Open initiative

Economic Runtime

A common execution model for programmable economic systems.

An open initiative for describing, discovering, authorizing, and executing economic capabilities through intelligent systems.

Humans think in goals. Economic Runtimes reason over state transitions.
Read the Vision Explore the Specifications

Reference implementation by PayRoad.

The problem

The economy has APIs. It does not have a common execution model.

Banks, identity providers, payment networks, healthcare providers, insurers, merchants, logistics companies and governments all expose APIs. But intelligent agents cannot safely interact with the economy through thousands of disconnected integrations.

They need a common way to understand what can be done, who can do it, under what authority, in which jurisdiction, and with what economic effect.

The core idea

From APIs to Economic Capabilities.

An Economic Runtime transforms an intent into an authorized economic execution. A capability is not merely an endpoint. 

Economic Intent
      ↓
Planning
      ↓
Authorization
      ↓
Execution
      ↓
Economic Effects
      ↓
Economic State

An Economic Capability is a state transition operator.

Capabilities represent economic transitions. They move an economic system from one state to another under explicit authority. 

Identity = Unknown
      ↓
ecs.identity.verify_identity
      ↓
Identity = Verified
Architecture

Existing providers do not need to change their systems.

The Runtime handles orchestration, authorization, audit, planning and state. Adapters translate standardized Runtime requests into existing provider APIs.

AI Agent / Enterprise System
↓
Economic Runtime
↓
Capability Registry
↓
Economic Adapters
↓
Existing Provider APIs
Specifications

Open specifications for interoperable economic systems.

Draft v0.1

ECS Object Model

Defines Economic Intent, Capability Descriptor, Provider Descriptor, Execution Plan and Economic Contract.

Draft v0.1

Runtime Lifecycle

Defines how intent becomes authorized execution and economic state transition.

Draft v0.1

Capability Definitions

Describe reusable economic capabilities such as identity, payments, cash, health, insurance and commerce.

Draft v0.1

Adapter Contracts

Define how existing providers connect without changing their APIs.

Reference implementation

PayRoad Runtime

PayRoad is building the first reference implementation of the Economic Runtime.

Agent-driven orchestration

Transform economic intent into executable plans.

Capability discovery

Find reusable economic capabilities across domains.

Adapter execution

Connect existing provider APIs without forcing providers to change.

Human authorization

Coordinate consent, approval and audit before execution.

First capability

Starting with identity.

The first capability under Design Partner review is:

ecs.identity.verify_identity

It enables fintech onboarding, account opening, wallet activation, credit origination, insurance issuance, fraud prevention and regulatory compliance.

Design partners

Co-designing the Economic Runtime.

Economic Runtime is being developed with domain partners across identity, payments, cash, banking, healthcare, insurance, commerce and mobility.

Identity Payments Cash Banking Core Healthcare Insurance Commerce Mobility