Visa Launches Intelligent Commerce Connect for Agentic AI Shopping Payments

Visa unveiled Intelligent Commerce Connect (ICC) on April 8, 2026, a platform designed to enable AI agents to discover merchants, browse products, and complete purchases on behalf of users, while allowing businesses to accept agent‑initiated payments across multiple card networks and token vaults without vendor lock‑in.

The solution integrates with competing agentic protocols including Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, Stripe and Tempo’s Machine Payments Protocol, OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol, positioning Visa as a neutral payment layer for the emerging agent‑driven commerce market.

ICC Provides Secure Payment Initiation and Tokenization for AI Agents

When an AI agent initiates a purchase, ICC identifies the card being used, replaces the real card number with a secure token, and routes the transaction to the appropriate payment network. Before passing credentials to the merchant, the platform verifies that the agent is following the consumer’s instructions—such as staying within spending limits. The payment is then processed on the relevant network, with ICC logging the transaction for transparency.

Agent builders receive access to secure payment initiation, tokenization, spend controls, and authentication. Because ICC is powered by Visa’s Intelligent Commerce APIs and other card networks’ APIs, any major credit card can be used to pay. The platform works with major token vault providers, allowing agent platforms to plug into existing credential infrastructure without being locked into a single vendor.

Support for Competing Agentic Protocols

Merchants can incorporate ICC into their apps to enable agents to make transactions. To maximize effectiveness, the platform supports four competing agentic protocols simultaneously: Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, Stripe’s and Tempo’s Machine Payments Protocol, OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol. By supporting all four, Visa positions itself as the neutral payment layer, ensuring that regardless of which protocol dominates, agentic transactions still flow through its network.

ICC also helps merchants ensure their product catalogs are discoverable on AI platforms, including making item descriptions, prices, and other details more accessible, and optimizing the shopping experience so agents can purchase and checkout without leaving the platform.

Pilot Program and Market Context

ICC is currently in pilot, with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Aldar, Firmly, and Nekuda among the first to test the service. General availability is expected by the end of June 2026. According to McKinsey, AI agent‑driven sales could surpass $5 trillion by 2030, though other estimates suggest a much earlier‑stage market, with Precedence Research estimating global agentic commerce at under $8 billion in 2025.

The release builds on Visa’s earlier Intelligent Commerce offering, which enabled AI agents to use stored Visa credentials at accepting merchants. Don Apgar, Director of Merchant Payments at Javelin Strategy & Research, said the move is a natural extension of Visa’s Acceptance Platform, effectively enabling every VAP‑connected processor and acquirer to offer a turnkey agentic commerce platform interoperable with current standards.

FAQ

What is Visa Intelligent Commerce Connect?

Intelligent Commerce Connect (ICC) is a platform that allows AI agents to discover merchants, browse products, and complete purchases on behalf of users. It handles secure payment initiation, tokenization, spend controls, and authentication across multiple card networks and token vaults.

Which agentic protocols does ICC support?

ICC supports four competing protocols: Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, Stripe and Tempo’s Machine Payments Protocol, OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol, and Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol. This allows merchants to accept agent‑initiated payments regardless of which protocol dominates.

When will ICC be generally available?

ICC is currently in pilot with partners including AWS, Aldar, Firmly, and Nekuda. General availability is expected by the end of June 2026. Merchants can integrate ICC via a single integration on the Visa Acceptance Platform.