a ZK proof, and triggers on-chain settlement.
AEP2 is fully built on blockchain smart contracts. All funds are self-custodied, and payment flows are peer-to-peer, with no third-party custody or settlement involved. Agents can transact directly without intermediaries — fast, seamless, and low-cost. For enterprise-level needs, it can be extended with comprehensive compliance and regulatory services.