Visa is expanding its infrastructure offerings for content creators through a new partnership with Karat Financial that will introduce AI-powered financial tools specifically designed for the creator economy, the companies announced at Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon.

Creator Financial Challenges

The payment network unveiled “Monetized: Visa 2025 Creator Report,” a study conducted with TikTok and Morning Consult that surveyed more than 1,000 creators across five global markets between May and August 2025.

The research reveals significant financial infrastructure gaps affecting creators:

• 62% use personal bank accounts for business transactions
• 86% rely on personal funds to sustain operations
• 52% receive payments from outside their home country
• 30% cite faster fund access as a critical operational need

“Creators are among the most dynamic small business segments in the world,” said Jonathan Kolozsvary, Global Head of Small Business at Visa Commercial Solutions, in a statement.

Chronic payment delays emerge as a primary pain point, with creators typically waiting 30-90 days for brand payments. A 2022 Tipalti and Wakefield Research survey found that 87% of creators had been paid late, paid the wrong amount, or not paid at all.

AI-Powered ‘Creator Agent’ Program

The Visa-Karat partnership will pilot an AI-powered “creator agent” program in the United States in 2026, with plans to expand to additional markets, including Australia, in fiscal year 2027.

Karat Financial, which has extended $1.5 billion in credit to creators with an average credit limit of $25,000, uses social metrics like follower counts and engagement rates rather than traditional FICO scores in its underwriting models.

The AI tools will offer:

• Automated payment management with human oversight capabilities
• Automated reminders for late invoices and brand payments
• AI assistance for evaluating brand deal offers
• Centralized database for storing verified buyer and supplier details
• Automated bill payment enrollment

The program will initially be free for Karat clients, with potential for paid services in the future.

Ad agency WPP forecasts the creator economy will generate $185 billion in 2025, a 20% increase from 2024, with projections reaching $376 billion by 2030. This year marks a turning point as ad revenue from creator-driven platforms like YouTube and TikTok exceeds ad revenue from traditional media companies for the first time.

Traditional Financial Service Limitations

The financial industry’s struggle to serve creators stems from several factors: irregular income streams from multiple sources, limited traditional credit histories for young creators, cross-border payment complexities, and a lack of recognition of business legitimacy.

Kyle Hjelmeseth, CEO of creator-management company G&B Digital Management, emphasized payment issues: “Are brands paying more on time than they were 10 years ago? Absolutely not. It’s a huge issue for a normal creator.”

The Competition

Visa’s initiative follows Mastercard’s February 2025 launch of Business Builder debit and credit card products aimed at creators. Several financial technology companies now specifically target the creator segment, including Willa, Collective, Tipalti, and Lumanu.

Visa’s phased rollout approach suggests a measured expansion strategy, beginning with the U.S. market before international scaling.

“Creators represent one of the fastest-growing small business segments in Australia,” said Ben Adams, Head of Visa Commercial and Government Solutions in Oceania.

Eric Wei, co-founder and co-CEO of Karat, summarized the core issue: “Creators are real businesses, and banks don’t understand them.”

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