Key safety controls every AI payment agent must have before moving money

As AI agents gain the ability to initiate financial transactions, experts warn that models alone should never have final authority over payments. A practical checklist recommends binding each transaction request to a specific agent, owner, and credential, while defining strict limits on merchants, currencies, and geographies. Velocity checks should monitor not just individual transaction amounts but also daily totals and repeated attempts that could signal abuse. Any unusual activity — such as a new merchant, large amount, or changed details — should pause execution and require explicit human approval tied to exact payment specifics. A separate trusted service should hold credentials and execute transactions only after all rules pass, with a full audit trail recording every step of the process.