Ant Digital Proposes 4R Framework for Agent Economy

Ant Digital, the technology arm of Ant Group, has introduced a groundbreaking framework for the emerging agent economy, dubbed the '4R Full-Stack Architecture.' Announced at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival on April 20, 2026, this initiative aims to tackle fundamental challenges in AI agent operations by providing a comprehensive infrastructure covering identity, payment, risk management, and compliance. According to CTO Yan Ying, the architecture addresses 'four fractures' in current systems, including execution control issues, identity gaps, payment barriers, and trust deficits among agents, positioning it as a foundational redesign rather than a mere software patch. The 4R framework comprises four layers: Agentic Runtime, Payment Rails, Agent Registry, and Root Infrastructure, each leveraging advanced technologies like blockchain, privacy computing, and decentralized identity to enable secure, transparent, and efficient AI-driven transactions. This move reflects Ant Digital's decade-long expertise in financial-grade security and blockchain, signaling a strategic push into the next phase of AI evolution where agents gain asset ownership and transactional autonomy.