Visa Adopts Stripe’s Protocol for AI Payments
On March 18, 2026, Visa announced a significant move into agentic commerce by supporting the Machine Payments Protocol (MPP), a new standard co-developed by Stripe and the team behind the Tempo blockchain. This integration enables autonomous AI agents to make card-based payments on Visa's global network and its Visa Acceptance Platform. The initiative allows software programs to programmatically pay for services like data access or computing power from providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic without requiring direct human approval for each transaction.
The adoption comes as Tempo, a payments-focused blockchain backed by Stripe and Paradigm, launched its mainnet. The network is engineered for high-volume, low-cost stablecoin transactions and introduced the MPP as an open standard for the machine-to-machine economy. While the protocol is payment-method agnostic, supporting stablecoins and Bitcoin's Lightning Network, Visa's involvement brings its vast card infrastructure into the developing ecosystem for AI agents.
Dual Strategy Prepares Global Network for AI Commerce
Visa is pursuing a dual strategy to ensure its dominance in the future of payments, preparing both new and existing financial rails for AI. Alongside its collaboration on the MPP, the company launched its "Visa Agentic Ready" program in Europe and the UK. This initiative partners with major financial institutions, including Barclays, HSBC UK, Nationwide, and Revolut, to test and scale AI-initiated payments on the traditional card network.
The program has already yielded tangible results, with Banco Santander successfully completing a live transaction using an AI agent to purchase a product with a Visa card. This demonstrates the practical application of Visa's strategy to embed AI capabilities within its existing, trusted infrastructure. By preparing its banking partners while also engaging with emerging blockchain protocols, Visa is positioning itself to be the central payment layer for agentic commerce, regardless of the underlying technology.
Visa's strategic push reflects an escalating race among financial incumbents to build the foundational plumbing for the machine economy. The competitive landscape is heating up, with rivals making substantial investments to secure their positions. Mastercard recently announced its intent to acquire stablecoin infrastructure startup BVNK for $1.8 billion to integrate digital assets into its network.
This industry-wide shift recognizes that AI agents represent a new class of economic actor, requiring novel payment solutions. Crypto-native firms like Coinbase are also actively developing solutions to facilitate agentic payments on-chain. Visa's multi-pronged approach—embracing both crypto-based protocols and traditional finance—is a direct response to this competitive pressure, aiming to secure market leadership as AI becomes increasingly integrated into commercial activity.
Edgen Stock·Mar 18 2026, 19:41
