Key payment trends in 2026 for ecommerce

We compare, evaluate and interpret current and upcoming payment trends to identify patterns and consider the best way forward.

This year's top payment trends for ecommerce are:

1. Agentic AI commerce
2. E-wallet adoption is growing
3. UK to reshape SCA mandates
4. A2A & real-time payments on the rise
5. 3D Secure & SCA now seen as conversion-supporting
6. Authentication is becoming more dynamic
7. Increased pressure on merchants to use SCA
8. Stablecoins in the spotlight
9. Visa handing out VAMP fines
10. New attack vectors

Scroll down or follow the links for specifics.

1. Agentic AI commerce

Agentic AI commerce continues to be touted as industry-changing – and AI traffic to merchants is on the rise. Yet, questions remain around actual adoption of agents for shopping, as well as liability for false orders.

At the time of writing, key protocols developed for agents to interface with online shops include:

• MCP servers (initially developed by Anthropic)
• IBM’s ACP
• Google’s AP2
• Cisco’s ANP
• Visa’s Trusted Agent Protocol

The sector moves fast, but will it “break things”, per the adage? And then, there is fraud. How are fraudsters reacting and adapting?

► Read Ravelin's guide to agentic AI fraud.

2. E-wallet adoption is growing

E-wallet adoption keeps growing, and now is the second most accepted method globally.

Compared to last year, more merchants rank Google Wallet and Apple Pay in their top 3 most fraudulent payment methods, per the findings of Ravelin's annual merchant survey (which you can read in detail in the Global Payments Report 2026). Meanwhile, PayPal landed in the third place of all payment methods in terms of risk.

It should be noted that chargeback liability works differently in digital wallets than traditional card-not-present payments.

► Read our explainer of liability shift on Google Pay and Apple Pay.

3. UK to reshape SCA mandates

In the United Kingdom, authorities are pushing forward with the plan to reshape SCA requirements following the country’s exit from the European Union. The stated aim is to “improve the consumer experience” and “supervise via an outcomes-based approach”.

This might prove a popular move as, in fact, 51% of British respondents to our merchant survey would like to see SCA mandates removed – and only 30% prefer them to remain as-is.

► Read about the UK's plans to abolish PSD2 SCA.

4. A2A and real-time payments on the rise

For the first time, internal Ravelin data shows that account-to-account payments (A2A) entered the top 3 most popular ways to pay in two countries: the Netherlands and Germany.

Consumers, merchants and legislators are experimenting with new ways to pay and get paid. Retail no longer sleeps, with shoppers buying online around the clock.

Adoption of real-time payments (RTP) is increasing – which also means RTP fraud is rising and in fact is already among the top types of fraud across the globe.

5. 3D Secure & SCA are now seen as conversion-supporting

According to industry reports, merchants are using 3D Secure to boost authorization rates.

3D Secure and SCA are now more widely viewed as conversion‑supporting by merchants, especially when frictionless flows and exemptions are used well.

Ravelin’s latest merchant survey confirmed that more merchants are using exemptions than last year – 78% vs 72%. Better protection from fraud is the top reason to authenticate for more than half – with better data and chargeback reduction
also mentioned frequently.

But 8 in 10 are still concerned about how challenges affect conversion. Clearly, there is room for further improvement, including by optimizing transactions.

► Learn more about transaction optimization.

6. Authentication is becoming more dynamic

Verifiable, secure, user-controlled tokens are replacing static, vulnerable credentials. Authentication is becoming more dynamic.

Card schemes are promoting network tokens – for instance, Mastercard has committed to reaching 100% ecommerce tokenization by 2030. The EU’s updated eIDAS 2.0 regulation introduces the EUDI wallet, which serves to prove Europeans’ identities digitally, with merchants forced to accept these digital wallets for SCA and IDV by 2027.

7. More pressure on merchants from schemes and legislators

In regulatory news, SCA is increasingly requested by schemes in the USA, and Asia-Pacific countries are moving forward with mandates.

South‑East Asia has become another key region for payment legislation. In Japan, 3DS is mandated for all payments since March. Although there were no recent seismic regulatory shifts such as the implementation of PSD2 by the EEA in 2019, pressure on merchants to use SCA from both schemes and legislators is intensifying.

► Read Ravelin's analysis of global authentication regulation.

8. Stablecoins are in the spotlight

Stablecoins are in the spotlight across industry events. Political and macroeconomic implications aside, it’s interesting that several payment processors have embraced this technology, which promises to give merchants a method to pay that involves lower transaction fees, faster settlement times, and global reach.

We’ve seen key industry players such as PayPal, Fiserv and Stripe release their own stablecoins tied to fiat currency. However, challenges remain, including uncertainty about regulation and practical deployment.

9. Visa handing out VAMP fines

Confusion around Visa's new anti-fraud and anti-enumeration scheme VAMP will only increase, with more fines reaching merchants and acquirers.

In fact, although monitoring only started officially in October of 2025, the first few fines have been reported to have been issued in that same month for September ratios.

However, most merchants have not yet felt the full impact of this shift. The new year will bring more fines – and merchants are sure to take notice.

Yes, even merchants, because although ratios for acquirers are much stricter, acquirers are almost certain to pass the responsibility on to merchants, changing internal requirements in order to stay on good terms with Visa.

► Learn about Visa's VAMP scheme and how you can protect your business.

10. New attack vectors

The opportunities presented by these developments are plentiful.

Also plenty are the opportunities opening up to fraudsters – to find new attack vectors, scale up fraudulent operations, and mislead consumers. Fraudsters and all manner of cybercriminals are experimenting with new
payment technologies, methods and automation. Safeguard your company by staying up to date with developments.

Make sure you speak to your payments and fraud prevention partners regularly. A sophisticated, data-driven and AI-native payment fraud solution will be able to adapt to new threats.