---
term: "Credentials provider"
category: "Commerce and checkout"
url: https://agenticopenfinance.com/glossary/credentials-provider
source: AgenticOpenFinance glossary
---

# Credentials provider

> In AP2, a secure entity such as a digital wallet that manages and executes the user's payment and identity credentials.

In the Agent Payments Protocol, a credentials provider is a secure entity, such as a digital wallet, responsible for managing and executing the user's payment and identity credentials. It is one of the protocol's separate roles, alongside the shopping agent, the merchant and the merchant payment processor, and it verifies the Payment Mandate. The split lets a shopping agent negotiate a purchase without ever holding card numbers or other reusable secrets.

Related terms: [Payment Mandate](https://agenticopenfinance.com/glossary/payment-mandate.md), [Trusted surface](https://agenticopenfinance.com/glossary/trusted-surface.md), [Agent Payments Protocol (AP2)](https://agenticopenfinance.com/glossary/agent-payments-protocol.md), [European Digital Identity Wallet](https://agenticopenfinance.com/glossary/digital-identity-wallet.md)