A survey of 500 merchants conducted by S&P Global and reported by Forbes found that the majority are preparing their payment infrastructure for agentic commerce. 65% of merchants strongly agree they're considering adding a new payment partner to support AI agents, while 55% believe AI agents will become a major new transaction channel. Two-thirds of merchants believe agents could initiate at least 10% of e-commerce transactions within three years, and 94% cite pace of innovation as an important criterion when selecting a payments partner.
For commerce practitioners, this signals a shift in how payment infrastructure will compete. The survey identified data privacy, regulatory compliance, and trusted identity authentication for AI agents as top required capabilities. The breadth of merchant commitment suggests agentic commerce is moving beyond hype into infrastructure planning, making payment provider selection a strategic decision for retailers and brands positioning themselves for agent-driven transactions.