Agentic commerce reshapes payment infrastructure. A new PYMNTS Intelligence report reveals that AI-driven transactions aren't about building new payment rails but adapting existing infrastructure to handle software agents making purchases on behalf of consumers. The real challenge for acquirers lies in governance, authentication, fraud prevention, and consent management across fragmented systems. Over ninety percent of acquirers identify governance and permissions as critical concerns. Success depends on whether current infrastructure can stretch to accommodate this fundamentally different transaction actor. The distinction matters: agentic commerce is an operational challenge, not a conceptual one, requiring acquirers to redefine how transactions are governed rather than simply enabling them.
