Visa bets on AI, stablecoins as tokenised payments hit 70% across emerging markets
Digitnomics 
By Francisca Anuforo
Global payments leader Visa is accelerating its push into artificial intelligence (AI), stablecoins and tokenisation as it prepares for what it describes as the next generation of digital commerce, with tokenised transactions across emerging markets surging to 70 percent.
The company unveiled a suite of new AI-powered payment and blockchain capabilities ahead of the Visa Payments Forum in Paris, saying the technologies will enable consumers, businesses and financial institutions to participate in a future where payments are increasingly intelligent, automated and programmable.
Visa disclosed that tokenised transactions across its Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) region have grown sharply from 26 percent in 2023 to 70 percent in 2026, reflecting rising adoption of more secure digital payment methods.
The company is also expanding its use of artificial intelligence through new tools designed to support “agentic commerce,” a model in which AI assistants can securely search for products, make purchases and complete transactions on behalf of users while operating within spending limits set by consumers.
Among the newly announced solutions are Agent Score, which helps merchants determine whether their websites are ready for AI-powered shopping agents, and Agentic Directory, a verification system designed to establish trust between merchants and AI agents during digital transactions.
On the payments infrastructure side, Visa said it is significantly increasing its investment in stablecoin settlement and blockchain-enabled money movement.
According to the company, stablecoin settlement volumes in the CEMEA region have grown nearly 60-fold since the capability was introduced about a year ago. Globally, Visa said it has already processed billions of dollars in stablecoin settlements and is expanding seven-day on-chain settlement services for banks, with plans to extend the capability to acquiring banks and merchants.
“Commerce is entering a new phase that is increasingly intelligent, programmable and embedded into everyday experiences,” said Tareq Muhmood, Visa’s Regional President for CEMEA.
He noted that while opportunities created by AI and programmable money are expanding rapidly, trust, security and interoperability remain critical for businesses operating in the digital economy.
Visa also announced Visa Trip Intelligence, an AI-powered solution that uses payment data and third-party information to help banks anticipate customers’ travel needs, reduce payment friction abroad and deliver more personalised travel experiences.
The latest announcement comes as global payment companies increasingly embrace blockchain infrastructure rather than compete against it. Visa recently joined a consortium with Mastercard, Coinbase and other partners to launch Open Standard, an initiative aimed at accelerating global stablecoin adoption through a new dollar-backed digital currency known as Open USD.
Industry analysts believe the strategy underscores a broader shift in financial services, where AI, tokenisation and stablecoins are converging to reshape how money moves across borders, online marketplaces and digital ecosystems.
