F5 and Skyfire Partner to Advance Secure Agentic Commerce for the Enterprise
MWN-AI** Summary
F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), known for securing applications and APIs, has partnered with Skyfire, an agentic commerce platform, to promote secure AI-driven commerce for enterprises. This collaboration integrates Skyfire’s Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol with F5's Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP). As AI agents increasingly become digital consumers—browsing, researching, and purchasing on behalf of users—there is a pressing need for distinguishing between legitimate AI traffic and harmful automation.
The partnership aims to address a significant challenge in bot management. Traditional systems designed to block malicious traffic often unknowingly hinder legitimate AI transactions. By implementing the KYA protocol, F5 customers can identify and authenticate Skyfire-verified agents, thus transforming previously blocked automated requests into legitimate, revenue-generating interactions.
John Maddison, CMO at F5, highlighted the evolving landscape of AI in commerce, emphasizing the importance of enabling merchants to differentiate between harmful bots and authenticated AI agents representing actual customers. The integration will allow merchants to enhance their verification processes for AI agent traffic within their existing bot defense systems, while also enabling standard eCommerce transactions using Skyfire's tokenized payment infrastructure.
This collaboration demonstrates the commitment to advancing agentic AI as legitimate participants in the digital economy. Amir Sarhangi, CEO of Skyfire, noted that this partnership represents a transformative step toward facilitating AI-driven commerce. The integration is expected to be available by April 30, 2026, allowing merchants to confidently engage with verified AI traffic through the F5 Distributed Cloud Console.
In conclusion, this partnership not only promotes innovation in digital commerce but ensures the security and integrity of transactions involving AI agents, paving the way for a balanced and secure future in online commerce.
MWN-AI** Analysis
The recent partnership between F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) and Skyfire represents a significant advancement in optimizing secure commerce for AI agents within enterprise settings. With F5's Distributed Cloud Bot Defense integrated with Skyfire's Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol, companies are poised to distinguish between harmful bots and legitimate AI agents. This capability is crucial in an era where AI agents are rapidly becoming significant players in online commerce.
Investors should take note that this integration will not require extensive changes to current infrastructures, allowing merchants to quickly adapt to the evolving landscape of digital commerce. As AI agents autonomously conduct transactions online, this partnership enables a new revenue stream by monetizing AI-driven traffic—transforming previously blocked automation into authenticated interactions vital for business growth.
For merchants, the implementation of KYA tokens facilitates enhanced verification of AI agent traffic while maintaining existing security policies. This security posture is critical as the rise of agentic AI alters the dynamics of digital purchasing, necessitating sophisticated mechanisms to ensure revenue-generating agents are recognized and allowed access.
From a market perspective, companies leveraging this integrated solution can expect an increase in transaction efficiency and overall sales conversion rates as they confidently cater to AI-driven commerce. F5's robust reputation as a security leader positions it well for growth; thus, investors may find FFIV shares appealing as enterprises seek security solutions that incorporate AI technologies.
As the launch date of April 30, 2026, approaches, stakeholders should monitor developments closely. The implications of this partnership align with broader market trends emphasizing automation and AI-enhanced customer engagement, suggesting a strong growth potential for both F5 and Skyfire in the evolving digital economy.
**MWN-AI Summary and Analysis is based on asking OpenAI to summarize and analyze this news release.
Identify, authenticate, and monetize AI agent traffic at scale with F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense and Skyfire’s Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol
F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in delivering and securing every app and API, and Skyfire, the agentic commerce platform providing identity and payment infrastructure for AI agents, today announced a technology partnership designed to enable enterprises to securely allow verified AI agents while still blocking malicious actors. The planned integration brings Skyfire’s open Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol to the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP), intended to enable merchants and content providers to distinguish legitimate, revenue-generating AI agent traffic from malicious automation.
AI agents are rapidly becoming the new consumers of the Internet, autonomously browsing, researching, and purchasing on behalf of humans. Yet the same bot management systems that protect merchants from scraping, credential stuffing, and fraud can also block legitimate agent-driven commerce. Today’s announcement addresses that challenge head-on: using KYA, F5 customers will be able to recognize Skyfire-verified agents and grant them appropriate access, transforming what was previously blocked automation into authenticated, monetizable interactions.
“The rise of agentic AI represents a fundamental shift in how commerce happens online,” said John Maddison, Chief Marketing Officer at F5. “Merchants need the ability to distinguish between a malicious agent or bot and a verified AI agent acting on behalf of a real customer. Through our partnership with Skyfire, F5 customers will gain that visibility. This combined solution enables them to confidently open their doors to the next generation of Internet traffic while maintaining the security posture they depend on.”
F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense functionality within the F5 ADSP protects the web’s largest enterprises from sophisticated automated threats. Through the Skyfire integration, F5 extends its industry-leading bot detection and policy enforcement capabilities to recognize agents carrying Skyfire’s KYA identity tokens. Merchants using F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense can:
- Enhance verification of AI agent traffic through their existing F5 bot defense infrastructure, rather than blocking automated requests indiscriminately.
- Gain visibility into agent identity including agentic AI-based traffic, the agent itself, and the human or enterprise principal behind the request, delivered in the Skyfire KYA token.
- Safely enable agentic commerce by allowing agents to complete standard eCommerce checkout flows using Skyfire’s tokenized payment credentials, preserving the merchant’s existing infrastructure.
- Monetize AI-driven traffic by linking agent requests to accountable, paying actors.
F5 bot defense customers are able to validate agents with no additional steps. Customers who want to accept agentic payments via the Skyfire platform can do so easily. The integration is designed to work within merchants’ existing technology stacks. No re-platforming is required. Skyfire’s KYA protocol uses standard JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) compatible with existing OAuth2, HTTP, and JWKS infrastructure, and F5’s bot defense capabilities interpret these tokens at the edge to enforce access policies in real time.
“AI agents are the new consumers of the Internet, but they’ve been locked out by security measures designed for a human-only web,” said Amir Sarhangi, CEO and co-founder of Skyfire. “Through our partnership with F5, we’re enabling an Internet where verified agents are first-class participants in the digital economy, where identity and security protocols work with them, not against them. F5’s unmatched scale in protecting the world’s largest enterprises makes this a pivotal step toward making agentic commerce a reality everywhere.”
Skyfire integration with F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense will be available by April 30, 2026. F5 customers will be able to enable Skyfire?verified agent traffic through the F5 Distributed Cloud Console. Merchants and website owners interested in integrating the Skyfire KYAPay protocol can learn more at skyfire.xyz .
Supporting materials
- Blog: Your next million customers will be AI. Security must evolve.
- Blog: Skyfire and F5 integration details – Verified AI agent identity
- Overview: F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense
- Overview: Skyfire KYAPay protocol
- Blog: The future of eCommerce is agentic AI
About F5
F5, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) is the global leader that delivers and secures every app. Backed by three decades of expertise, F5 has built the industry’s premier platform—F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP)—to deliver and secure every app, every API, anywhere: on-premises, in the cloud, at the edge, and across hybrid, multicloud environments. F5 is committed to innovating and partnering with the world’s largest and most advanced organizations to deliver fast, available, and secure digital experiences. Together, we help each other thrive and bring a better digital world to life.
For more information, visit f5.com
Explore F5 Labs threat research at f5.com/labs
Follow to learn more about F5, our partners, and technologies:
Blog | LinkedIn | X | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
F5 is a trademark, service mark, or tradename of F5, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. The use of the terms “partner,” “partners,” or “partnership” in this press release does not imply a joint venture, agency relationship, or other formal business relationship between F5 and Skyfire.
Forward?looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the planned integration of Skyfire’s Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol with F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense and the anticipated capabilities and benefits of that integration. Actual product availability, features, and results are subject to change.
About Skyfire
Skyfire is the complete agentic commerce platform for AI agents and merchants. Skyfire gives AI and agents everything they need to transact autonomously, including verified identity for web access and account creation, tokenized credit cards, real-time micropayments, and instant programmatic checkout. With Skyfire’s open Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol and fast, flexible payment rails, platforms can allow their users to scalably sign up, authenticate, and transact across APIs, websites, and marketplaces without leaving their LLM interface. The company is backed by Evolution and DCVC, a16z CSX, Coinbase Ventures, Neuberger Berman, Brevan Howard Digital, and other leading investors. Learn more at skyfire.xyz .
Source: F5, Inc.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260318174295/en/
Dan Sorensen
F5
(650) 228-4842
d.sorensen@f5.com
Kevin Brown
Be Good PR, for Skyfire
(415) 818-6839
kevin@begood.pr
FAQ**
How does F5 Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) plan to leverage the integration of Skyfire’s KYA protocol to enhance the verification of AI agent traffic for its existing bot defense infrastructure?
What specific security benefits can merchants expect from using the F5 Distributed Cloud Bot Defense in conjunction with Skyfire’s Know Your Agent (KYA) protocol?
In what ways will the integration of Skyfire’s KYA protocol enable F5 Inc. (FFIV) customers to monetize AI-driven traffic while maintaining a robust security posture?
How does the partnership between F5 Inc. (FFIV) and Skyfire aim to address the challenges posed by malicious automated traffic in the evolving landscape of agentic commerce?
**MWN-AI FAQ is based on asking OpenAI questions about F5 Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV).
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