Visa Reports Early Progress on Agent-Initiated Transactions and Trusted Agent Protocol

Visa says it has completed hundreds of secure agent-initiated transactions with partners, positioning 2026 as a key inflection point for AI-driven commerce. The update was shared as part of Visa’s broader Intelligent Commerce initiative, which is focused on enabling AI agents to complete purchases on behalf of consumers while maintaining security and trust across payment flows.

According to Visa, internal research shows that 47 percent of U.S. shoppers already use AI tools for at least one shopping-related task, such as comparing prices or generating recommendations. Visa says this growing familiarity is accelerating interest in agent-enabled purchasing, where AI systems move beyond discovery into transaction execution.

Visa reports it is working with more than 100 partners globally. Over 30 partners are currently building in the Visa Intelligent Commerce sandbox, while more than 20 agents or agent-enabling platforms are integrating directly with Visa’s commerce infrastructure. Early pilots cited by Visa include browser-automation-based demonstrations and checkout flows spanning consumer shopping, fashion retail, and B2B payments automation.

A central element of Visa’s strategy is the Trusted Agent Protocol, introduced in October 2025 alongside more than 10 partners. Visa describes TAP as an open framework designed to help merchants distinguish between malicious automated traffic and legitimate AI agents acting with consumer authorization. The goal is to enable agentic commerce without forcing major changes to existing merchant infrastructure or customer experience.

Akamai is among the partners supporting TAP, integrating the protocol with its edge-based behavioral intelligence, user recognition, and bot and abuse protection capabilities. Akamai has framed the challenge of agentic commerce as a dual-identity problem, requiring verification of both the agent itself and the individual it represents. By linking agent authentication with end-user recognition, the companies say they aim to reduce fraud while supporting scalable adoption.

Visa has emphasized that TAP is designed to operate across its global acceptance footprint, which it states includes approximately 175 million merchant locations. The company has positioned the protocol as a foundational control layer for future agent-driven payment experiences, as AI systems increasingly participate directly in commercial transactions.

Sources: Visa Investor Relations, Visa USA, Business Wire

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By the ID Tech Editorial Team