Alchemy and Visa launch AgentCard: AI agents get their own payment tools
The Web3 infrastructure platform Alchemy, together with payment giant Visa, has introduced an innovative service called AgentCard. This solution marks an important step in integrating artificial intelligence into the global financial system, providing AI agents with full-fledged tools for autonomously making online purchases on behalf of users.
The key feature of AgentCard is deep integration with Visa Intelligent Commerce. Within the service, each AI agent receives a complete set of digital identifiers: a virtual Visa card, an email address, a phone number, and a cryptocurrency wallet. Developers can configure payment access through a single API in under a minute, radically simplifying implementation.
How it works and what opportunities it opens up
AI agents powered by popular models from OpenAI or Anthropic can now independently book airline tickets, order groceries, or renew subscriptions — without direct user involvement in the checkout process. The system is flexibly managed through customizable spending limits, merchant category restrictions, and budgets.
By default, all transactions go through Visa tokens, allowing users to retain banking rewards and credit lines. However, if the merchant supports digital assets, AgentCard automatically switches to the cryptocurrency wallet. The protocol itself selects the optimal payment method by analyzing the merchant's capabilities.
"Every technological shift has created new economic participants. AI agents are the next stage, and they need direct access to the global economy," emphasizes Alchemy CEO Nikhil Viswanathan.
Visa representatives note that their infrastructure guarantees the security and scalability of such transactions. This is especially important given the rapidly growing market for autonomous AI agents. Previously, similar initiatives were announced by MetaMask (a wallet for the AI era) and Coinbase (a service connecting agents to user accounts), but the Alchemy and Visa solution appears to be the most comprehensive and ready for mass adoption.
My analysis: This launch is not just a technical novelty but a fundamental shift in the perception of AI agents as full-fledged economic entities. The combination of Alchemy's cryptocurrency flexibility with Visa's traditional banking power creates a bridge between two worlds. However, the main challenge remains in the areas of security and trust — can the market adapt to the fact that purchase decisions are made by an algorithm rather than a human?