The programme – already live in a host of markets – is designed to help the Canadian payments ecosystem prepare for a world where AI agents may act on behalf of consumers to initiate and complete transactions.
Participants can test agent-initiated payments in controlled, real-world environments using live cards and real merchants; validate core payment flows; and assess trust and security mechanisms.
Canada’s Big 5 – BMO, CIBC, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD – are all signed up as issuing partners, with additional firms expected to follow.
“Visa Agentic Ready gives Canadian issuers a meaningful head start in preparing for agent-initiated commerce,” says Michiel Wielhouwer, president and country manager, Visa Canada.
Separately, the Agentic Ready programme is also live in Malaysia, with Alliance Bank, CIMB and Maybank onboard.
Previn Pillay, country manager, Visa Malaysia, says: “Visa Agentic Ready gives Malaysian issuers a practical and structured way to better understand how agent-initiated payments could work on the Visa network — before these experiences scale.”