2026年商业与支付趋势报告（英文版）-Global Payments

2026COMMERCEAND

PAYMENTTRENDSREPORT

CascadingInnovation:

Howinvestmentsinpaymentsarecreatingnew

opportunities

andexperiences

TableofContents

3ExecutiveInsight

4Introduction

5Globalinsightsfromtheexperts

6Definingbusinesssize

7Trend1—AIisyourshoppingagent:Agenticcommerceistakingshape

15Trend2—Paymentiseverywhere:HowthePOSrevolutionisunfolding

21Trend3—Embeddedfinancegetsmoreaccessible:EmbeddedfinanceletsMainStreet

businessesflex

29Trend4—Whenyouneedyourmoneynow:Instantpaymentsbringspeed,butfor

SMBs,somecomplication

34Trend5—Crypto’smoment?Stablecoinstakethestage—butwhat’snext?

41Trend6—Frictionlessbydesign:Howself-servicepaymentshavereshapedthe

consumerexperience

47Conclusion

47Methodology

48Thanks

49Sources

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT2

CameronBreadyChiefExecutiveOfficerGlobalPayments

LETTERFROMCAMERON:

Executiveinsight

Thisisanindustrywhereinnovationandtechnologicalchangeareconstants,andthatpaceofchangecontinuestoaccelerate.Injustthepastfewyears,wehaveseentransformationinthewaypeopleorderandpaythankstotheproliferationandtransformationofself-servicetechnologiesandinstantpayments.Embeddedfinancetoolsaremakingabroadarrayof

financialservicespossibleinordinarycommercialtransactions.

Inthecomingmonthsandyears,weexpectfurtherandperhapsmassivechangesinhowpeoplepayasagenticcommerceactivatesthepowerofAIfromsearchthroughpurchase.Inaddition,weareseeingespeciallyinthe

USsignificantinterestininstrumentssuchasstablecoins,whichsomelargeandmultinationalcompanieshavebeguntointroduce.

Ofcourse,foratrendtobecomeatrulyenduringpartofthepaymentecosystem,bothbusinessacceptanceand

consumeradoptionhavetocometogether.

TakethewayPOShasmovedfromthecountertomobile

devices.Thishappenednotbecauseregulatorsdemandedit,butbecausebusinessesfoundauseforitandconsumers

haveembracedit.Inareassuchasinstantpayments,consumershavebeentheearlyadopters.Now,instantpaymentsisalsorewritingsomeoftherulesofB2B

commerce.

Thisdoesnotmeanregulatoryinvolvementisunimportantorirrelevant.Constructiveregulatoryengagementand

encouragementthroughstandards-settingareessentialtoinnovation.Aswehaveseeninbothinstantpaymentsandembeddedfinance,regulatoryacceptanceand

standardizationtendtosupportnewproductsandservices.Wewillseewhetherinitialregulatorysupportforstandardsandrulesgoverningstablecoinswillmeaningfullydrivethattrendforward.

Intheend,foratechnologicalleaptotakehold,the

confluenceofconsumerandbusinessadoptioniscritical.

Thatmayargueforcautionwithsometechnologies,

especiallyamongsmallandmedium-sizedbusinesses

(SMBs),asinnovationbudgetsarenotlimitless.Past

investmentsintrendsthatdidnotpanoutsuchasthemetaverseareareminderthatevenpromisingideascansometimesfailtogaintraction.

Thatsaid,innovationinvestmentsbybusinessesarea

necessity.Businessesmaybeabletowaitforproofof

conceptandsomeinitialusecases,butrarelycantheyaffordtoignoretrendsastheytakeshape.Forexample,the

potentialforagenticcommercetorewritetheexpectationsofordinarycommercearereal,butthebenefitswillflow

initiallytothosebusinessesthataremakingtheincrementalinvestmentsnecessaryforagenticcommercetowork.

Thisreportprovidesanoverviewofthetrendsshapingthefutureofthepaymentsindustry.Werecognizethatconstantchangecanbedizzying,anditisourgoaltohelpour

stakeholdersunderstandwhatiscomingandhowtoget

ready.Thatway,everyonewillhaveaplaceinoureconomyevenasitisbeingtransformedbyinnovation,technologicaladoptionandevolvingconsumerexpectations.

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT3

CHARTINGCOMMERCE’SNEXTSHIFT:

Introduction

Thenonstopchangeand

transformationofpaymentscangiveofftheimpressionofa

deluge.Intruth,thechanges

cascadingthroughcommerce

areincrementalandsteady,andsometimestakeyearstodevelop.

Weseethisthroughoutthis

survey,wheresometrendslikeembeddedfinancehavebeenbuildingmomentumandotherslikeagenticcommerceare

justintheirinfancy.

Thecommondenominatorsaresteadyinvestmentandattentionbymanystakeholdersinthepaymentspace.

Whethertheyarelargemultinationalenterprisesorsmallandmedium-sizedbusinesses(SMBs),thedecision-makersand

innovatorsincommerceandpaymentsareconstantlyprobingtheouterlimitsofwhat’spossible.Inself-serviceprocesses

andtechnologies,weseeagrowingnumberofusecasesand,importantly,greaterconsumeruptake.Ininstantpayments,

weseetheexplorationofB2Bapplications.

Bottomline:The2026trendswehaveidentifiedrevealan

appetiteforefficiencyandchange—andwhereverconsumersarewillingtogo,businesseswillchargeahead.Thesteady

maturationofagenticcommercewillbesuretotestthat

pattern.Afterall,ifconsumersaregoingtotrustAIagentstopurchaseforthem,theywillneedtotrusttheunderlying

technologyandtherulesincasesomethinggoeswrong.

Priorinvestmentsinothercriticaltechnologiesforonline

commerce—especiallytokenizationandbiometricsecurity—canhelpsecurethattrustefficientlyandeffectively.

Thebottomlineisthis:Thereareno“off”daysfor

transformationincommerceandpayments.Eachnew

investmentincreatingamoreseamless,secureandtrustedrelationshipinpaymentsleadstogreateropportunities

forinnovation.It’saflywheeleffectlikenoother,andour

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT4

2026CommerceandPaymentTrendsReporthighlightssixofthewaysthatongoinginnovationcreateslonganddurabletransformationseveryleaderneedstounderstand.

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT5

THERESEARCHFUELINGOUR2026OUTLOOK:

Globalinsightsfromtheexperts

Tocreatethisreport,webuiltafoundationofinsight

fromtwoprimarysources.First,wehelddetailed

discussionswithleadersdeeplyfamiliarwiththemajortrendsdrivingpayments,consumerbehaviors,B2B

transactionsandothermajortechnologies.

Theseexpertsaredecision-makersandleadersfromleadingfinancialinstitutions,businessesandpaymentnetworks.Wealsosurveyed600globalprofessionalswhoareinvolvedinmakingdecisionsonissuesrelatedtotechnologyinvestmentandpayments.

Thiscombinationofqualitativeandquantitativeinsightprovidesafullspectrumofunderstandinghow

businessesareapproachingthestrategicvalueofthepaymentexperienceandrelatedtechnologies.

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT6

HOWWESEGMENTTHEMARKET:

Definingbusinesssize

Throughoutthisreport,werefertothreetypesofbusinesses:enterprises,whicharedefinedas

thosewith$1billionormoreinrevenue;midmarketbusinesses,whichhavebetween$50millionand$1billioninrevenue;andSMBs,whichhaveupto$50millioninrevenue.Thesecategoriesare

basedondefinitionsfromGartner1.Werecognizethatotherdefinitionsforbusinesssizeexist,but

theseclearlydefinedcategoriesallowustofocusouranalysisandoursurvey.Herearerespondents’answersregardingtheirrevenue.

Whatistheannualrevenue

ofyourbusiness?

MIDMARKET

$500milliontolessthan$1billion10%$100milliontolessthan$500million16%

$50milliontolessthan$100million10%

SMBs

$25milliontolessthan$50million16%

$10milliontolessthan$25million13%

Lessthan$10million1%

ENTERPRISE

$10billionormore8%

$5billiontolessthan$10billion16%

$1billiontolessthan$5billion12%

TREND1

AIisyourshoppingagent:

Agentic

Commerceistaking

shape

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

Ineverysphereofbusiness,AIisrewritingtherulesofproductivityandprocess.Incommerce,thetransformationisjustbeginning.

Formanybusinesses,AI’sinitialapplicationcameintheformofAI-enabled

customerservice,whereitsnaturallanguageresponsestoconsumerinquiriesandpersonalizedrecommendationscouldleadtocostreductionsand

improvementsinengagement.SomebusinesseshaveusedAItoimprove

back-officefunctionssuchasdemandforecastingandinventorymanagement.

Butinthepastfewmonths,AI’spromiseasanagentonbehalfofconsumers

hasstartedtotakeshape—andtakeoff.Consumershavealreadydiscovered

thatAIcanbeapowerfulresearcher,collatorandcollaboratorwhenitcomestosearchingforitemsandservices.

Ourownsurveyshowsthatbusinessawarenessofagenticcommerceishigh;15%saidtheyareveryfamiliarand72%saidtheyaresomewhatfamiliar.

Nowcomesthenextpart—whereanAIagentmakesthepurchasewithoutextraauthorizationorarequirementfromtheconsumertoinputpaymentdetailsfor

eachtransaction.Inshort,AIischangingnotjustwhatpeopledoinatransaction,butalsowhodoesitandwhen.

Withmoreadoption,testingandregulariterations,agenticcommercepromisestodeliverbettercustomerexperience,bettercustomerserviceandbetter

touchpointsforthebusinessitself.Butaswithanytechnologicalleapinpayment,therearesomepotentialhurdlesandpitfalls.

BusinessawarenessofAgenticCommerce

15%

ofbusinessesareveryfamiliar

72%

ofbusinesses

aresomewhat

familiar

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT8

Wantmetosearchthisitemfromotherretailers?

Theregsgoingtobe

alotoftransaction

automation—things

likescheduled

purchases,inventory-basedordering,

smartsubscriptions,anddynamicpricing.”

MarkSmith

HeadofPayments

AmazonWebServices(AWS)

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

Thiscouldgetbig

ThewidespreadadoptionofAI—especiallyintheactofpurchase—ismomentous.

Broadlyspeaking,agenticcommercecouldsignificantlyreducecartabandonment,

whichhitsroughlytwo-thirdsofallecommercesales.2Itcouldcreatebetterflowsof

informationbetweenbusinessesandtheircustomerstoimprovesearchand

recommendations;strengthenloyaltyprograms;buildautomatedflowsofdatato

improvesecurityandprotectshoppers’identities;andshortenthelagbetweenshiftsindemandandabusiness’ssupplychains.

66AIhasthepowertomeaningfullytransformthe

customerexperienceintoaprocessthatfeels

personallycuratedandintuitive.IncorporatingAIinto

theretailexperiencethroughcustomer-centricdesignsmeansfocusingonwhatmattersmost:greater

efficiencyandspeed,andafrictionlessjourneythat

eliminatesendlessscrollingorsearching,companiesthatprioritizewhatmattersmosttoconsumers,asweenterthisnexteraofcommerce,willnotonly

strengthenloyaltybutalsobuildmoreresilientbusinessesforthefuture.”

RyanLoy

ChiefInformationOfficerGlobalPayments

Severalmajorplayershavebuiltagenticcommercecapabilitiesintotheirplatforms.Forinstance,OpenAI’sChatGPTagentcanaskuserstotakeoverfortasksrequiringloginsorpaymentdetails.MerchantsthatfillordersthroughthechatbotwillpayacommissiononeachsaletoOpenAI.Morerecently,WalmartformedapartnershipwithOpenAIsothatChatGPTuserscaninstantlyanddirectlybuyWalmart’sproducts—everythingonitswebsiteotherthanfreshfood.3

Foritspart,GlobalPaymentshaspartneredwithGoogletoenableagenticcommerceusingtheAgentPaymentsProtocol.ThisenablesGlobalPaymentstoprovidesecure,reliableandinteroperableagentcommercetoclientsandpartners.

BothVisa4andMastercard5haveinitiatedaseriesofnewproductsandservicesthatareplacingpurchaseorderswithouthumanintervention.Amazon’sRufuslargelanguage

model6israpidlyexpandingtoincludeAI-generatedshoppingguidestopermitmore

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT9

productdiscoveryandagenticcommercedecision-making.AndWalmart7haslaunchedSparky,anAIshoppingassistant.

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT10

Businessleaderfamiliarity

withAgenticCommerce

byindusty

Veryfamiliar

RETAIL

25%

RESTAURANT/HOSPITALITY&LEISURE

11%

PROFESSIONALSERVICES

.3%

Somewhatfamiliar

RETAIL

69%

RESTAURANT/HOSPITALITY&LEISURE

73%

PROFESSIONALSERVICES

75%

Demandispickingup

Smallandmedium-sizedbusinesseshavealsotakennoteoftheriseofagentic

commerce.Oursurveyshowstheyaremorelikelytohaveseenagentsmakepurchasesonbehalfofcustomers—42%ofsmalland45%ofmedium-sizedbusinessessaid

they’veseenit,whileonly16%ofenterprise-sizedbusinessesreportedthesame.

66Peopleabsolutelyhavebeenembracing

usingagentictechnologyforawhole

varietyofthings,fromthediscoveryto

searchingforthings,so,your[AI]agent

goesoff,anditdoesasearch,andit

comesbackandsays,‘Yes,Ifound

sometickets.Doyouwantmetopurchasetheseforyou?’Imean,hownicewould

itjustbetosay‘yes,please.’

MarkNelsenHeadofGlobalConsumerProducts

Visa

Ontheconsumersideoftheeconomyalone,agenticcommercecouldcreate

significantnewopportunitiesforgrowth.A2025analysisbyBernstein8saysagent-drivencommercecouldleadtoadditionalconversionof1.5%to2.5%inglobal

ecommercesales—thatwouldequal$240billioninnewrevenue,orequivalenttosixtimesthemarketcapitalizationofTargetCorp.

Thereisanotheradvantagetolinkingagenticsearchtoagenticpayment:Thesellercangetmoreinformationaboutwhattheconsumerwantsfromtheagent.

“Rightnow,ifit’sanewcustomercomingtoanonlinestore,themerchanthasreallynoideawhothatconsumerisandwhatthey’relookingfor,orwhatthey’reinterestedin,”

saysVisa’sNelsen.“Butbecauseweallowtheconsumertosharetheirinsightswiththeagents,theagentwouldbeabletopotentiallysharethatinsightwiththemerchantaswell.Whatthey’relookingfor,theirage,gender,budgetandpastbuyinghabits.

There’stremendousvalueforthebusinessinallthatinformation,inadditiontodeliveringonthesale.”

Familiaritywithagenticcommerceishighestamongretail-orientedbusinesses(25%)versusthoseinrestaurant/hospitality(11%)orprofessionalservices(3%).

Inaddition,44%ofretailbusinesseshaveseencustomersadoptagentictoolsversus34%ofallbusinesses.

Thisissimilartothe

smartphoneexplosionofthemid-2000s,

whenalotof

companieshadto

optimizeformobile

experiences,andthenlater,mobilecheckout.”

MarkSmith

HeadofPayments

AmazonWebServices(AWS)

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

Merchantsboltagenticontopayments

AddingpaymentstoAI-enabledcommercewasmadepossiblebythe

introductionofspecificback-channeltechnologiessuchasmodelcontext

protocolandAgent2Agentprotocol.ThesetoolsallowAIsystemstotalkto

eachother,coordinate,evaluateinventory,discoverpricingandobservesomecontrolssetbothbytheconsumerandthemerchant.Inessence,these

innovationshaveturnedAIagentsandtoolsintointerlockinggearsofacommonmachine.

Animportantaspecttoagenticcommerceisthatitlearnsandanticipates.TheidealAI-enabledshoppingagentdoesn’tjustfindyouthebestdealontheitemyouarelookingfor.Itanticipatesyourneedsandimprovesthesearchforthe

rightitemsotheconsumergetsmorethanshemighthaveknownsheneeded.

That’swhybuildingtheAIlayer—includingthingslikechatapplications,toolstointeractwithvoiceassistants,generatorsofcontentforsocialmedia—isso

critical.Businesseshavetomakethemselves“open”toAI9sothatpeople

aren’tjustaskingagentstodosomethingtosavetime.Foragenticcommercetosucceed,AIshoppingagentsneedtoproduceabetteroutcome—saved

time,abetterselection,morechoices—thanahumanwouldontheirown.

Thecombinationofdataorchestration,cataloging,patternrecognitionandapplicationprogramminginterface(API)-buildingrequiredtomakeagenticcommerceworkisnosmallmatter.Websitesarebuiltforpeople,notAI

agents—somanybusinesseswillhavetotransformtheirwebproperties.

“Thisissimilartothesmartphoneexplosionofthemid-2000s,whenalotofcompanieshadtooptimizeformobileexperiences,andthenlater,mobile

checkout,”saysAWS’Smith.

Often,thosemostsuccessfulinimplementingAI-drivenofferingshavedone

thenecessaryworktointegrateAIintobasiclevelsoftheconsumer’s

experience—forexample,insuggestingitemsbasedonpriorpurchasesor

deeperanalyticalinsights.AIcanreplacemanualmanipulationand

developmentofecommercecontentandmayrequirethatbusinessesoptimizesearchforAIaswellasforhumans.Amazon,forexample,hasmadeitpossibleforretailerstouseAItogeneratemoreimagesoftheirproducts—acritical

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT11

featureinonlinesales.

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

Asagentsstartshopping,paying,andinteractingforus,itgsallabouttrust.

Thatgswhywegreteamingupwith

industrypartnerstosetclearstandards—soeveryonecandistinguishthegoodagentsfromthebadactors10.”

SukhmaniDev

HeadofDigitalandAcceptanceProducts,NorthAmerica

Mastercard

Everythingthatmoveswillbeautonomoussomeday,whetherpartiallyorfully.

BreakthroughsinAIhavemadeallkindsofrobotspossible,andweareworkingwithcompaniesaroundtheworldtobuildtheseamazingmachines.”

JensenHuang

ChiefExecutiveOfficerNVIDIA

Securityandotherkeychallenges

Securitymaybethestickingpoint—atleastfornow.Priorworkin

paymentsecurityandidentityverificationhastendedtoemphasizetheimportanceofpreventingsalestononhumans.Now,thefocusisonpreventingbadactorsfrommanipulatingtheseagents.

Aswithotheraspectsofagenticcommerce,

priorworkwillmakeadifferenceinsolvingfor

thesecuritychallenge.Alotofsecurityfor

agenticcommercewillbesimilartothatusedfordigitalwalletslikeApplePayorGooglePay.

“Youarethehumanintheloop.Youshouldbe

askedtovalidatewhattheagentisaboutto

purchaseonyourbehalf,”saysMastercard’sDev.“Theagentshouldbeabletosharethatdata

withMastercardsothatwhenweseethe

transactioncomein,wecanseethere’samatch.Andthenthebankoryourfinancialinstitution

shouldbeabletoseetheparametersthattheconsumerusedtoinstructtheagentforthispurchase.Andthencomesconfirmationfrombiometricauthentication.So,it’snotjusta

consumerdirectinganagent.It’salltheconfirmationthatcomeslater.”

Here’showagenticcommercetransactionswillbeprotectedforcard-basedpayments:Byusingnetworktokens,apaymentprocessorcanswapoutacardandidentifyapurchaserasanAI

agentactingonspecific,traceableinstructionsfromaperson.AndwithbiometrictoolslikeFaceIDandsimilartechnologies,everythingcanbe

authenticatedquickly.

Thekey,saysVisa’sNelsen,istomakethe

consumer’sinstructionpartoftheauthenticationprocess.WheninstructiontotheAIagentis

accompaniedbysomeothersecuritydetails,

suchasafingerprintprofileorfacialrecognition,itcreatesaself-referringcontrolonwhich

everyone—thebusiness,thebank,thepaymentprocessor—canrely.

Suchself-referringcontrolswillbecriticalinanyAIagentarchitecturesinceconsumers—and

businesses—willwanttobesurethatit’s

possibletoreininanAIagentthat“goesrogue”andmakespurchasesthatweren’tproperly

authorized.

Afterall,consumercomfortrequiresabelief

thatifsomethingisn’tright,thebusinesswillmakeitright.Ahumanstillneedstobeabletooverrideerror.

Theremaybeyetanotherchallenge:Whatif

agenticcommerce—justliketraditionalsearch—becomessubjecttobranddominanceandbias?Ifagentstilttheplayingfieldtowardthosewithinfluenceorthosewhosomehowlearnto

“game”thepurchasedecisionalgorithm,

consumertrustwouldwitheraway.Infact,whenbrandshaveattemptedtouseAI-driven

influencer’stopushproducts,theeffortshavefailed.

Agenticcommercesoundsgoodintheory,butauthenticcommerceisstillking.

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT12

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT13

Securityandotherkeychallengescontinued

Whenweaskedbusinesseswhetherthey

wouldbeconcernedifAIagentsstarted

buyingfromthemonbehalfofconsumers,42%saidyesandonly36%saidno;22%

werenotsure.TheirprimaryconcernaboutAIagentsstemmedfromsecurityissuesand

fraudprevention,followedbydisputeresolution.

Consumersseemtosharetheseconcerns.AJuly2025YouGovpoll11showsthatonly

14%ofAmericanssurveyedhaveusedan

AIshoppingassistant—andonly11%haveletanAIagentcompleteapurchaseontheir

behalf.Only4%saidtheyareinterestedin

lettinganAIagentbuythingsontheirbehalf.

Howwillconsumersgainconfidencein

agenticcommerce?Aswithmany

technologicalleapsinpayments,comfort

comeswithexperience.Ride-sharingor

meal-deliveryservicesalsorequireuserstopreloadtheircreditcardinformationintoa

platformtoexecuteasalewithouttheir

explicitpermission.Infact,thatisoneoftheirchiefattractions.

Businesseswillhaveastrongincentiveto

helpbuildthatconfidence.Merchantswill

havefarmoreinformationabouttheshopper,whattheyaresearchingfor,whattheir

buyinghabitsindicateandwhattheirbudgetis.Previously,thatkindofinformationmightonlyhavebeenknowntothebuyerandhercookie-empoweredbrowser.Now,itmaygodirectlytothemerchant.

“That’sassumingtheconsumeroptsinto

sharetheirinsightwiththeagent,”saysVisa’sNelsen.“Butwethinkmostpeoplewill,

becauseifyou’reusingthatagent,andyou’reinteractingwithitonadailybasis,forawholehostofreasons,you’reprobablygoingtobewillingtoshareinsightsaboutyourself

anyway,likeyourshoppinghabits,becauseyou’rejustgoingtogetbetterinsights.”

Forsmallandmedium-sizedbusinesses,thepotentialforsuchconsumerengagement

couldbeamajorleapforward.Asthey

deploymoretoolsaimedatattractingAI

shoppingagents,SMBscoulddevelopnewsaleschannels.Incertainshopping

categories,thatkindofexposureisessentialtolong-termgrowthandbrandexpansion.

Andifnothingelse,SMBsmayfindthatusingagenticcommercefortheirownB2Bneedswillprovevaluable;bysettingclear

instructionstoshoppingagents,and

permittingtheagentstolearnfrompastpatterns,B2Btransactionscanbebettermanagedandpoliced.

Muchdependsonthecomingmonthsandyearsofinitialeffortandexperimentation—andperhaps,somehigh-profilefailures.ButasAIhasrevolutionizedthewaysomuchofbusinessisconductedalready,it’slikelythatitwillcontinuetodrivetransformationinthewayweshopandpay.

Wouldyoubeconcernedif

AIagentsbeganpurchasing

fromyourorganization?

22%

Notsure

72%

Yes,theywouldbeconcerned

36%

No

TREND1:AIISYOURSHOPPINGAGENT

Agentsarenotonlygoingtochangehow

everyoneinteractswithcomputers.Agentswon’tsimplymakerecommendations;they’llhelpyouactonthem.”

BillGates

Co-FounderMicrosoft

AIagentswillbecomeourdigitalassistants,helpingusnavigatethecomplexitiesofthemodernworld.Theywillmakeourlives

easierandmoreefficient.”

JeffBezosFounder

Amazon

Afuturewithagenticcommerce

Thepotentialapplicationsof

agenticcommerceareemerging:

AconsumercandirecttheirAIagenttoresearchaseven-dayvacationitineraryinanexoticlocale,includingairfareandhotel,withaspecificbudgetinmind.NowshecanalsoauthorizeAItosecurereservations,placedeposits,schedulespatreatmentsandevenpurchaseclothessuitedforthetripandinkeepingwithherstyle,brand

preferencesandrecentadditionstoherwardrobe.

Anotherpotentialapplication:OnaSundayevening,abusyheadofhouseholdcoulddirectAItomakealistoffamilydinnerrecipesandmealplansfortheweekanddrawupashoppinglistusingpastpurchasesasaguide,takingintoaccountbrand

preferencesandbudget.Withagenticcommercepairedwithpayments,anAIagentcanplacethedeliveryorder,allwithoutstoppingforapprovalsorreview.

Onthebusinessside,anAIagentmightactonbehalfofanownertomanage

supplies,reneworcancelsoftwareasnecessary,attendtonecessarymaintenanceandprocesspaymentstosuppliersandgigworkers.Theagentcancompletethetokenizedpurchase—enhancingvisibilityandsecurityintheprocess12

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT14

TREND2

Paymentiseverywhere:

HowthePOSrevolutionisunfolding

TREND2:PAYMENTISEVERYWHERE

Tappingapoint-of-sale(POS)terminalisnowaninstinctfor

today’sconsumers.Thisstepisnolongernovel—andisoften

thelasttouchpointwith

merchantsinatransaction.In

somecases,ithappenswithoutahumancashierpresent.

Thisevolutioninpaymentshasbeentakingholdforsometime,thanksinparttotheabilityto

turnasmartphoneortabletintoafully

functionalPOSsystem.Theshiftrespondstonewconsumerexpectationsandenablesstillotherpossibilitiesinhowcommerceis

conducted.Inrestaurants,paymentkiosks

presentdynamicmenusthatupdatebasedontheweather,offeringsuggestionsfortreatslikeicecreamsundaesonahotday13

Outsidequick-servicerestaurants,linebustersusehandhelddevicestotakeordersand

acceptpayments,speedingpeoplethroughthedrive-thru14

Whetherintegratedintomobilesystems,kiosksoronlineplatforms,thenewPOSexpandsthepossibilitiesofpaymentsinwaysthatareno

longerboundtothecountertop.

Internationally,especiallyamongsmallandmedium-sizedbusinessesthatmayhavepreviouslybeena

littlereluctanttomake

majorinvestmentsinnewPOSequipment,we’re

seeingasignificant

explosionindemandforelectroniccashregisters,smartterminalsandthewholespectrumofnewPOSsystems.”

AlanIrwin

VicePresident,Products

andSolutions,InternationalGlobalPayments

2026COMMERCEANDPAYMENTTRENDSREPORT16

66

Paymenttechcomplexityshouldngtgetinthewayofrunningabusiness.

POSsystemsthatareintuitiveandeasytodeployor

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