Visa, BILL and Billtrust announced a live commercial pilot on October 20, 2026, that lets AI agents initiate and execute approved business invoice payments through supplier portals. The BILL Payment Agent uses tokenized payment credentials restricted to buyer-authorized invoices and predefined rules. Billtrust authenticates the agent through Visa’s Agentic Directory and Trusted Agent Protocol without requiring shared login credentials. The pilot tests how an agent can establish its identity and payment authority, but it does not give the agent authority to approve invoices independently. Visa’s protocol uses cryptographic signatures to bind requests to a particular merchant domain and page. The distinction matters for liability: commercial payment protections may be altered by contract, while AI software agreements may limit vendor exposure. Visa separately announced expanded commercial capabilities on October 21, with supplier validation and authentication controls scheduled for general availability in 2027. The EU’s draft Payment Services Regulation does not directly address autonomous agent payments.
