Visa and Mastercard are pioneering a new payment system known as “agentic commerce,” enabling AI agents to search, compare prices, book items, and process payments seamlessly within chat platforms. According to Mastercard’s Sandeep Malhotra, this evolution transforms digital transactions into intelligent processes. AI agents will enhance price discovery by scanning multiple options simultaneously, with initial implementations in travel, such as booking flights based on specific criteria. They can even make purchases on behalf of users while they are offline. Major retailers, wary of losing customer connections, are developing their bots to maintain control. Visa and Mastercard have initiated pilot programs for secure, bot-led payments, with predictions for commercial deployment in early 2026. A recent Visa survey indicates nearly half of U.S. shoppers utilize AI for purchasing decisions. As AI technology proliferates, the payment landscape is set for rapid changes, enhancing consumer access to goods and services while addressing potential liabilities.
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