Five of the world's largest technology companies—Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, and others—have joined the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) as engineering members. This expansion includes significant players like Amazon, Microsoft, and Salesforce, each contributing to the governance body that oversees UCP development.
The protocol recently released its biggest update ever with over 60 merged pull requests, enhancing capabilities such as cart management, catalog search, request/response signing, error handling, eligibility claims, discount extensions, and risk signals. This release marks a significant milestone in the evolution of UCP, which is now supported by 99.4% of verified stores.
Key areas of focus for future development include identity linking, loyalty programs, and local commerce capabilities. The complexity involved in implementing returns has also been acknowledged, indicating that while agent-managed returns may not be expected soon, the groundwork is being laid for their eventual integration.
For merchants, this expansion signals a commitment to UCP's long-term viability, reinforcing the importance of adhering to current requirements such as valid manifests and declared capabilities. For platform developers, it highlights the need to watch identity linking and loyalty PRs closely, as these features will differentiate platforms in the second half of 2026.
Read the full article at DEV Community
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