- Visa says stablecoins are better suited for AI-driven micropayments, while traditional card networks will continue handling consumer purchases.
- The company expects future payment systems to combine cards and blockchain rather than replace one with the other.
- Legal responsibility and consumer protection remain major challenges as AI agents begin making payments independently.
Visa believes the future of digital commerce will combine stablecoins and traditional payment networks rather than force businesses to choose between them.
In a new research report published alongside blockchain analytics firm Artemis, Visa outlined how artificial intelligence is expected to reshape global payments as autonomous software agents begin buying services, accessing computing resources, and completing transactions without direct human involvement.
According to the report, blockchain-based stablecoins will likely become the preferred payment method for machine-to-machine transactions, while credit and debit cards will remain the primary option for larger consumer purchases.
Stablecoins Could Power AI Micropayments
Visa divided the future AI economy into two categories: macro-commerce and micro-commerce.
Macro-commerce includes traditional consumer purchases such as travel bookings, subscriptions, and retail shopping, where AI agents complete transactions on behalf of people. Existing card networks remain well suited for these larger purchases because of their established infrastructure, fraud protection, and consumer safeguards.
Micro-commerce, however, involves thousands of low-value transactions between software applications. These could include API requests, cloud computing resources, or automated payments between AI systems.
Visa argues that traditional payment rails become inefficient for these tiny transactions because processing costs are relatively high, while blockchain networks can settle payments for only fractions of a cent using stablecoins.
Cards and Stablecoins Will Work Together
Rather than viewing blockchain as a competitor to existing payment infrastructure, Visa expects both technologies to become increasingly interconnected.
The company believes AI agents could use traditional card networks when purchasing goods or services from merchants while relying on stablecoins to settle frequent, low-cost payments between software systems operating behind the scenes.
Visa also noted that the distinction between traditional payment networks and crypto infrastructure is already beginning to blur.
The report highlights several initiatives that combine card-based security with blockchain settlement, while crypto-native platforms are increasingly adopting identity verification and trust mechanisms commonly associated with conventional financial systems.
Legal Questions Still Need Answers
Despite rapid technological progress, Visa said legal and regulatory uncertainty remains one of the biggest barriers to widespread AI-powered commerce.
Current consumer protection laws assume that humans authorize purchases, making it unclear who bears responsibility if autonomous AI agents make unauthorized or incorrect transactions.
Existing chargeback systems and dispute resolution processes were also designed for human-paced commerce rather than AI systems capable of executing thousands of transactions every hour.
Visa believes governments and regulators will need to update legal frameworks before fully autonomous payment systems can operate at scale.
Visa Continues Expanding Its Stablecoin Strategy
The report reflects Visa’s growing investment in blockchain-based payments and digital assets.
Earlier this year, the company introduced Visa Intelligent Commerce, along with new tools designed to support trusted AI-powered transactions. Visa also announced a partnership with OpenAI to enable secure payments inside future AI commerce experiences.
At the same time, Visa has continued expanding its stablecoin initiatives. The company recently joined more than 140 organizations to launch the Open Standard consortium, which plans to develop the Open USD stablecoin for business payments and settlements.
Visa has also expanded stablecoin settlement across its network, reporting an annualized settlement run rate of approximately $7 billion, while more than 160 stablecoin-linked card programs are either active or under development.
As artificial intelligence and blockchain technology continue converging, Visa’s latest report suggests the future of commerce will rely on both traditional financial infrastructure and digital assets working together rather than competing against one another.
