An AI assistant that orders your groceries and renews subscriptions on its own might hit the market soon.
Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) want to make sure that payment still runs through their networks when that happens.
This week, the two card giants said they are working with global fintech Ant International to build a shared way to identify and trust AI shopping agents.
For anyone holding the two stocks or considering them, this plan gives a hint on how both companies could grow in the future.
It also raises a fair question. If software does your spending, who makes sure it spends wisely?
What Visa and Mastercard actually agreed to build with Ant
On September 10, Visa, Mastercard, and Ant International said they would develop a shared Know Your Agent (KYA) framework, according to a joint press release.
A KYA framework is a system that checks whether an AI agent is trusted and authorized before it checks out.
Each firm already has its own version.
Visa runs Trusted Agent Protocol, Mastercard uses Verifiable Intent, and Ant built Agentic Mobile Protocol.
The aim of the collaboration is to let an agent cleared on one network get recognized across the others.
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The companies cited McKinsey research that AI agents could handle $3 trillion to $5 trillion of global consumer commerce by 2030, CNBC reported.
Ant’s chief innovation officer, Jiang-Ming Yang, said interoperable trust between card and wallet networks is “critical” for agentic commerce.
Each network keeps its own approval process, and the companies set no timeline and named no merchant pilots.
How Visa and Mastercard make money from your spending
Visa and Mastercard run the networks that connect your bank, merchant, and payment. They earn a small fee on the volume that flows through each transaction.
It’s a model that scales with spending.
Right now, your available time limits how much you spend. You can only browse and compare items during your free time each day.
Agents remove that limit.
When software tracks your needs and buys within the rules you set, the number of transactions could increase.
Why the deal fits Visa and Mastercard’s security push
Both networks have spent years building fraud protection and identity verification tools.
For Visa, that segment now drives much of its growth.
This new collaboration between the companies fits into that direction.
Visa agreed in August to buy fraud-detection firm BioCatch for $2.4 billion, which was a move CNBC tied to a rise in AI-powered scams.
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Mastercard’s value-added services revenue grew 20% year over year in the second quarter, or 18% on a currency-neutral basis, according to its SEC filing.
Visa’s services have also grown fast, and agent verification could add to both.
What Ant adds outside the West
Across much of Asia, digital wallets are more popular, and Ant’s Alipay+ network links dozens of them.
A shared KYA framework with Ant gives Visa and Mastercard access to markets where physical cards are less popular.
Where Visa and Mastercard stock stand, and what to watch
The news has not lifted the shares.
Visa traded near $367 on September 10, down about 3.3% over five days, while Mastercard sat near $566, down about 4.3%.
Agents could bypass cards with stablecoins, which is an area Visa and Mastercard also pursue.
What Visa and Mastercard investors should watch
- Adoption: updates on Mastercard’s Agent Pay and Visa’s Intelligent Commerce pilot programs.
- Earnings: agent-linked volume in upcoming quarterly reports.
- Rules: whether the KYA framework stays open or favors the companies already running the biggest payment networks.
Both companies remain highly profitable networks with wide reach.
For now, the framework sets a direction, and the product still has to be built.
However, the news gives investors an early read on whether Visa and Mastercard can turn AI spending into their next phase of growth.
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