The payments industry is undergoing a major overhaul as AI takes center stage. 

Agentic AI is likely to reshape day-to-day activity in the payments ecosystem, with e-commerce being one of the biggest transformative engines, according to 2025 Global Payments report by consultancy BCG. 

Over 80% of consumers are expected to use agentic AI in the coming years, with 92% of people ages 18 to 44 being open to using the tool, the report stated.

Many financial organizations are rolling out agentic AI-driven payments that can make pre-defined decisions on behalf of a consumer to expedite payments and reduce friction, Inderpreet Batra, global head of BCG’s payments and fintech practice, told Bank Automation News.

“Consumers see agentic AI handling low-risk, repeat purchases — think household supplies, restaurant orders or personal care items — where convenience matters most,” Batra said.

Using agentic AI in payments can drive more than $1 trillion in spending globally in the coming years, about half of today’s e-commerce annual volume, Batra said. 

Payment networks are retooling their infrastructure so AI agents can transact securely and at scale, embedding safeguards like tokenization, fraud protection and real-time settlement, he said. 

Existing agentic AI tools for payments 

Many payments giants and FIs have already rolled out agentic AI tools to simplify payments for their clients. 

Google and PayPal are teaming to provide agentic AI payment capabilities globally that would allow users to automate payments to merchants, according to PayPal’s Sept 17 release. 

Mastercard also launched Agent Pay this year, allowing AI agents to act on behalf of humans to make purchases frictionless, Jorn Lambert, chief product officer, said during the company’s July 14 investor relations call. 

Agent Pay can do research for the consumer to find products that fit their requirements before executing the transaction, Lambert said. Agent Pay can also help with complex transactions like booking holiday flights and hotel stays or finding concert tickets within a specified price range. 

E-commerce is not the only segment which will be revolutionized through agentic AI, Batra said.  

“In physical retail, AI can streamline checkout by preselecting the best payment method for rewards, offers or installment plans, effectively personalizing the point-of-sale experience in real time,” Batra said. 

Even buy now, pay later is expected to benefit from the technology, he added. 

“AI adds precision by using richer data to assess creditworthiness and tailor installment offers,” Batra said. 

Klarna expects $40 million in incremental profit this year from its AI assistant, according to the company’s Feb. 27 release. 

Check out our exclusive new bank industry data here.