Visa teams up with billing firms to enable AI-driven invoice payments

Visa is partnering with BILL Holdings and Billtrust to pilot AI agents that can initiate and complete business invoice payments using tokenised credentials without human authentication

By Paige Smith

 

Visa Inc is partnering with BILL Holdings Inc and Billtrust to have artificial intelligence (AI) agents initiate and complete business invoice payments without the need for human authentication.

 

The solution is in pilot mode, according to a statement on Tuesday. It seeks to address the tedious process of manually reviewing and paying business invoices, many of which are recurring and predictable.

 

With the programme, BILL’s agent, armed with a digital replacement for a business customer’s payment information known as tokenised credentials and clear directions on what and how to pay, can transact on behalf of that business customer. Using Visa’s technology, Billtrust will then allow those payments to be completed.

 

 

“Businesses should not have to choose between automation and control when making payments,” said Mark Nelsen, head of product, commercial and money-movement solutions at Visa. “This pilot applies agentic commerce to a real B2B-payment problem.”

 

Companies have been seeking to integrate AI agents into their offerings to customers, with Visa striking a partnership with OpenAI earlier this year to have those agents make purchases online after users give their permission.

 

AI is also reshaping Visa’s own workflows. Earlier this year, Visa said it would cut about 7 per cent of its workforce, with Chief Executive Officer Ryan McInerney saying that AI is helping to accelerate the evolution of how work is done at the company.