Agentic commerce represents one of the most compelling shifts in the evolution of commerce. At Visa, we see it not only as enhancing existing experiences, but as the emergence of an entirely new channel. As AI agents increasingly help consumers search, compare, and buy, commerce will move beyond interactions driven by humans to ones supported by intelligent systems acting on their behalf.
How Visa is approaching AI agents
Visa approaches agentic commerce much the same way we once approached eCommerce and mobile payments: as a new way for consumers and businesses to interact that sits alongside existing ones. In this channel, AI agents assume responsibility for navigating options and initiating actions based on user preferences, intent, and context—while still operating within guardrails defined by consumers and merchants. The opportunity is significant, with the potential to unlock greater efficiency, more personalization, and larger scale across the ecosystem.
That said, agentic commerce is still in its earliest stages. Most experiences today still have a human in the loop. While AI may surface recommendations or initiate certain steps in a transaction, consumers continue to review, approve, and guide the outcomes. The current state of the industry reflects this reality: Only 19% of merchants today have solutions in place to accept agent‑initiated payments, while 63% are exploring or implementing support1. This gap highlights both the momentum behind agentic commerce and the importance of building trust, infrastructure, and operational confidence before advancing further.
How we see agentic commerce evolving
Adoption patterns also reinforce the idea that agentic commerce is emerging first as a platform‑level capability. Twenty‑eight percent of enterprise merchants already have agentic payment solutions live, compared with 12% of mid‑market and small businesses1. As with prior channel shifts, larger organizations are leading early experimentation, while the broader market prepares for scale and standardization.
One of our priorities is helping ensure this new channel develops as a seamless extension of existing commerce—not a replacement. Businesses should not have to reinvent their acceptance infrastructure, risk controls, authentication services, or settlement processes to participate in agentic experiences. The same foundational capabilities that power today’s human-driven transactions should support agent‑initiated ones as well.
This continuity is critical to adoption. By enabling agentic commerce on familiar rails, Visa is helping reduce friction for merchants and partners while preserving trust for consumers. Businesses can meet customers wherever they choose to engage—a browser, a mobile app, a point-of-sale device, or an AI agent—using systems they already know and trust. Security, consistency, and reliability need to remain central, even as automation increases.
Why a slow and steady approach to AI is optimal
Consumer sentiment is reinforcing this measured approach. Early signals indicate that they’re growing comfortable with AI‑assisted discovery and decision making, particularly when they retain visibility and control over the outcomes. Trust, explainability, and user consent should remain essential prerequisites as agents begin to play a more active role in transactions.
Ultimately, enabling agentic commerce is about building the ecosystem for future success. As shopping and buying experiences evolve from human‑directed to increasingly autonomous, the underlying payment infrastructure must be ready to scale responsibly. Agentic commerce may be new, but the principles guiding its success are familiar: security, continuity, interoperability, and trust.
Let’s talk payments
By treating agentic commerce as a new channel—and empowering partners to participate without disruption—Visa is helping ensure this next phase of commerce is seamless, secure, and built to keep businesses ahead, always.
1 How Acquirers Prepare for Agentic Commerce (2026), PYMNTS Intelligence, commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, A Visa Company, a survey of acquirers across the U.S., Brazil, and the UAE.
2 2026 Global eCommerce Payments & Fraud Report, Merchant Risk Council (MRC) – commissioned by Visa Acceptance Solutions, A Visa Company & Verifi, A Visa Company.
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