GoCardless has processed the UK's first agentic A2A transaction, an AI-driven donation made through its website on behalf of charity Trussell.
The transaction was carried out through a conversational interface in which the donor interacted directly with the AI agent to complete the payment.
How the agentic checkout works
The donation process takes place entirely within the AI chat. Donors are first given information about Trussell's work, then presented with a choice of monthly donation amounts, EUR 5,83, EUR 11,66 or EUR 17,48, each option accompanied by an explanation of how the funds would be used. Once a donor selects an amount, the AI agent prompts them to enter their bank details, which are used to set up a Direct Debit mandate. The company stated that the design keeps the payer in control of the transaction throughout, rather than delegating full authority to the AI system.
Regulatory background and market context
GoCardless developed the payment flow as part of the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) AI Live Testing programme, a scheme supporting the safe and responsible deployment of AI in financial services, which the company joined earlier in 2026. The UK government has identified agentic payments as a priority use case for scaling AI adoption across financial services, while the National Payments Vision has called for A2A payments to develop into a viable alternative to card-based transactions.
The broader market opportunity referenced alongside the launch points to significant projected growth in AI-mediated commerce. Morgan Stanley estimates that AI agents could handle up to USD 385 billion of US ecommerce spending by 2030.
Hiroki Takeuchi, co-founder and chief executive of GoCardless, said the checkout design was informed by consumer research indicating that a majority of UK consumers are open to AI managing recurring payments, as long as they keep control over limits or final approval. He noted that Direct Debit and Recurring Pay by Bank are payment methods built to support this kind of control, distinguishing them from card-based alternatives.
Christianne McKenzie, Head of Individual Giving at Trussell, said recurring donations help the charity reach more people, and that a simpler commitment process delivered through a conversational format could support donor acquisition.
The transaction represents a practical application of agentic commerce within a regulated UK payments environment, linking FCA oversight with a live use case in charitable giving. Given policy attention on A2A payments as a card alternative, the case may serve as a reference point for other UK payment providers exploring AI-driven checkout experiences under similar regulatory supervision.
