Visa Enables AI to Handle Payments for You
Visa has unveiled new developer tools that allow AI agents to directly access its payment network and autonomously make purchases on behalf of users—an innovation Visa calls "agentic commerce". This expands AI’s role from aiding product discovery to fully completing transactions, aligned with user-set preferences and budgets.
Key elements of this launch include:
Developer Tools:
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server offers AI agents a standardized, secure connection to Visa’s payment APIs.
The Visa Acceptance Agent Toolkit enables users—regardless of technical background—to craft AI-powered payment workflows using natural language commands.
Together, these tools significantly reduce integration time, enabling developers to move from concept to prototype in hours instead of weeks.
This move positions Visa at the forefront of a transformative shift in digital commerce, challenging traditional shopping methods.
Visa’s initiative intensifies competition with Mastercard, which launched a similar AI payment system, Agent Pay, in April.
Visa is pioneering a new era of AI-powered commerce, enabling autonomous shopping experiences that are more seamless, personalized, and intuitive—if users trust AI agents to handle their finances and manage money on their behalf.