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Interoperability and Trust Key to AI Commerce: Alipay+ and S&P Global Report

S&P Global

  • Report shows consumers expect mobile wallets to evolve beyond payments into integrated platforms for travel, rewards, commerce and AI-powered services

  • Cross-border payments remain fragmented with more than half of consumers lacking access to preferred payment and facing uncertainty over payment acceptance

  • AI adoption is accelerating across discovery and planning, but 43% express privacy concerns, and strengthening trust needed to scale AI-enabled commerce

SINGAPORE, September 02, 2026--A new report by Alipay+, the unified wallet gateway of Ant International, in partnership with S&P Global, reveals a growing "commerce digitalisation gap", with people increasingly expecting seamless mobile payments and intelligent digital assistance, yet friction – from inconsistent payment acceptance to trust in AI – still define their experience.

The study, which surveyed 6,000 consumers across nine markets in Asia, Europe and the US on their cross-border spending habits, points to a major shift underway in global commerce — one where e-wallets, AI and interoperable digital ecosystems are becoming foundational to how consumers discover, transact and engage across borders.

Key findings:

  • Travel exposes gaps in global commerce infrastructure: More than half of consumers cite uncertainty around merchant acceptance (53%) or lack of access to preferred payment methods (54%), leading one in four to still carry cash as a fallback.

  • Shift to hyper-local, high-frequency spending highlights need for localised payment acceptance: Food and beverage (67%) and local attractions (66%) now see the largest increase in traveller spending, with more than half of consumers (54%) spending more at local shops and eateries than malls or chain restaurants.

  • Consumers want payment apps to do more: Restaurant reservations (61%), all-in-one booking (58%), and attraction access (57%) emerged as the most in-demand in-app services globally.

  • AI adoption stronger for exploration than action: While 81% already use AI tools for travel discovery and planning, consumers become more selective as AI moves closer to bookings, refunds and payments.

  • Trust critical to agentic commerce: Global privacy concerns remain high at 43%, reinforcing need for trusted platforms within consumers' daily behaviours.

"The world has already become mobile-first and borderless, and the challenge now is whether commerce infrastructure can evolve quickly enough to keep pace with consumer expectations," said Douglas Feagin, President of Ant International. "The next phase of global commerce will not be defined by whether payments are digital, but whether ecosystems are intelligent, interoperable and globally connected."

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