Visa Welcomes Partners into Agentic Ready Program to Unlock Agentic Commerce

04/30/2026

Visa today welcomes a host of Australian partners into its Visa Agentic Ready program, marking an important step in preparing the local ecosystem for the next phase of agentic commerce.

The Agentic Ready Program is powered by Visa’s trust layer, bringing together tokens, identity, risk and controls to examine how trusted agent-initiated payments could be enabled. These capabilities are designed to operate consistently across merchants, platforms and channels, so consumers remain in control as decision‑making becomes increasingly automated and distributed.

“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,” said Alan Machet, Group Country Manager for Visa Oceania.

“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.”

The Agentic Ready Program supports this shift by enabling banks and fintechs to test and validate agent‑initiated payments in controlled, production‑grade environments, using the same trusted credentials, controls and protections that underpin the Visa network today.

Unlocking the Next Phase of Agentic Commerce

Early agentic experiences have focused on transactions within contained, single-seller environments. Yet the next phase will be determined by experiences across multiple sellers and platforms, reflecting how consumers shop and buy already today.

This shift moves payments from a single moment at checkout into a broader automated process, increasing the need for trust, security and consumer control across the ecosystem.

“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,” said Alan.

“That is where we think agentic commerce will truly shine, and where the foundations of trust and security really matter.”

Preparing the Ecosystem for Agentic Commerce at Scale

Enabling agentic commerce at scale requires more than technological innovation. Cross‑seller experiences depend on network‑level capabilities that ensure agent‑initiated payments are clearly linked to a real person, governed by consent and protected by consistent controls across different environments.

First rolled out in Europe, this work supports Visa’s broader vision for intelligent, programmable commerce, where trusted credentials and network capabilities enable payments to respond securely and flexibly to consumer intent, context and controls. As more of the shopping journey becomes automated, this helps ensure agents can act on a consumer’s behalf while keeping people firmly in control.

Early partners in Australia include ANZ, Bank of Melbourne, BankSA, Cuscal, ING, Latitude Financial, NAB, St. George, and Zip.

Partner Quotes

Kate Britton, Acting Managing Director Retail Products, ANZ: “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.”
Bronwyn Yam, Chief Product Officer, Cuscal: "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."
Jennifer Davies, Head of Retail Banking, ING Australia: “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.”
Vipin Kalra, Managing Director of Consumer Finance, St George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA: “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."
Soraya Alali, CEO ANZ, Zip: “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.”

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.