SINGAPORE, March 10, 2026, 23:41 (SGT)
Visa Inc rolled out its new payment-processing service on March 9, targeting merchant-facing banks with a promise: speedier transaction approvals, even as AI-driven shopping and stablecoins push old infrastructure to the limit. Dubbed Visa Intelligent Authorization, the platform allows acquirers—banks and financial institutions serving merchants—to tap into multiple card networks using just one software integration. Machine learning runs under the hood, scanning each transaction in real time. Company figures show 99.999% uptime and a 96.3% average approval rate for the 12 months ending February 2025, excluding India. Axel Boye-Moller, who heads value-added services for Asia Pacific, described the launch as “built for what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.” Visa
Timing is key here: AI shopping assistants are edging nearer to the checkout, and Visa wants to be right in that mix. Back in April 2025, Reuters noted Visa’s alliances with Microsoft, OpenAI, and others—tools designed to let AI agents handle everything from search to booking and payment for users. On March 3, speaking at a Morgan Stanley event, Chief Product and Strategy Officer Jack Forestell called agentic commerce an “enormous growth opportunity.” Reuters
Stablecoins are key to the strategy. Back in January, Cuy Sheffield, who heads crypto at Visa, told Reuters the payments giant was adding stablecoins—digital tokens, typically pegged to the dollar—into its current systems to fend off rivals and keep its market share. But, as Sheffield noted, widespread merchant adoption hasn’t happened yet. On the numbers: Visa’s stablecoin settlement volumes had hit an annualized run rate of $4.5 billion, still just a sliver compared to the $14.2 trillion total processed last year.
Visa and Bridge, a Stripe company, announced March 3 that Bridge-enabled stablecoin-linked cards—allowing users to spend stablecoin balances—are now available in 18 countries, with plans to push into over 100 by the end of the year. “We’re meeting businesses where they operate,” said Sheffield at Visa. Bridge CEO Zach Abrams pointed to demand from companies eager to control more of their “financial stack.” Visa Investor Relations
Visa is pushing into non-bank payment streams, too. On March 10, Reuters reported that Elon Musk announced X Money will open up early public access next month. That follows last year’s deal between X and Visa to roll out direct payments within the app.
Visa’s push comes off solid footing. In January, the company topped first-quarter estimates, posting $10.9 billion in revenue and an 8% jump in payment volume on a constant-dollar basis. CEO Ryan McInerney called out strength in value-added services, commercial products, and money movement. Reuters noted Mastercard delivered robust results that day as well, buoyed by travel, leisure, and everyday spend.
The path forward is far from straightforward. Stablecoin payments at everyday stores are still rare. Regulators, meanwhile, are searching for options to cut back on the dominance of global card networks. Back in February, the Bank of England announced plans to consult on alternative ways for shoppers to pay retailers straight from their bank accounts. Over in Europe, the ECB has flagged the region’s heavy reliance on networks like Visa and Mastercard as a strategic vulnerability, noting that over 75% of transactions in the area flow through those international channels.
Visa shares dipped roughly 0.2% in midday U.S. trading on March 10. Mastercard was down by about 0.5%, and American Express edged lower, off 0.2%. Investors weren’t viewing the new tool as something likely to impact earnings right away.
Visa’s expansion isn’t stopping there. Back on Feb. 19, Reuters said the company struck a deal to acquire Argentina’s Prisma and Newpay. Prisma handles over six billion annual transactions for top banks in Argentina. Reuters noted the move will connect Visa’s global reach to this large domestic system.
