Alipay unveils agentic commerce platform covering 10,000 AI services

Alipay's AHA protocol and Ah Bao agent aim to make AI agents the new interface between hundreds of millions of consumers and millions of merchants.

Alipay's agentic commerce infrastructure, unveiled Aug. 17 in Hangzhou, connects more than 10,000 AI-upgraded services across five smartphone brands and 16 automakers, positioning Ant Group as the settlement layer for China's agent economy.

"AI agents will become a new interface connecting hundreds of millions of users with tens of millions of merchants," Cyril Han Xinyi, CEO of Ant Group, said.

The platform includes the AHA (Agent Hub Access) multi-agent cross-device interconnection protocol, which standardizes how AI agents from different vendors communicate, authorize, and transact. Ant Group's digital technology unit also released Agentar, an enterprise edition supplying more than 200 specialized skill packages for high-frequency commercial scenarios. Merchants without AI capabilities can convert existing pages, product catalogs, and service workflows into agent-ready Skills and MCP protocols through Alipay's AI open platform.

The rollout positions Alipay to capture the emerging agent economy, where AI systems execute transactions on users' behalf. Partner companies including BYD, Geely, Huawei, OPPO, and Xiaomi gain cross-device distribution channels, while an incentive program offering 100 million free tokens per user and reduced payment fees lowers the entry barrier for small merchants.

AHA Protocol Standardizes Cross-Vendor Agent Collaboration

The AHA protocol suite encompasses intelligent interaction standards, agent interconnection protocols, and device perception frameworks. It addresses service adaptation and secure coordination across industries, entities, and manufacturers. Users can issue a single spoken or typed request and complete an entire process involving multi-agent collaboration, secure fulfillment, and transaction settlement. The protocols incorporate domain-specific authorization and data isolation to maintain trust boundaries between agents from different vendors.

Alipay partnered with more than 20 terminal makers, automakers, and large-model developers — including Qwen, Huawei, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, Honor, BYD, Geely, Li Auto, NIO, StepFun, and Rokid — to launch a joint multi-agent interconnection and collaboration initiative.

Ah Bao Crosses Device Boundaries

Ah Bao, Alipay's super service AI agent launched in June 2026, has completed AI adaptation for more than 10,000 services across eight categories including transportation, dining, culture and tourism, and government livelihood services. Brands such as McDonald's, Mixue, Luckin Coffee, Gaode Maps, Didi, Deppon Express, YTO Express, and Hive Box have integrated.

Cross-device coverage now reaches five smartphone brands representing more than 70 percent of the Chinese market and 16 leading automakers. Li Jun, president of the Alipay business group, said service entry points are shifting from single applications toward smartphones, in-car systems, AI glasses, IoT hardware, and large-model applications. Once a merchant adapts a service, it can be distributed via Ah Bao across multiple terminals. Demand for developer access has been strong enough that some requests are already scheduled into 2027.

The announcement signals a shift in China's AI competition from model capability to service delivery. As open-source models from Qwen and others commoditize raw AI capability, value accrues to platforms that control distribution and fulfillment infrastructure. Ant Group's Alipay, with its payment rails, identity verification, and risk control systems, is positioned to become the settlement layer for agent-driven commerce. BYD shares traded down 0.3 percent and Geely fell 1.7 percent on the day, while the broader opportunity for partner companies lies in standardized access to AI-enabled services without building proprietary agent infrastructure.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.