PYMNTS Introduces KYA Framework to Strengthen Digital Identity in the Age of Agentic Commerce

AI agents can now create accounts, select products and make payments on consumers’ behalf. Traditional KYC and KYB checks, however, verify only individuals or businesses and struggle to determine whether an agent is authorized, what permissions it has and the intent behind a transaction. PYMNTS said outdated digital identity controls cost businesses nearly $100 billion annually through fraud, false declines and customer attrition, making the identification of legitimate agents essential commerce infrastructure.

On March 12, 2026, PYMNTS Intelligence and identity verification platform Trulioo introduced the “Know Your Agent” (KYA) framework. The study surveyed 350 risk, compliance and fraud executives worldwide, with data collected from August 1 to September 10, 2025. Nearly nine in 10 companies said bot management was a major challenge. The framework calls for integrating identity verification, permission controls and real-time monitoring to continuously confirm that an agent is authorized by the user.