Cashfree Payments has unveiled Cashfree Here, an AI-native payments extension designed to enable in-chat transactions inside conversational AI applications such as ChatGPT and Claude. Announced at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in collaboration with Mastercard and Swiggy, the launch marks a step toward embedding payments directly into AI-driven commerce experiences.
Positioned to support emerging agentic commerce models, Cashfree Here enables businesses to accept UPI and card payments natively within AI chat interfaces, eliminating the need for external checkout flows. The solution integrates with platforms built on OpenAI Apps SDK and Anthropic MCP frameworks, introducing PCI-compliant in-chat checkout capabilities for developers and enterprises.
The launch builds on Cashfree’s earlier introduction of Agentic Payments, allowing AI agents to interact with merchant systems and manage payment workflows within conversational environments.
Enabling Conversational Commerce
Nitin Pulyani, SVP and Head of Product, Cashfree Payments, said that each phase of digital commerce has been shaped by a new interface, adding that conversational AI represents the next major shift. He noted that embedding payments directly into AI interactions enables businesses to reduce friction at the moment of customer intent while creating new opportunities for AI-first engagement and monetisation.
Through its collaboration, Mastercard will introduce passkey-enabled biometric authentication for card payments, aimed at strengthening trust and security in AI-native transactions. Gautam Aggarwal, President, India & South Asia, Mastercard, said that secure authentication frameworks will play a critical role as commerce moves into conversational environments.
Swiggy’s CTO Madhusudhan Rao added that conversational AI is reshaping how users discover and transact across digital platforms and that integrated payment infrastructure will be essential to delivering seamless commerce experiences across food delivery, quick commerce, and related services.
Addressing the Payments Gap in AI Applications
As conversational AI adoption grows, payments have largely remained outside chat interfaces, often redirecting users to external pages and disrupting the purchase journey. Cashfree Here aims to bridge this gap by embedding UPI and card payments directly within AI workflows, enabling customers to complete transactions without leaving the conversation.
Card transactions are secured using passkey-based biometric authentication supported by Mastercard, offering an alternative to traditional OTP flows. Built on Cashfree’s payment infrastructure, the solution is designed to simplify compliance, reduce integration complexity for developers, and help businesses convert AI-led engagement into completed transactions.
Beyond enabling in-chat payments, Cashfree Here is positioned as a foundational layer for AI-native commerce, allowing merchants to monetise conversational experiences while maintaining secure, user-driven transaction flows.