Why architecture matters here

AP2 fails on scope creep + unclear dispute. Architecture matters because mandate + auth + settlement compose.

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The architecture: every piece explained

The top strip is intent. User mandate. Issuer. Agent. Merchant.

The middle row is money. Acquirer. Settlement. Reconciliation. Refund path.

The lower rows are ops. Mandate scope. Metrics. Ops — audit + user controls + compliance.

Agent payments (AP2) — mandate + issuer + acquirer + reconciliationlet agents transact on behalf of usersUser mandatesigned intentIssueruser bank / walletAgentspends within mandateMerchantsells goodsAcquirermerchant bankSettlementissuer -> acquirerReconciliationmatch order + chargeRefund pathdispute + reversalMandate scopeamount + expiry + merchantMetricsauth + settle + dispute rateOps — audit + user controls + complianceauthsettlematchdisputescopewatchwatchoperateoperate
AP2: mandate + issuer + agent + merchant + acquirer + reconcile.
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End-to-end flow

End-to-end: user signs mandate ($200, expires 24h, groceries.com only). Agent finds cart. Presents mandate at checkout. Merchant sends to acquirer, which checks with issuer. Auth returned. Settlement in 1-2 days. Recon matches. If user disputes, refund via reversal path.