J P M O R G A N Europe Equity Research 27 January 2026 Stablecoin impact on Payments Key takeaways from our expert call We recently hosted a call yesterday afternoon with Mr. Rehman Baig on the possible impacts of Stablecoin on various payment markets. Mr. Baig is currently the Chief Product Officer of FlexCorp, but has experience at Adyen (2020-2024) where he latterly held the role of VP and Global Head of Product and Payment Partnerships; in addition, he held the position of Director of Payments at Block ...

Core Insights - Block has opened a new office in Dublin, Ireland, to expand its European presence in the fintech sector [6] - The Dublin office will feature a product demo lab to showcase Block's offerings to potential customers [6] - The strategic advantages of Ireland were cited as a reason for choosing this location, although specific details were not provided [4] Company Overview - Block, headquartered in Oakland, California, also has offices in London and offers products like Square and Afterpay [4] - The CEO of Block's Square International emphasized the goal of fostering dialogue on financial innovation and ensuring the ecosystem serves all stakeholders [6] Industry Context - Dublin is recognized as a hub for fintech activity in Europe, hosting major payment companies such as Adyen and Stripe, along with multinational corporations like Microsoft and Mastercard [3]

Summary of Agentic Payments Conference Call Industry Overview - **Industry**: Technology - Payments - **Key Concept**: Agentic Commerce, representing a ~$192 billion GMV opportunity by 2030, is set to transform online shopping by enabling agents to execute transactions on behalf of customers, thus reshaping the traditional e-commerce funnel and increasing complexity in payment processes [1][2][10]. Core Insights - **Market Growth**: Agentic commerce is projected to grow from $8 billion in 2026 (~1% of US e-commerce) to $192 billion in 2030 (~10% of US e-commerce), indicating a ~121% CAGR compared to 7.5% for overall e-commerce [3][10]. - **Complexity in Transactions**: The introduction of agents will complicate online transactions, necessitating explicit identity verification, consent, and new fraud detection models tailored for non-human behavior [3][4]. - **Key Beneficiaries**: Companies like Adyen, Mastercard, and Visa are expected to benefit significantly from this shift, as they can provide the necessary infrastructure and services to support agentic commerce [4][5]. Competitive Landscape - **Winners**: Adyen is identified as a top pick due to its single-platform architecture, which positions it well to act as a "universal connector" across agentic protocols [4][57]. - **Challenges for Others**: Companies with fragmented or legacy infrastructures, such as Nexi and PayPal, may face significant challenges as consumer-facing checkouts become less visible in an agent-mediated environment [5][9]. Adoption and Use Cases - **Adoption Rates**: Current adoption of LLM platforms is below 50%, but over 60% of younger individuals report using them recently, indicating a growing trend towards agentic commerce [12][13]. - **Use Cases**: Examples include agents autonomously purchasing items when they become available or securing concert tickets on behalf of users, showcasing the potential for agents to handle complex transactions [11][12]. Payment Processing Dynamics - **Evolution of Payment Relationships**: While the core payment infrastructure remains unchanged, the introduction of agents adds complexity, requiring payment service providers (PSPs) to adapt their fraud detection and authentication processes [16][32]. - **New Protocols**: The development of protocols like the Trusted Agent Protocol (TAP) and Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) aims to address the challenges posed by agentic commerce, focusing on agent legitimacy and delegated payment authority [33][34]. Economic Implications - **Incrementality vs. Substitution**: The impact of agentic commerce on overall industry growth is debated, with expectations that it will primarily drive incremental growth rather than cannibalizing existing volumes [36][37]. - **Take Rates**: The economic model for agentic commerce is still evolving, with potential scenarios suggesting that agentic transactions could either maintain or compress existing take rates for PSPs [43][49]. Strategic Recommendations - **PSP Adaptation**: Winning PSPs will need to evolve from commodity processors to optimization and orchestration engines, focusing on enhancing security, identity verification, and fraud prevention capabilities [54][55]. - **Investment Focus**: Adyen is highlighted as a strong investment opportunity due to its robust infrastructure and growth potential in the agentic commerce space, with expectations of a 21% CAGR in net revenue through 2028 [57]. Conclusion - The agentic commerce landscape is poised for significant transformation, with key players needing to adapt to new complexities and opportunities. The focus on security, identity, and optimization will be crucial for success in this evolving market.

This story was originally published on CFO.com. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO.com newsletter. Do large businesses have too many banking relationships? A new report out of fintech provider Adyen and Boston Consulting Group seems to suggest so. In a survey of 300 CFOs, treasurers and other finance leaders, researchers found that, on average, enterprise businesses bank with five to six financial institutions. They also manage more than 40 separate accounts, according to ...

Group 1: Market Sentiment and Focus - The European software sector is experiencing a sharp sell-off, leading to a search for stabilizing factors, with SAP's upcoming earnings report being a focal point for market sentiment [1] - Morgan Stanley analysts expect core software companies to report solid Q4 data despite ongoing concerns about generative AI, which has weakened investor sentiment [1][3] - Barclays previously indicated that the earnings season may not serve as a positive turning point for market sentiment, citing fears over AI's disruptive potential and unsustainable capital expenditures by large cloud service providers [1] Group 2: SAP's Performance Expectations - Morgan Stanley's data highlights that the market is focused on whether SAP can deliver on its high growth promises for cloud business, with expected cloud revenue growth of 26% to 28% year-over-year [3] - SAP's total revenue is projected to be between €33.1 billion and €33.6 billion, with non-IFRS EBIT expected to reach €10.3 billion to €10.6 billion, reflecting a year-over-year growth of 26% to 30% [3] - Morgan Stanley maintains a positive outlook on SAP, emphasizing that achieving its mid-term goals could instill much-needed confidence in the software sector [3] Group 3: Payment and Fintech Sector Dynamics - The payment and fintech sectors are showing increasing divergence, with companies like Wise demonstrating acceleration in growth, while others like Worldline face transformation risks [2][4] - Morgan Stanley is optimistic about Adyen, viewing it as a structural winner with growth acceleration potential, while Worldline is rated underweight due to execution risks in its transformation plan [4] Group 4: Performance Disparities in Tech Stocks - In the IT services and hardware sectors, significant performance disparities are noted, with Computacenter showing strong growth and exceeding profit expectations [5] - Morgan Stanley adopts a cautious stance on Oracle, citing potential revenue opportunities from GPUaaS but also highlighting risks related to infrastructure costs and financing needs [6] - The firm advises investors to focus on companies demonstrating resilient growth and not adversely affected by structural technological changes like generative AI [6]

Industry Overview - The fintech market is projected to expand rapidly over the next decade, driven by factors such as the growth of e-commerce [2] - Investors are encouraged to consider shares of leading companies in the fintech sector for long-term performance [2] Company: Adyen - Adyen simplifies payment systems for companies, allowing them to accept payments for online and in-person transactions through a single integrated platform, attracting major clients like Etsy, Spotify, and McDonald's [3] - Despite struggling in recent years, Adyen's net revenue increased by 20% year over year to 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in the first half of 2025, with an EBITDA margin of 50%, up from 46% [5] - The company reported a net income of 481 million euros, reflecting a 17% year-over-year increase [5] - Adyen maintains a strong economic moat due to high switching costs for clients, and its expansion into the U.S. market and focus on large-format retail clients present attractive growth prospects [7][8] Company: PayPal - PayPal has faced challenges with subpar financial results and user growth, processing $458.1 billion in payment volume, which is an 8% year-over-year increase, with 438 million active accounts [9] - The company is entering the digital advertising sector, leveraging transaction and consumer preference data to enhance its ad platform [10][12] - PayPal's strong brand recognition and trust position it well to benefit from the growing popularity of digital wallets, making it a potential leader in the fintech market over the next decade [13]

Core Viewpoint - Google has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), aiming to standardize online shopping through a new open standard that allows agents to facilitate direct purchases online [2][4]. Summary by Sections Introduction of UCP - Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced UCP at the NRF conference, which aims to break down the shopping process into reusable components, enhancing the interaction between agents and merchants [2][5]. Ambition of UCP - UCP is likened to HTTP for commerce, aiming to streamline the traditional e-commerce process from "search-ad-product page-checkout" to "intention-agent reasoning-purchase" [5][6]. Structure and Capabilities of UCP - UCP aims to connect various stages of the purchasing process, including product discovery, checkout, and post-purchase support, under a unified standard [7][10]. - The protocol includes six core capabilities: product discovery, shopping cart, identity linking, checkout, order management, and other vertical capabilities [10][11]. Communication and Integration - UCP is designed to work alongside other agent protocols like Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) and Agent2Agent (A2A), allowing flexibility in how agents and merchants interact [11][14]. Product Discovery and Shopping Cart - Product discovery is expected to be linked with Google Shopping Feed, while the shopping cart aims to create a unified experience across merchants, potentially revolutionizing e-commerce [12][19]. Data and Discoverability - UCP focuses on enhancing product discoverability by requiring merchants to provide extensive product data, which is crucial for AI-driven searches [16][18]. - Google is expanding its Merchant Seller tools to include new data attributes, which will help brands optimize their product listings for better AI search rankings [17][19]. Industry Partnerships - UCP has attracted significant partners from both retail and payment sectors, including Shopify, Walmart, and Visa, indicating a strong collaborative effort to establish the standard [21][23]. Future Implications - The introduction of UCP signals a shift in the retail landscape, where agents will play a crucial role in transactions, potentially reshaping the relationship between consumers and brands [24][25].

Core Insights - Google has introduced a new "universal commerce protocol" aimed at enhancing interactions between digital agents and potential shoppers during AI chat sessions [1][2] - The protocol has been developed in collaboration with major retailers like Shopify, Target, and Walmart, and is endorsed by around 20 significant payment players including Adyen, PayPal, Stripe, Worldpay, Mastercard, and Visa [2] Group 1: Protocol Development - The universal commerce protocol establishes a common language for agents and systems to operate together, facilitating smoother transactions [2] - The protocol will enable shoppers using Google's AI mode to purchase items directly from retailers such as Best Buy, Lowe's, and Walmart, initially through Google Pay [4] Group 2: Future Capabilities - Google plans to work with retailers to expand the protocol globally and add features like discovering related products, applying loyalty rewards, and creating custom shopping experiences [5] - The protocol is designed to streamline operations for various digital agents, allowing them to interact easily without needing unique connections for each agent [6] Group 3: Integration with Existing Standards - Google's AP2 protocol will work alongside the universal commerce protocol to facilitate agentic purchases, enabling agents to make purchases on behalf of users [7]

Core Insights - Artificial intelligence is expected to significantly enhance online shopping experiences, potentially benefiting fintech stocks like Mastercard and Visa over competitors such as PayPal, Stripe, and Adyen [1][3][5] Group 1: Market Opportunities - The concept of "agentic commerce" is emerging, which relies on stable consumer spending, showing resilience despite job growth concerns and layoffs [2][3] - Analysts are favoring payment firms with diverse revenue streams and those that are less affected by consumer spending fluctuations [2] Group 2: AI Integration in Payments - AI agents are anticipated to play a crucial role in personalizing shopping experiences and facilitating transactions through integrated payment systems [4][5] - Mastercard and Visa are positioning their services as the default options in automated checkouts, which could lead to increased usage of their payment processors [5] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - PayPal is also involved in AI partnerships but faces challenges due to its exposure to retail and declining consumer discretionary spending in key markets [7][8] - Oppenheimer analysts maintain a neutral stance on PayPal until it can demonstrate accelerated profit growth and stabilization in consumer spending [8]

Core Insights - Google has introduced the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) at the NRF 2026, establishing a common language for agents and systems to facilitate the entire purchasing process from discovery to post-purchase support [1][8] - UCP will serve as the foundation for a new Google checkout feature, enabling consumers to make purchases in AI Mode through the browser and the Gemini app, initially utilizing saved payment information from Google Wallet [2][8] - The protocol aims to simplify interactions among various agents, eliminating the need for unique connections for each agent, as stated by Google’s vice president [3] Development and Collaboration - UCP is the second open agentic commerce protocol developed by Google, following the Agentic Payments Protocol (AP2) launched the previous year, which created a payment-agnostic framework [4] - Retailers and e-commerce platforms, including Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, and Target, contributed to the development of UCP, with endorsements from major payment processors like Adyen, American Express, Stripe, MasterCard, and Visa [5] Future Features and Merchant Relations - Retailers will continue to be the merchant of record, with Google planning to introduce additional features such as product recommendations, loyalty programs, and customized shopping experiences in the near future [6] - The collaboration between Google and Shopify aims to enhance sales, discoverability, and conversions by allowing merchants to supply their product data to Gemini and Shopify for off-site sales [7]