Global payments giant Visa has launched its “Agentic Ready” program in Bahrain, establishing a new initiative to prepare the country’s financial institutions for the next wave of commerce driven by artificial intelligence. The move is part of a wider rollout across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (CEMEA).
Quick Facts
- Program: Visa launches “Agentic Ready” in Bahrain.
- Goal: Test AI-agent initiated payment transactions.
- Partners: Al Salam Bank, BisB, CrediMax, BBK.
Building a Testbed for AI Commerce
The first phase of Agentic Ready is focused on issuer readiness. The program provides a structured, production-grade environment for banks to test, validate, and understand how AI agents can initiate transactions on behalf of consumers. This allows financial partners to see firsthand how these systems operate while ensuring the security and controls of the Visa network remain intact.
The initiative is powered by Visa’s foundational network capabilities, combining tokens, identity management, and risk controls to explore how trusted, agent-led payments can function across different use cases.
Securing Consumer Trust in an AI-Driven Future
For Visa, ensuring the security and scalability of new payment methods is critical as AI’s role in commerce expands.
“In Bahrain, we see a strong appetite for innovation, but also a clear need to ensure new payment experiences are introduced in a way that is secure and scalable. As AI begins to play a greater role in commerce, issuers will be central to building consumer confidence,” said Ali Bailoun, Visa’s SVP and Group Country Manager of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman.
He added, “Visa Agentic Ready gives our clients a practical way to understand, test, and prepare for agent-initiated payments, supported by the security, controls and network capabilities that have long underpinned Visa’s trusted payment network.”
Bahrain’s Leading Banks Join the Initiative
To bring agentic commerce to life, Visa has enrolled several key players from Bahrain’s financial sector. Early partners joining the program include Al Salam Bank, Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB), CrediMax, and the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK). Visa expects more partners to join later this year.
By validating how agent-initiated payments perform in real-world scenarios, the program aims to build issuer confidence as these automated shopping experiences become more common. This effort ensures that as AI agents begin to act on a consumer’s behalf, the individual remains firmly in control of their transactions.
About Visa Agentic Ready
Visa Agentic Ready is a global program designed to support the payments ecosystem in the era of agent-led commerce. It provides a controlled, production-grade testing environment for issuers to test and validate how AI agents initiate transactions on behalf of consumers, helping them prepare for the future of AI-driven payments while maintaining network security and trust.
Source: BizBahrain
