PYMNTS Intelligence and Visa Acceptance Solutions surveyed 5,241 consumers, 1,185 merchants and 150 acquirers across the U.S., Brazil and the UAE. The data shows AI agents are already changing how people shop, but trust at checkout remains the real hurdle.

Inside the July Index

• Consumers divide trust between AI discovery, AI recommendations and AI-led payments.
• Merchants are deciding which agentic commerce use cases deserve investment now and which still carry too much risk.
• Payment networks, banks, processors and acquirers can help set the rules for agent identity, consent, fraud controls and liability.