Visa has been methodically constructing what it calls the Intelligent Commerce program, designed to give AI agents the ability to transact securely using tokenized credentials. The program has been running closed-beta pilots with partners including Skyfire, Nekuda, and Ramp. Hundreds of secure transactions have been completed through these pilots by early 2026, spanning regions including Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

One notable deployment involved a partnership with Aldar for real estate payment systems in the UAE.

By April 2026, stablecoin settlements flowing through Visa’s network had reached an annualized run-rate of approximately $7 billion across nine blockchains.

Visa’s broader architecture envisions a world where AI agents can choose between traditional and blockchain-based payment methods depending on the transaction context. When an AI agent needs to pay for something across borders, traditional card rails introduce friction: currency conversion, settlement delays, compliance checks across jurisdictions. Stablecoins running on blockchain infrastructure can compress that process significantly.