- Visa expects stablecoins to power AI-driven micro-payments.
- Card networks will continue handling larger consumer purchases.
- The company sees stablecoins and cards working together.
- AI commerce is expected to increase demand for low-cost blockchain payments.
Visa believes stablecoins will become the preferred payment method for AI agents making frequent, low-value transactions, while traditional card networks will continue serving larger consumer purchases.
In a new report with analytics firm Artemis, Visa describes two emerging forms of AI commerce. Macro-commerce includes activities such as booking travel or managing subscriptions, where existing card infrastructure remains well suited. Micro-commerce involves software systems making thousands of tiny payments for services like API calls and computing resources, where blockchain's low transaction costs provide a significant advantage.
Rather than replacing cards, Visa expects a hybrid payment model where AI agents use both traditional payment rails and stablecoins depending on the transaction.
The company also noted that legal responsibility, consumer protection, and payment dispute processes remain important challenges before fully autonomous AI commerce can become mainstream.
