DBS Pilots Visa Intelligent Commerce For AI Payments

DBS Bank has become the first issuer in Asia-Pacific to pilot Visa Intelligent Commerce (VIC), marking a significant milestone in the evolution of agent-initiated digital payments. The collaboration with Visa aims to validate AI-ready card credentials, authentication systems and payment signals, ensuring ecosystem readiness for secure, consent-driven transactions conducted by artificial intelligence agents on behalf of customers.

The initiative positions DBS at the forefront of translating agentic commerce from concept to practical deployment across the region.

Advancing Agent-Initiated Commerce

Visa Intelligent Commerce integrates application programming interfaces and a partner ecosystem to enable secure, transparent payments through AI agents. Using Visa’s secure infrastructure, AI systems can execute transactions within issuer-controlled safeguards.

Through pilot trials, DBS and Visa successfully demonstrated real-world food and beverage transactions using DBS and POSB credit and debit cards. AI-powered agents completed everyday purchases while adhering to authentication and authorisation protocols managed by the issuer. The collaboration will now expand to online shopping, travel bookings and other digital services.

Rising AI Adoption In Singapore

The move follows rapid adoption of generative AI tools in Singapore. A Visa-commissioned study found that 77% of Singapore residents use generative AI chatbots in daily life. Eight in ten consumers also rely on AI assistance for online shopping. These trends highlight how artificial intelligence is reshaping digital consumption and payment behaviour.

By enabling AI agents to complete transactions seamlessly, DBS and Visa aim to reduce manual steps while maintaining rigorous oversight and consumer consent mechanisms.

Security, Authentication And Ecosystem Readiness

The pilot validates AI-ready credentials, which are tokenised card details protected by authentication checks and issuer-managed permissions. Advanced safeguards, including intent-driven transaction controls, ensure transparency and accountability in agent-led commerce.

Important Facts for Exams

• DBS is headquartered in Singapore and operates across 19 markets.
• Visa operates in more than 200 countries and territories.
• Agentic commerce refers to AI agents executing transactions on behalf of users.
• Tokenisation replaces sensitive card data with secure digital tokens.

Shaping The Future Of Digital Payments

As the collaboration progresses, DBS and Visa aim to define standards for scalable, secure AI-driven commerce across Asia-Pacific. By embedding trust, authentication and customer control into every transaction, the initiative seeks to balance innovation with resilience and convenience with confidence in the emerging AI payments ecosystem.