BBVA has completed its first AI agent-initiated transaction in partnership with Visa, using Visa Intelligent Commerce and Visa Payment Passkeys.
According to the official press release, the transaction used real card credentials and the systems of an active merchant, indicating that AI agents can complete purchases within existing payments infrastructure without requiring separate rails or workarounds.
The transaction was enabled through Visa Intelligent Commerce, which applies the same technologies already used to secure conventional digital payments, including tokenisation and real-time fraud monitoring. Through the process of relying on established security tools rather than new infrastructure, the test was designed to show that agent-initiated purchases can be processed through the same channels used for card-present and card-not-present transactions today.
Regulatory compliance and authentication
To meet Strong Customer Authentication requirements under EU regulation, the transaction used Visa Payment Passkeys, a biometric authentication method that allows consumers to approve online payments without passwords or SMS one-time codes. The use of an SCA-compliant authentication method indicates that agent-initiated payments can be structured to operate within current EU regulatory frameworks rather than requiring exemptions or new rules. BBVA said the exercise contributes to the industry's understanding of how such payments can be scaled while maintaining cardholder consent and issuer oversight.
Roberto Pagán, Head of Consumer Payments at BBVA Spain, said that customer expectations are evolving and that the bank is focused on developing payment experiences that remain reliable as new technology is introduced, adding that the Agentic Ready programme allows BBVA to take part in a phase of commerce where AI agents initiate transactions using infrastructure that already provides scale, security, and control.
Industry context and outlook
Visa presented the initiative at the Visa Payments Forum in Paris, where it also showed AI agent-initiated purchases in sectors including retail and travel. Eduardo Prieto, Country Manager of Visa in Spain, said the network's role is to keep transactions secure, transparent, and trusted as agents demonstrate the ability to initiate purchases in real-world settings, and that connecting issuers, merchants, and AI systems through its network supports this phase of commerce using protections already in place.
Furthermore, Visa cited survey data indicating that 62% of consumers surveyed in Spain use AI tools to look for gift ideas, research products, and compare prices, pointing to existing consumer use of AI in the earlier stages of the shopping journey. The survey, prepared for Visa by Morning Consult, was conducted between 14 and 28 October 2025 among 1.000 adults in each market, with results carrying a margin of error of one percentage point.
Visa and BBVA said agent-initiated payments are expected to expand progressively to additional use cases, operating within defined permissions and controls rather than open-ended authority for AI agents to transact.
