Mastercard, Visa and Elo are developing autonomous AI agents to handle payments

Payment card operators are shifting focus from issuing plastic cards to deploying artificial intelligence agents. Mastercard, Visa, and Elo have moved forward with concrete steps to build infrastructure for these autonomous tools. These systems are designed to compare prices across merchants, select optimal offers, and execute purchases completely independently. The goal is to transform the payment model by removing human involvement from routine transactions. Executives interviewed by state media acknowledged significant uncertainty regarding the timeline for full adoption. One industry leader stated that total autonomy will likely take time to establish, citing cultural habits and trust as key obstacles. Participants noted the challenges remain unsolved before this approach rivals the ubiquity of digital instant transfers like Pix in Brazil. The companies aim to become an invisible layer where machines process commerce rather than merely recording payments.