SAN FRANCISCO — Visa has launched a pilot with accounts payable and receivable technology providers BILL and Billtrust to allow artificial intelligence agents to complete approved invoice payments through supplier portals, according to a Visa release.
Visa described the collaboration as the first live pilot enabling AI agents to initiate and complete those payments from beginning to end. The companies are testing whether agent authentication and payment controls can reduce manual work while preserving suppliers’ oversight of payments.
Many payment portals have relied on human authentication requirements that limited automation, Visa said. The pilot uses its Trusted Agent Protocol to authenticate authorized AI agents, allowing them to perform payment tasks that previously required manual entry.
How The Payments Work
The process begins with an authorized BILL Payment Agent registered through Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol and Agentic Directory. The agent uses tokenized payment credentials and controls tied to the buyer’s approved payment instructions to make payments on behalf of BILL customers.
Visa said capabilities within its Intelligent Commerce portfolio enable BILL to automate card payments for supplier invoices.
When a payment is initiated, Billtrust uses Visa’s protocol to recognize and authenticate the agent and permit access, allowing BILL to complete the customer’s invoice payment.
The authentication process addresses protections traditionally provided by CAPTCHA and other tools that block automated traffic, without requiring an additional agent login, Visa said.
For Billtrust customers, the arrangement is intended to enable faster portal payments consistent with their payment acceptance policies and help accelerate cash flow.
Balancing Automation And Control
“Businesses should not have to choose between automation and control when making payments,” said Mark Nelsen, Visa’s senior vice president and head of product for commercial and money movement solutions.
Nelsen said the companies are testing how agent identity, payment controls and transaction visibility can support trusted agents completing business payments across platforms.
The pilot comes as merchants consider how to accommodate purchases initiated by AI agents. A separate PYMNTS Intelligence report, “The Agent Advantage: How Merchants Plan to Win AI Shopping,” found nearly 90% of merchants with their own website or app planned a hybrid approach combining direct customer traffic with agent-driven sales.
That report identified maintaining sales visibility, customer relationships and profit margins as challenges for merchants adopting agent-driven commerce.
