American Express sees agentic commerce and commercial services as opportunities to continue the company’s growth, Chairman and CEO Stephen J. Squeri wrote in a letter to shareholders released Wednesday (March 25).By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions .Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all ...

Key Takeaways CRWV was selected by Zonos to power AI-driven duty, tax and international checkout systems in real time.The Zonos deal helps CRWV diversify beyond Microsoft and expand into enterprise SaaS and commerce platforms.Multi-year AI cloud deals and inference partnerships are building a recurring revenue pipeline for CRWV.Zonos, a cross-border commerce technology provider, recently selected CoreWeave, Inc. (CRWV) cloud platform to power its AI-driven duty, tax and international checkout systems. These ...

Retail technology provider DaVinci Commerce has received an undisclosed investment from Accenture, as the two companies move to support shopping experiences shaped by AI agents. The funding was made through Accenture Ventures and is accompanied by a partnership with Accenture Song, Accenture’s creative digital agency. US-based DaVinci Commerce positions itself as an AI-powered commerce experience platform (CEP) that aims to help global brands influence how customers find and interact with commerce in AI ...

We recently hosted an X Space with @virtuals_io, @I3_Cubed, @honeycombchain, and @flapdotsh around AI agents.The conversation kept coming back to one thing: the capability is there.What's still missing is the infrastructure around it.Here's what stood out 🧵👇BNB Chain (@BNBCHAIN):The growth of autonomous AI agents on BNB Chain continues to accelerate.Join our X Space with @flapdotsh, @virtuals_io, @I3_Cubed & @honeycombchain to explore how agentic commerce will transform the next era of agent economy on BNB ...

In this articleSHOPSHOP-CAETSYWMTAMZNInkoly | Istock | Getty ImagesWhen OpenAI announced its Instant Checkout feature last fall, retailers sprang into action. Etsy, Walmart and Shopify quickly lined up to let users buy merchants' products directly within its ChatGPT chatbot. Suddenly, the e-commerce world was fixated on shopping agents, the artificial intelligence tools that can make purchases on behalf of users. Shopify President Harley Finkelstein called it the "new frontier" for online retail.Several mon ...

The next big question in #Crypto x #AI is not just payments.It's identity.AI agents are already booking tickets, comparing prices, and completing purchases on your behalf.But how does a website know there's a real human behind all that activity?That's exactly the problem Sam Altman's World is solving with AgentKit, a new toolkit that integrates World ID with Coinbase's x402 protocol.Here's how it works:- You verify your identity once through World's biometric system.- You delegate that verified identity to ...

For more than two decades, the online checkout has been the heartbeat of eCommerce. The ‘buy now’ prompt buttons, payment forms and confirmation pages are an ordinary sight for many shoppers. But what happens when the shopper is no longer human? Welcome to the age of agentic commerce, where AI agents can browse, compare, negotiate and complete purchases on behalf of consumers and businesses. This isn’t a theoretical concept, but a reality. Recent research shows 27% of UK consumers have already used AI t ...

Affirm (NasdaqGS:AFRM) Fireside Chat Summary Company Overview - **Company**: Affirm - **Date of Call**: March 17, 2026 - **Context**: Discussion on current market conditions, consumer behavior, and Affirm's business strategies Key Points Industry and Market Conditions - **Geopolitical Risks**: Current geopolitical tensions are noted, but no immediate impact on consumer demand is observed despite elevated oil prices [6][7] - **Consumer Behavior**: Demand remains steady, with no discernible stress on consumers from rising fuel prices at present [6][7] Business Operations and Strategies - **Underwriting Practices**: Affirm underwrites every transaction, allowing for nimbleness in response to consumer stress [7] - **Loan Origination**: The company originates approximately $150 million in loans daily, using early repayment signals as leading indicators for underwriting posture [8][9] Credit Stress and GMV Growth - **Credit Stress Impact**: A potential 50% increase in credit stress could lead to a 10 percentage point reduction in GMV growth [10][11] - **Profitability Management**: Most profitability comes from the middle to upper credit spectrum, minimizing the impact of tightening underwriting standards [12][13] Funding and Securitization - **Recent Securitization**: Affirm's recent securitization deal was upsized from $500 million to $750 million due to strong demand, priced at 116 basis points [17][18] - **Funding Channels**: Affirm utilizes various funding channels, including ABS, forward flow loan buying relationships, and warehouse loans, with $4 billion of untapped warehouse capacity available [20][21] Product Development and Growth - **Affirm Card Growth**: The Affirm Card has grown to represent 16% of GMV, with a year-on-year growth rate of 150% [25] - **User Engagement**: The card is primarily a second-use product, with ongoing efforts to increase user penetration and overall spend [27][28] 0% APR Products - **0% APR Strategy**: The company aims to expand the number of merchants offering 0% APR loans, viewing it as a complement to interest-bearing products [35][36] - **Consumer Adoption**: There is a high propensity for consumers to utilize both 0% and interest-bearing loans throughout their lifecycle [36] Long-term Vision and Expansion - **International Expansion**: Affirm is working towards auto-enabling Shop Pay Installments for new merchants in the U.K. and plans to expand into continental Europe [61][64] - **Partnerships**: The partnership with QuickBooks aims to facilitate consumer payments for invoices, marking an expansion into the services vertical [65][68] Banking License and Future Opportunities - **Banking Subsidiary**: Affirm is pursuing a banking license to originate loans and issue cards, enhancing its position in the value chain [70][72] - **Future Product Offerings**: While currently focused on BNPL, there is potential for future offerings in secured lending, though this remains uncertain [75] Competitive Landscape - **Market Positioning**: Affirm differentiates itself by offering a broader range of loan products compared to competitors focused on Pay in 4 transactions [51][52] - **Technological Innovations**: Tools like AdaptAI and BoostAI are being utilized to optimize offers for consumers and enhance merchant partnerships [54][55] Financial Performance and Capital Allocation - **Revenue Goals**: Affirm aims to maintain a revenue less transaction cost percentage of GMV between 3%-4%, currently operating near the high end of this range [42][43] - **Capital Return Strategies**: The company has an existing buyback program for convertible bonds, with future capital allocation strategies to be considered as the business matures [80][81] Additional Insights - **Agentic Commerce**: Affirm is prepared to adapt to shifts in consumer demand towards agentic commerce, ensuring its financing options remain relevant [59][60] - **M&A Considerations**: The company is open to acquisitions as a means to accelerate growth and enhance product offerings [84][85]

Shopify Inc. (NASDAQ:SHOP) is one of the Cathie Wood 2026 Portfolio: 10 Best Stocks to Buy. E-commerce platform company Shopify Inc (NASDAQ:SHOP) ranks second on the list of the best stocks to buy for 2026 according to Cathie Wood. ARK has a $640.5 million stake in the company, down 18% from the previous quarter. A total of 101 funds in Insider Monkey’s database had stakes in Shopify Inc (NASDAQ:SHOP) as of the end of the December quarter, up from 91 funds in the previous quarter. Shopify Inc (NASDAQ:SH ...

Core Insights - Shopify is making a significant push towards agentic shopping, which utilizes agentic artificial intelligence (AI) as a new entry point for eCommerce merchants [2][9] - Agentic personal shoppers are seen as the next evolution in shopping, providing a more effective way to find, compare, and purchase products for customers [3][9] - The rise of agentic commerce is notable as it is emerging from the retail industry's center of gravity, with major players like Walmart and Target forming partnerships to legitimize this model [9][11] Group 1 - Harley Finkelstein, Shopify's president, emphasized that agentic applications will act as personal shoppers, enhancing the shopping experience [2] - Agentic shopping is described as merit-based, contrasting with traditional search engines that prioritize specific retailers [3][8] - The agentic shopper will tailor options based on individual preferences, improving the relevance of product suggestions [8] Group 2 - Finkelstein expressed excitement about the opportunities agentic shopping will create for both large and smaller merchants [9] - The partnership between Walmart and Google's Gemini app indicates a shift towards agent-mediated checkout as an inevitable trend in retail [10] - Target's collaboration with OpenAI further highlights the rapid legitimization of the agentic model in the industry [11]