Imprint is investing in bank-account payments as AI agents could challenge card interchange

Imprint is investing in letting merchants accept bank accounts as payment. Its CEO argues that AI agents could make linking an account easier: users could give trusted agents their bank details and have them handle the connection. He sees this as a potential threat to card interchange, though no timeline or scale for such a shift was specified. He also cited “2% of American commerce” as going through “these,” calling it a huge amount of value; the excerpt does not make the reference fully clear.

The CEO said Stripe is promoting Link, citing an Uber checkout prompt, while Walmart’s earlier push to move customers to ACH was a long slog and Apple Pay gained ground. He views the shift as bearish for Mastercard and, with the caveat that it is a different business, American Express, but predicts it could benefit merchants and consumers over the longer term.