Ant International courts merchants on AI-led Asia growth

Global merchants are partnering with Ant International to expand in Asia and other overseas markets as AI-led shopping gains traction with consumers.

Ant International is positioning its payments and financial technology tools around what the industry calls agentic commerce, in which AI agents manage parts of the shopping process from product discovery to payment. Merchants are seeking help navigating Asia's fragmented payment systems and addressing concerns about trust and security in AI-assisted transactions.

Asia has become a major target for international retailers and digital businesses. Ant International cited projections that, by the 2030s, one in every two consumer transactions worldwide will take place in the region. It also referenced federal data showing Asia accounted for 27.4% of US exports in 2025.

The region is also emerging as a significant market for AI-driven commerce. Asia-Pacific represented 24.5% of global agentic commerce revenue in 2025, Ant International said, reflecting the strength of mobile-first payments and the widespread use of digital wallets within super-app ecosystems and real-time payment networks.

Payment hurdles

For merchants entering Asian markets, payments remain a major operational obstacle. The region includes hundreds of local digital wallets and more than a dozen national payment schemes, creating a patchwork that can be difficult for overseas businesses to navigate without local connections.

That fragmentation has direct commercial consequences. Shoppers often abandon purchases when their preferred wallet or local payment method is not available at checkout, Ant International said.

The spread of AI-assisted shopping adds another layer of complexity. Merchants are weighing brand presentation and service standards when AI agents handle customer interactions, while consumers want greater confidence that purchases made through such systems are secure and accountable.

Gary Liu, Chief Executive of Antom and Senior Vice President of Ant International, set out the company's case for merchants seeking international growth.

"For global merchants, success across international markets demands a partner that delivers both deep digital wallet excellence and comprehensive coverage of payment methods, utilising a sophisticated AI' trust layer' to turn transactional friction into seamless, agent-led growth," Liu said.

Merchant push

One example is its work with Adobe in Southeast Asia. Adobe is adding seven alternative payment options through a single integration as it expands in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, reducing its reliance on card-based payments in those markets, Ant International said.

Through its Antom merchant payments business, Ant International offers access to more than 300 payment methods through a single integration point. These include credit cards, local wallets and bank transfers, with coverage across more than 200 markets.

Ant International also highlighted tools to reduce fraud and checkout friction. Its EasySafePay product provides account takeover protection and removes page redirects, which can increase payment conversion by 10%, according to the company.

The business is also promoting AI-based merchant support through Antom Copilot, which helps merchants manage payment integration, risk management and chargeback disputes around the clock, it said.

Industry ties

Alongside merchant services, Ant International is working with technology and payment groups on protocols intended to support AI-led transactions. This includes backing the Universal Commerce Protocol, developed by Google and others, and working with Visa on authentication and tokenisation for AI-driven payments.

Visa described the collaboration as part of an effort to build safeguards around autonomous commerce.

"Our focus is on building the necessary 'trust layer' through advanced authentication and tokenisation to secure agent-driven payments. This provides the secure infrastructure required for consumers to move from discovery to confidently executing autonomous transactions," Birwadker said.