Alchemy and Visa launch AgentCard: AI agents get their own payment tools
Alchemy platform, together with Visa, has introduced the AgentCard service — a solution that equips AI agents with full payment capabilities. Now, neural networks can make online purchases on behalf of the user, completely autonomously.
Integration with the Visa Intelligent Commerce infrastructure provides the agent with a virtual Visa card, an email address, a phone number, and a cryptocurrency wallet. Developers need just one API request to configure access to paying for goods and services — the entire process takes less than a minute.
AI agents based on OpenAI or Anthropic models gain the ability to book flights, order groceries, renew subscriptions, and perform other transactions without human involvement. The system supports flexible settings: spending limits, restrictions by store categories, and personal budgets.
By default, payments are processed through Visa tokens, preserving the user's banking bonuses and credit lines. If the merchant accepts digital assets, the service automatically switches to the crypto wallet. The AgentCard protocol independently selects the optimal payment method based on merchant support.
"Every technological shift has created new economic participants. AI agents are the next stage, and they need access to the global economy," noted Alchemy CEO Nikhil Viswanathan. Visa representatives emphasize that their infrastructure ensures the security and scalability of such transactions.
This is not the industry's first step toward autonomous agents. Previously, MetaMask announced a wallet for the AI era, and Coinbase launched a service connecting neural networks to user accounts for trading and payments within set limits. Estonia, in turn, is working on creating digital identifiers for AI agents.
My analysis: AgentCard from Alchemy and Visa is not just another payment tool, but a fundamental step toward turning AI agents into full-fledged economic participants. Given that Visa processes over $12 trillion in transactions annually, integration with this network gives agents instant access to the global market. However, the key question is security: how to prevent fraud when the agent acts autonomously? The solution with limits and category restrictions is a good start, but regulators will have to seriously reconsider approaches to controlling such operations.