SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 21 October 2026 – AI-driven commerce is pushing payment providers to expand their role beyond transaction processing and connect more closely with merchant operations, according to YeahPay, the international payments brand of Yeahka Limited (9923.HK), at MAG Payments Summit Singapore 2026.
"Consumers are starting to discover products, ask questions and place orders within the same conversation," said David Tay, Global Vice President of YeahPay. "Payment needs to work naturally within that journey, rather than as a separate step that interrupts it. This changes what merchants need from their payment providers."From AI Assistance to Autonomous Commerce
During the session "Agentic Commerce: From Chat to Checkout," Tay outlined three stages in the evolution of AI-driven commerce:
- Assist. AI recommends, the consumer checks out as usual.
- Converse. Discovery, ordering and payment happen inside one conversation, with the consumer confirming each payment.
- Delegate. An agent completes purchases on its own, within limits the consumer has pre-approved.
The next stage, where AI agents initiate payments autonomously, will require new capabilities from payment providers, including verifiable agent identities, secure delegated authorisation and payment infrastructure designed to support agent-initiated transactions.
To prepare for this shift, YeahPay is exploring emerging agentic payment protocols, identity verification and delegated authorisation mechanisms. It has also begun proof-of-concept collaborations with international financial institutions to support the next generation of AI-driven transactions.
From Customer Enquiries to Completed Transactions: AI Delivers Real Business Value
The commercial value of this shift is already becoming evident in real-world merchant operations.
Amit Wakharkar, Director of Pre-Sales & Solutions at Fynix, an AI services brand of Fushi Technology under Yeahka, presented an AI-powered conversational commerce solution deployed at Vintage Studio, a Singapore-based beauty business.
Addressing common challenges in the beauty industry, including delayed customer responses, repetitive enquiries and labour-intensive booking processes, Fynix developed a solution that connects customer enquiries, recommendations, appointments and payments.
Through messaging platforms like WhatsApp, customers can interact with an AI agent to enquire about services, receive personalised recommendations, book appointments or purchase prepaid packages. The system automatically generates orders and secure payment requests, integrating with YeahPay's payment capabilities to support transaction completion.
During the pilot, the solution has served 97 customers who made enquiries, with a total of 221 conversation turns were recorded over the past 30 days. Merchants using its AI Shop solution have seen an average increase of approximately 15% in customer repeat purchase rates and a reduction of approximately 30% in new customer acquisition costs.
"Merchants don't need another system that simply answers customer questions. What matters is turning customer interactions into real business outcomes," said Wakharkar. "By connecting AI-powered recommendations, bookings and payments, we can help merchants respond faster, improve enquiry conversion and manage customer relationships more efficiently."
These applications demonstrate how AI is moving beyond customer service to become part of everyday merchant operations, connecting customer engagement, sales conversion and ongoing customer relationship management.
Building Integrated Capabilities for the Next Generation of Commerce
For Yeahka, the evolution of agentic commerce underscores the growing importance of integrating payment infrastructure with merchant software and AI capabilities.
Through YeahPay, the company continues to expand its online and in-store payment capabilities across international markets. Meanwhile, Fynix provides SaaS and AI-powered solutions spanning digital ordering, customer relationship management (CRM) and intelligent customer service.
Together, these capabilities enable Yeahka to address a broader range of merchant needs, from initial customer engagement and payments to ongoing business operations.
"The future of payments is not just about how transactions are completed, but how payments connect with the broader commerce experience," Tay said. "As AI becomes increasingly involved in how consumers discover products, make decisions and complete purchases, payment providers need to bring together secure payment infrastructure, merchant technology and intelligent services."
From conversational commerce applications already deployed in real-world merchant settings to its ongoing development of agentic payment capabilities, Yeahka is extending its role beyond traditional payment processing towards a more integrated merchant services model.
By combining payment infrastructure, merchant operating experience and AI capabilities, Yeahka is well-positioned to respond to evolving consumer expectations and capture new growth opportunities as AI-driven commerce develops across international markets.
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