Visa Tests AI-Powered Business Payments, Introduces New Fraud Controls

Visa's integration of AI into business payments aims to streamline operations such as supplier identification and fraud mitigation. The SESA 2.0 platform's ability to pinpoint suppliers likely to accept commercial cards and estimate spending opportunities suggests a focus on reducing the manual effort involved in encouraging businesses to adopt digital payment methods. This could accelerate the transition to commercial card programs for many enterprises.

The introduction of Commercial Fraud Solutions, which include tools for supplier verification and virtual card user authentication, addresses a key concern in business transactions. While payment controls are available to eligible issuers in supported markets, the broader supplier validation and authentication tools are currently in a pilot phase, with general availability projected for 2027. This indicates a cautious, multi-year approach to deploying comprehensive security features across its network.

Visa is also piloting AI-powered invoice payments with BILL and Billtrust. This initiative allows authorized AI agents to complete approved transactions through supplier portals, using tokenized payment credentials instead of shared logins. Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol verifies these agents and their authorization, aiming to enhance the security and efficiency of automated invoice processing by reducing risks associated with traditional login methods.