Visa has expanded its Intelligent Commerce platform with Model Context Protocol (MCP) support, making it easier for developers to build AI-powered shopping experiences using Visa’s payment network. The update includes a new MCP Server and Visa Acceptance Agent Toolkit that should accelerate development from weeks to hours, positioning Visa to capture more of the growing AI-driven e-commerce market.
What you should know: The MCP Server creates a streamlined integration layer that connects AI assistants to Visa’s payment APIs while maintaining security standards.
- Developers can now access Visa Intelligent Commerce APIs through the MCP Server, which Visa describes as a “ready-made integration layer.”
- The integration allows developers to move from idea to prototype in hours rather than days or weeks, according to Visa.
- The MCP Server is currently available in pilot and will eventually extend across Visa’s broader API portfolio.
How the toolkit works: The Visa Acceptance Agent Toolkit enables developers to work with AI agents using natural language instead of extensive coding.
- The toolkit includes pre-built workflows for commerce tasks, conversational prompts, and integrations with chat interfaces.
- In one example, an AI agent responds to “Create an invoice for $100 for John Doe, due Friday” by using the toolkit to call the Invoice API and return a payment link.
- Business analysts can ask AI agents for revenue summaries by state, with the AI pulling transaction data from accessible reports.
The big picture: Visa’s move aligns with an industry-wide push to integrate AI into e-commerce experiences that serve both shoppers and retailers.
- OpenAI and Google have unveiled AI shopping features in their chatbots to help connect people with products more seamlessly.
- Major retailers like eBay and Amazon are incorporating AI technology to improve product discovery.
- A recent Adobe study found that 39% of 5,000 respondents have used generative AI for online shopping tasks, including research, product recommendations, and deal-seeking.
Why this matters: The integration makes Visa’s payment infrastructure more accessible to developers building agentic commerce experiences, potentially accelerating AI adoption in e-commerce while strengthening Visa’s position in digital payments.
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