Visa Launches Agentic Ready Programme in CEMEA for AI Agent Payments Testing
Visa has introduced its Agentic Ready programme across Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEMEA), creating a controlled environment for issuers to test agent-initiated transactions on behalf of consumers. The initiative is designed to help financial institutions assess how AI agents can complete payments while operating within established network controls.
The first phase of the programme is focused on issuer readiness. According to Visa, the setup enables banks and other financial institutions to evaluate the practical requirements for supporting AI-driven payment experiences in a production-grade testing environment. The programme brings together core elements of Visa’s network capabilities, including tokens, identity, risk management and control mechanisms.
Visa said dozens of regional banks and fintech companies have already enrolled in the initial testing phase. Among the early participants are Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Emirates NBD, Mashreq, Tabby, Ziina and Qatar National Bank. Visa added that more partners are expected to join later this year.
Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan at Visa, said the company sees strong interest in innovation across the region, while also recognising the need to ensure new payment experiences are introduced securely and at scale. She said the programme provides clients with a practical route to prepare for agent-initiated payments using existing network safeguards.
The rollout is part of Visa Intelligent Commerce, Visa’s broader portfolio of solutions focused on programmable and AI-driven commerce. The company is also working with global AI platforms, developers and merchants to support automated transactions in a secure manner.
Agent-initiated payments refer to transactions carried out by an AI agent on behalf of a consumer. Visa’s programme is intended to give issuers a structured framework for testing this emerging use case before wider deployment.
Industry Analysis
Visa’s move reflects growing interest in AI-enabled commerce and the infrastructure needed to support it. By creating a dedicated testing environment for issuers, the company is signalling that agentic payments are moving from concept to early-stage implementation. The involvement of major banks and fintech firms in CEMEA also suggests that regional players are preparing for a future in which AI agents may play a role in payment execution.
At the same time, the emphasis on tokens, identity, risk and controls highlights the importance of security and governance in this next phase of digital payments. For financial institutions, the programme offers a chance to study technical readiness and operational implications before introducing agent-initiated transactions at scale.
As AI-driven commerce develops, initiatives such as Visa Agentic Ready may become important for setting standards around trust, interoperability and risk management in automated payments.
