Visa adds Australian banks to agentic payments trial

Visa has added Australian banks and fintechs to its Agentic Ready program, extending local testing of agent-initiated payments.

The program is designed to help financial institutions examine how payments initiated by artificial intelligence agents could work in controlled settings. The framework uses Visa's existing token, identity, risk and control systems so participants can validate transactions while maintaining consumer consent and oversight.

The first Australian partners include ANZ, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA, Cuscal, ING, Latitude Financial, NAB, St. George and Zip. The group brings together major banks, payment providers and buy now, pay later operators as the industry explores how automated purchasing could expand beyond narrow single-merchant use cases.

Broader shift

The program reflects a broader shift in digital commerce as AI tools begin to handle more of the shopping process. Early forms of so-called agentic commerce have largely been confined to closed environments where a customer interacts with one seller, but Visa is focusing on transactions that span multiple merchants and platforms.

That model shifts payment from a single checkout action to a sequence of automated decisions, increasing the need for authentication, consent management and risk controls across a wider network. Visa argues that such payments must remain clearly linked to an identifiable person, even when software carries out the transaction on that person's behalf.

Alan Machet, Group Country Manager for Visa Oceania, said the issue went beyond adopting a new tool.

"Agentic commerce is more than technology. It's a fundamental shift in how people shop and pay that will become truly meaningful when it works across the real world of commerce," Machet said.

He said the next stage would depend on activity across multiple merchants rather than within a single store or app. "The Agentic Ready Program is about preparing the ecosystem for what comes next, when AI agents are making decisions across merchants, categories and platforms, not just within a single store," he said.

Testing environment

The Australian program gives banks and fintechs access to a controlled environment that mirrors live operating conditions. The aim is to test how agent-initiated payments perform using the same credentials and protections that support Visa's wider card network.

Visa first rolled out the initiative in Europe. In Australia, the effort comes as financial firms assess how AI assistants could influence product discovery, price comparison and final purchase decisions while still fitting within existing rules on customer authority and fraud prevention.

Machet pointed to the example of an AI service arranging a household grocery order across different supermarkets based on price, availability and dietary preferences before completing payment in a single transaction. "Imagine an AI agent helping a family plan their weekly grocery shop across several supermarkets, balancing price, dietary needs, availability and delivery, then seamlessly completing the payment in one go," he said.

He said that kind of use case would test whether trust arrangements can work at scale. "That is where we think agentic commerce will truly shine, and where the foundations of trust and security really matter," he said.

Partner response

Several participating institutions described the program as an early step rather than a full commercial rollout. They highlighted the need to understand how AI-led payment flows can be introduced without weakening consumer protections.

"For ANZ, technology is a core enabler of digital experiences and long-term value. This program represents a first practical step towards enabling agentic commerce and reflects our deliberate approach to engaging with emerging capabilities that will help shape the next generation of digital commerce," said Kate Britton, acting managing director, retail products, ANZ.

"Cuscal is proud to join Visa's Agentic Ready program to ensure the Australian payment ecosystem remains trusted, secure and future ready. As a disciplined disruptor, this marks a major step for Cuscal to enable our clients to shape the world of agentic payments," said Bronwyn Yam, chief product officer, Cuscal.

"ING is pleased to be working with Visa through the Agentic Ready Program to test and validate a secure, reliable and efficient approach to agent-initiated payments. This reflects our long-standing focus on digital innovation and delivering simple, seamless banking experiences for customers across Australia," said Jennifer Davies, head of retail banking, ING Australia.

Others focused on how customer expectations may change if AI becomes part of routine buying decisions. "Payments underpin the everyday moments that matter to our customers, and it's important they continue to evolve alongside customer needs. We're excited about the potential of agentic payments to deliver more intuitive experiences for customers," said Vipin Kalra, managing director of consumer finance, St. George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA.

Zip linked the effort to the growing use of AI in shopping journeys. "As more Australians turn to AI to help them discover, compare and decide what to buy, Zip sees an opportunity to better support customers across the purchase journey. Consumers are looking for fair, flexible payment options that give them confidence and control, and together with Visa, we're creating more opportunities to deliver trusted, seamless experiences wherever customers choose to shop," said Soraya Alali, CEO ANZ, Zip.