Alchemy and Visa launch AgentCard: AI agents get their own payment tools
The world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain is taking another step toward an autonomous economy. The Alchemy platform, together with payment giant Visa, has introduced the AgentCard service — a solution that equips artificial intelligence with full-fledged payment capabilities. Now, AI agents can independently make online purchases on behalf of users, without human involvement in each transaction.
The integration with Visa's Intelligent Commerce infrastructure provides neural networks with a full set of digital identifiers: a virtual Visa card, an email address, a phone number, and a cryptocurrency wallet. Developers only need to configure a single API for the agent to gain access to paying for goods and services in literally a minute.
AI agents powered by OpenAI or Anthropic models will be able to perform routine tasks: booking airline tickets, ordering groceries, and renewing subscriptions. The user no longer needs to delve into the checkout process — the agent does everything on its own.
Security and flexibility come first
The system supports flexible spending limits, restrictions by store categories, and customizable budgets. By default, payments are processed through Visa tokens, preserving the user's bank bonuses and credit lines. If the merchant accepts digital assets, the service can utilize a crypto wallet. The AgentCard protocol automatically selects the optimal payment method based on merchant support.
"Every technological shift has created new economic participants. AI agents are the next stage — they need access to the global economy," emphasizes Alchemy CEO Nikhil Viswanathan.
Visa representatives note that their infrastructure ensures the security and scalability of such transactions. This is critically important given the growing interest in autonomous agents.
As a reminder, MetaMask previously announced a wallet for the AI era, and Coinbase launched a service for connecting agents to user accounts for trading and payments. AgentCard from Alchemy and Visa looks like a logical continuation of this trend, but with a focus on mass online purchases.
My analysis: This is not just another fintech product, but an important step toward shaping an economy where AI agents become full-fledged market participants. However, the key challenge is security and control. If a user entrusts their card to an agent, the issue of protection against fraudulent actions and neural network errors comes to the forefront. The success of AgentCard will depend on how reliably Visa and Alchemy can prevent abuse.