Visa has recently released an open-source tool named CLI, designed to enable AI agents based on large language models to independently complete cryptocurrency payments. This tool primarily targets AI developers, allowing AI agents to create and manage digital wallets on their own and top them up using stablecoins like USDC. By controlling these wallets, AI agents can seamlessly pay for necessary resources such as API keys, cloud services, or datasets. The tool enables AI agents to autonomously determine required services, initiate payments, and resume operations with minimal human intervention.
Visa's open-source solution leverages smart contracts and account abstraction technology to manage on-chain wallet infrastructure. Unlike traditional wallets that require private key signatures for every transaction, this solution supports programmable payment rules. This means automated payments are no longer confined to standard wallet architectures, offering greater flexibility and efficiency for machine-led digital procurement.
Despite the high degree of automation, the tool is not entirely without control. A built-in policy engine allows users to set budget caps, restrict counterparties to authorized vendors, and define payment timeframes. This ensures AI agents strictly adhere to preset rules, enabling security and compliance within a powerful automation framework.
Visa chose a command-line interface (CLI) for its tool's interaction method because most current AI development environments are terminal-based. By integrating directly into developers' common workflows, Visa expects faster market adoption compared to traditional API solutions. This strategy aims to simplify the deployment process and attract more technical users.
This move also reflects an overall trend in the payments industry. Previously, payment giant Stripe announced it would launch a similar payment system for AI agents, expected to go live by the end of 2025. With Visa introducing its own solution, competition in the developer-focused payments space is intensifying, with platforms vying to become the preferred system for autonomous machine payments.
In another related development in automated payments, Visa recently partnered with Sky Protocol (formerly MakerDAO) to pilot an automated payment system powered by the USDS stablecoin. USDS is gradually becoming an enterprise-grade digital asset, offering high visibility and robust on-chain liquidity for institutional users.
AI-driven applications increasingly rely on paid services such as APIs, cloud computing, and data solutions. Currently, most developers bear these costs themselves, using personal credit cards. Visa's new tool aims to revolutionize this status quo by empowering AI agents with full control over blockchain-based, fully automated payments, marking a significant shift in the digital payments landscape.