Visa and Lianlian Take Agentic AI Into B2B Payments
Visa and Chinese fintech Lianlian have completed what they describe as the first live B2B agentic transaction in Greater China, marking another step toward a world in which AI agents not only recommend purchases but independently execute them and make payments.
The transaction was carried out using LoopXPay, an AI agent developed by Lianlian. In a single workflow, the agent sourced a product sample from a supplier, identified the purchasing requirement, recommended suitable suppliers, compared options, placed the order and securely executed the payment.
The process took place within predefined spending limits and approval parameters, allowing the business to retain control over the transaction while delegating much of the procurement process to artificial intelligence.
The development illustrates how so-called agentic AI could move beyond information gathering and assistance into commercial decision-making and financial transactions.
Building Trust for AI-Driven Payments
For Visa, the development also raises a fundamental question: how can merchants and financial institutions know whether an AI agent initiating a transaction is legitimate and authorized to spend?
To address this issue, Lianlian’s LoopXPay has been registered in Visa’s Agentic Directory, which allows participating businesses and merchants to identify verified AI agents.
The infrastructure supports Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol, designed to provide identity, transparency and controls for agent-driven transactions.
«As businesses increasingly look to embed intelligence into purchasing and payment experiences, trust will become a critical enabler of adoption,» Darren Parslow, Global Head of Visa Commercial Solutions, said.
The initiative points to a potentially significant new role for payment networks. As autonomous AI systems become capable of making commercial decisions, payment providers will increasingly need to establish rules governing identity, authorization and spending controls for machines acting on behalf of businesses.
From Procurement to Digital Advertising
Visa and Lianlian are already exploring additional applications for AI agents beyond the initial transaction. These include procurement, digital advertising optimization and payments on B2B platforms.
Lianlian sees payments as a critical part of the emerging infrastructure underpinning what it calls the «Agent Economy.»
«AI is reshaping the entire commercial value chain, where a growing number of business activities will be autonomously executed by AI agents, with payments serving as the critical infrastructure connecting them to global commerce,» said Zhang Zhengyu, founder, chairman and CEO of Lianlian DigiTech.
The Chinese company is building infrastructure spanning identity verification, transaction authorization, intelligent payments and global fund settlement.
Chinese Fintech With Global Ambitions
Founded in 2009, Lianlian DigiTech has been listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2024. The company has built a portfolio of 68 payment licenses and related qualifications and provides services across more than 200 countries and regions.
It supports settlement in more than 140 currencies, connects with over 180 global e-commerce platforms and has served more than 13.3 million customers, according to the company.
The collaboration with Visa comes as payment networks, banks and fintech companies increasingly explore how autonomous AI agents could reshape commerce. If adoption accelerates, the battle may extend beyond who processes a payment to who provides the identity, trust and authorization infrastructure that allows AI agents to transact in the first place.
