Lauren Langbridge, head of Wise Platform North America, is back to report that her aim to expand the company's direct payment system connections has been achieved, growing from 6 to 8 markets with Brazil and Japan now live.
Langbridge breaks down how systematically integrating with local payment rails like Pix and Zengin, while deepening partnerships with firms like Wealthsimple and IBKR, has allowed Wise Platform to bypass correspondent banks and become more embedded in partners' payment workflows.
AI can decide, but consumers still hesitate to hand it their card details. Agentic commerce is still emerging, but the trust gap is already shaping how pilots are built and how much payment autonomy AI is given.
We look at how these developments are unfolding and what they may foreshadow for the wider commerce ecosystem.
We dive into two stories. First, how Trump's proposed credit card rate cap benefits fintechs like Affirm and Bilt, who target consumers seeking alternative credit sources.
Second, Amazon and Perplexity clash over AI shopping agents, revealing uncertainty about guardrails and customer relationship ownership in agentic commerce.
