How AI Shopping Agents, Stablecoins and Smarter Checkout Drive Business Growth

How AI Shopping Agents, Stablecoins and Smarter Checkout Drive Business Growth

Payments used to arrive at the end of a sale, take the money and leave. Now they have a much bigger job. They can help companies earn revenue, see cash, serve customers and make better decisions.

PYMNTS developed “Summer School 2026: The Payment Stack Strikes Back” with insights from leaders at IXOPAY, Solutions by Text, Worldpay, Nium, Bank of America and Fynapse.

This Summer School collection brings six executive essays into one practical guide. Each essay examines a different part of the payment experience. Together, they show why new tools can’t deliver strong results without trusted data, connected systems and a clear goal.

The report looks at the rise of artificial intelligence shopping agents and the controls they’ll require. It explores why a customer who wants to pay may still abandon the process. It also examines the growing role of payments inside business software. For finance teams, the essays explain how stablecoins and detailed transaction data could improve cash visibility.

Download the eBook The Payment Stack Strikes Back

The collection also shows how software providers can turn payments into a core product. It explains why convenience tools can’t repair a long payment journey on their own. Each lesson connects technology to a business result that leaders can measure.

“Summer School 2026: The Payment Stack Strikes Back” is designed for payments executives, CFOs, treasury teams, software providers and business leaders planning their next investment. Download the report to see how six industry leaders are preparing payments for the next era of commerce.