Indian Economy News

Merchant Payments in India Moving from Acceptance to Intelligent Commerce: Industry Leaders at GFF 2026

India’s merchant payments ecosystem is moving beyond digital acceptance towards intelligent commerce, according to industry leaders at the seventh edition of the Global Fintech Fest (GFF) in Mumbai. Payments are increasingly helping merchants recognise customers, prevent fraud, extend credit and drive growth. The discussion took place at a panel titled “Reimagining merchant payments: From acceptance to intelligent commerce infrastructure”. President, Asia-Pacific (APAC), at Adyen Mr. Gary Yang noted that up to 50% of consumers refuse to buy a product if their preferred payment method is unavailable. This makes the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) essential for any retail business entering India. VP and General Manager at PayPal Mr. Amir Valliani described agentic commerce, where artificial intelligence (AI) systems complete purchases on behalf of consumers, as potentially the biggest change in payments since mobile.

Chief Operating Officer, Online Business, at Paytm Payments Services Mr. Sudhir Sehgal noted that passkeys and biometrics are making transactions in India more frictionless. Users on Paytm’s travel app can already complete bookings end to end through AI-led requests. AI is also helping payment providers identify fraud trends early and protect merchants and customers. CEO of Hitachi Payment Services Mr. Anuj Khosla highlighted that Android-based card terminals now host four to five apps on average. This cover equated monthly instalment (EMI) offers, loyalty programmes, inventory management and connections to the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). Embedded finance, including pre-approved business loans and supply-chain finance, is emerging as a key driver of merchant loyalty.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.