Would you let a piece of software shop for you? From browsing for options, weighing the price, and clicking buy without checking with you first? In Singapore, a sizeable share of consumers are open to the idea of agentic commerce, recent research shows.

But where does the principle of trust stand in all of this?

AI Agents May Have an Easier Sell in Singapore Than Elsewhere

Nearly half of Singapore’s consumers would allow an AI agent to browse and buy on their behalf, according to agentic commerce research from Worldpay, now Global Payments.

A further 41% say they are open to the idea once they understand it better, leaving just 15% who say they would never feel comfortable handing purchase decisions to software.

These statistics put Singapore among the most receptive markets in a seven-country study of 8,000 consumers. Singapore may be behind China, but it is well ahead of other resistant markets like France, where 53% rule out AI shopping entirely.

The enthusiasm also cuts against the gender pattern seen elsewhere in the report. Western markets, including the US, the UK, France and Australia, indicate that men are more willing to adopt AI agents. But in Singapore and Brazil, it was women who led the interest in their respective regions.

Price is the Deciding Factor That Sets Singapore Apart

Across all seven markets, Singapore topped the list on the single biggest reason to use an AI shopping agent.

75% cited finding the lowest cost. The country also ranked highest for loyalty considerations, with 44% wanting AI to factor rewards into its decisions.

This does indicates that early agentic demand for travel payments is possibly already here. An agent optimised for price and rewards could change how promotions, point programmes and pricing visibility are structured to remain competitive when the buyer is an algorithm.

Could AI Be Singapore’s Next Travel Planner?

Global Payments’ research for travel also implies that it is a clearer use case for agentic commerce.

According to the company’s research for agentic commerce and travel, 31% of Singapore respondents shared that they would let an AI agent spend anything between S$170 and S$850 on flights, 28% would allow up to S$1,700, and 10% would permit AI agents to go as high as S$8,500.

Hotel bookings drew more caution, with 30% comfortable with letting agents spend S$170 to S$850 and 19% of respondents willing to go up to S$1,700 at best. Holiday packages, tours and activities also drew warm responses for agent-managed booking.

Trust Remains the Final Checkout Barrier

The ultimate challenge for consumers to adopt agentic commerce would be how transactions are verified, especially when the buyer is no longer a person. Phil Pomford, Executive Lead, GM Enterprise APAC at Global Payments, shared,

“Merchants and payment providers must be able to distinguish and verify AI agents with the same confidence as human customers. Know Your Agent (KYA) frameworks are designed to verify both the consumer’s intent and the autonomous agent’s authorisation before any transaction takes place. This is a foundational step to ensure trust throughout the customer journey.”

He added on, explaining that to build the trust of consumers, merchants could consider investing in digital ID, tokenisation, and cryptographic authentication.

Trulioo’s Chief Product Officer, Zac Cohen, recently echoed this point, raising the need for a clearer way to identify if an agent is properly authorised. This includes whether the AI agent’s actions still match the limits set by a business or a person.

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You’ve Heard of KYC. Meet KYA KYC verifies consumers. KYB verifies businesses. KYA verifies the AI agents now shopping and paying on your behalf. Zach Cohen, CPO at Trulioo, explains the verification problem agentic commerce has to solve before AI can move money at scale. fintech KYC KYA payments AI

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With Singapore citizens open to AI agent payments, it doesn’t defray the need for trust. 64% of Singapore consumers surveyed in the Global Payments Agentic Commerce report revealed concern about unauthorised purchases while 57% were worried about incorrect purchases.

Only 2% reported no concerns at all. Phil pointed to where merchants could start:

“To further build the trust of consumers, merchants should consider investing in technologies like digital ID, tokenisation and cryptographic authentication. These not only reduce fraud exposure while enabling secure, real-time transactions but also help to provide the secure, frictionless experience that consumers now demand.”

The early pull for agentic commerce in Singapore may come from cheaper prices and less decision fatigue, but the needle will only move if consumers believe the agent can be trusted at checkout.

Featured image edited by Fintech News Singapore based on image by Lifestylememory on Magnific