Visa, BILL and Billtrust have launched a live pilot allowing authorized AI agents to complete approved invoice payments through supplier portals. Announced on October 20, the pilot is already processing transactions between participating BILL buyers and Billtrust suppliers.
The BILL Payment Agent registers through Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol and Agentic Directory. It uses tokenized payment credentials and controls linked to the buyer’s approved instructions to automate card payments. Billtrust authenticates the agent and grants access without an additional agent login, while preserving suppliers’ payment acceptance policies.
The agent executes eligible payments already approved by the buyer; it does not make payment decisions or require shared supplier-portal credentials. The model targets a remaining manual step in accounts payable: entering payment information into supplier websites.
“Businesses should not have to choose between automation and control when making payments,” said Mark Nelsen, Visa’s SVP and Head of Product, Commercial & Money Movement Solutions.
BILL says nearly 500,000 businesses use its platform. Billtrust describes a network exceeding 20 million buyers and $1 trillion in annual trade credit volume.
Digital Trade Outlook’s View
The test is whether verified agents can reduce payment exceptions as well as keystrokes. Finance teams need invoice-level authorization, an auditable record and reliable handling when supplier policies differ. Supplier acceptance will determine how far this model extends beyond a controlled pilot.