INDEPENDENT MERCHANT INTELLIGENCEPUBLIC BETA / SEPTEMBER 2026 BASELINE
Historical intelligence / September 2026 baseline

The market moves. The record stays.

Historical observations begin September 2026. Every new fact gets a new snapshot.

September
2026.

An observation is a record,
not a rewrite.

29 entity snapshots anchor the frozen first baseline; 292 original observations and 6 baseline events are unchanged. Later evidence is appended below. Versions, scope, Unknown fields and sources are preserved together.

First captured 28 September 2026. Earlier event dates do not imply earlier house observation.

Market changed

A product, standard or market condition changed.

Evidence improved

Better evidence became available for our record.

Scope clarified

A claim became more precise about eligibility, version or context.

Conflict discovered

Material sources disagree; the conflict stays visible until resolved.

Capture date

Evidence improved

September 2026 evidence baseline opened

Before / previous scope

No house observation

Observed evidence

September 2026 evidence baseline opened

Merchant impact: Read every fact with its source, scope and checked date. This is the start of our observation history.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Market changed

Google describes UCP hub updates and a gradual US rollout

Before / previous scope

Earlier merchant integration tooling

Observed evidence

Google describes UCP hub updates and a gradual US rollout

Merchant impact: Check current Merchant Center eligibility and enabled capabilities before commissioning another connector.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Market changed

Mastercard announces Agent Connect

Before / previous scope

No Agent Connect launch in this house archive

Observed evidence

Mastercard announces Agent Connect

Merchant impact: A new connectivity option to investigate. Partners expecting to use it are not verified live merchant integrations.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Market changed

v1.0 draft framework released for comment

Before / previous scope

Framework work under development

Observed evidence

v1.0 draft framework released for comment

Merchant impact: Track the consultation and final specification scope; do not treat a draft as a deployed merchant requirement.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Scope clarified

Amazon states Rufus was renamed Alexa for Shopping

Before / previous scope

Brief seed used the name Rufus

Observed evidence

Amazon states Rufus was renamed Alexa for Shopping

Merchant impact: Keep the historical route and earlier naming searchable while using the current official name.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Capture date

Scope clarified

Current verification unresolved; prices withheld

Before / previous scope

Price and capability claims in supplied research seed

Observed evidence

Current verification unresolved; prices withheld

Merchant impact: Do not use seed pricing or unverified capabilities to make a purchase decision.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Capture date

Scope clarified

2026-04-17 · repository identifies specification as beta; 5 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: 2026-04-17 (stable in repository); no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

2026-04-17 · repository identifies specification as beta; 5 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Check the dated schemas and exact provider onboarding; published scope is not merchant enrollment.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Evidence improved

2026-08-25; 4 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: 2026-08-25; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

2026-08-25; 4 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Pin profile and capability versions; verify provider support before migration.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Evidence improved

0.2.0; 2 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: v0.2; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

0.2.0; 2 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Review authority and mandate handling with your payment provider; this is not a live payment test.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Scope clarified

draft-httpauth-payment-01 · normative core; broader SDK/method versions separate; 1 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: Unknown; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

draft-httpauth-payment-01 · normative core; broader SDK/method versions separate; 1 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Pin the core draft and payment-method documents separately. Do not substitute an SDK version for a protocol release.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Capture date

Evidence improved

2; 2 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: Unknown; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

2; 2 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Select a compatible transport, scheme and facilitator; do not treat payment-resource access as full retail checkout.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Evidence improved

2026-07-28; 3 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: 2026-07-28; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

2026-07-28; 3 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Check client/server version negotiation; tool transport is not a commerce integration.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Conflict discovered

1.0.1 repository release / 1.0.0 specification banner — scope unresolved; 3 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: 1.0.0; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

1.0.1 repository release / 1.0.0 specification banner — scope unresolved; 3 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Confirm the exact protocol schema and SDK alignment; agent coordination does not prove merchant adoption.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Effective date

Evidence improved

1.0 DRAFT; 1 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Before / previous scope

V1 record: v1.0 DRAFT; no structured prior-version timeline.

Observed evidence

1.0 DRAFT; 1 scoped version record(s) now linked.

Merchant impact: Track requirements and provider guidance; do not claim final specification compliance.

First captured by us: 2026-09-28. Earlier effective dates are researched retrospectively.

Evidence ledger

Go to the source.

Primary documentation records what is publicly stated. It does not independently prove outcomes or your account’s eligibility.

  • Holiday agentic commerce updates

    Google · official primary · Checked 2026-09-28

    Claim scope: UCP merchant integration hub and AI performance insights

    US rollout; later markets are future plans. Scale/performance statements are Google claims.

    Source ID: google-september · Published: 2026-09-16

  • Agent Connect announcement

    Mastercard · official primary · Checked 2026-09-28

    Claim scope: Merchant/agent connections and payment credentials

    Begins in US; named partners exploring or expecting use are not verified live integrations.

    Source ID: mastercard-connect · Published: 2026-09-09

  • EMV Agentic Payments – Framework for Specifications v1.0 DRAFT

    EMVCo · official primary · Checked 2026-09-28

    Claim scope: Card-based agentic payment framework

    Draft, not a deployed payment rail or merchant certification.

    Source ID: emv-draft · Published: 2026-09-01

  • Shopping assistant update

    Amazon · official primary · Checked 2026-09-28

    Claim scope: Alexa for Shopping, formerly Rufus

    Page explicitly records May 13, 2026 rename. Earlier marketing metrics not reused.

    Source ID: amazon-rename · Published: Not stated

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