BBVA tests AI-agent card payment with Visa in Europe

BBVA has completed a live card transaction initiated by an artificial intelligence agent on behalf of a cardholder, using Visa systems in Europe. The bank and Visa presented the test as evidence that agent-led purchases can be processed through existing card payment infrastructure while keeping issuer controls and customer authentication in place.

The transaction formed part of Visa’s Agentic Ready programme, an initiative focused on commerce in which AI agents can search, compare and initiate purchases for consumers. According to BBVA, the payment used real card credentials and an active merchant’s systems, rather than a closed laboratory environment.

Visa said the transaction was enabled by Visa Intelligent Commerce. The payment relied on technologies already used in digital card payments, including tokenisation and real-time fraud monitoring.

Tokenisation replaces sensitive card details with a digital token that can be used for a specific payment context, reducing the exposure of primary account information during online transactions. Real-time fraud monitoring applies network and issuer checks as a transaction is processed, allowing suspicious activity to be flagged or declined before completion.

The test also used Visa Payment Passkeys to meet Strong Customer Authentication requirements under European Union rules, according to Visa. Payment passkeys use biometric authentication to let a consumer approve an online payment without entering a password or receiving an SMS code.

BBVA said the transaction showed that AI agent-initiated payments can work within existing regulatory requirements, with cardholder permission, issuer oversight and current protections maintained. The bank said its involvement is intended to help the industry assess how AI-enabled payment experiences can be offered securely and at scale.

Roberto Pagán, head of consumer payments at BBVA Spain, said the bank is working on payment experiences that are easier for customers while remaining reliable. He said collaboration with Visa allows BBVA to take part in a form of commerce where AI agents may initiate transactions using infrastructure that already provides scale, security and control.

Eduardo Prieto, Visa’s country manager in Spain, said AI agents have shown they can start transactions in real-world settings. He said Visa’s role is to keep those payments secure, transparent and trusted by connecting issuers, merchants and AI systems through its network.

Visa announced the milestone at the Visa Payments Forum in Paris. The company said demonstrations at the event showed AI agent-initiated purchases in sectors including retail and travel services.

Visa cited survey data prepared by Morning Consult showing that 62% of surveyed consumers in Spain use AI to look for gift ideas, research products and compare prices. The Spending Shift survey was conducted online from Oct. 14 to Oct. 28, 2025, among a sample of 1,000 adults in each market. Visa said the data were weighted by factors including gender, education, age and income race, and that full survey results carried a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.

Visa said agent-initiated payments are expected to extend gradually to additional use cases as the tools develop, with defined permissions and controls governing how transactions are initiated.

This story draws on original reporting from Finextra Research.