Agentic Commerce Redefines Gaming Payments
The rise of agentic commerce will introduce the «Agentic Gamer» – where algorithms analyse in-game economies, negotiate trades, and execute purchases aligned with player goals.
Gaming transactions are entering a new paradigm in which purchases are shaped by intent rather than taps.
Coda’s CEO Shane Happach projects that as AI autonomy accelerates, the gaming ecosystem will compete not on checkout flows, but on seamless value exchange that empowers player choice. Coda is a leader in digital content monetization and distribution, backed by Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund GIC
Opening Walled Gardens
Mobile gaming is poised to contribute up to 55 percent of global gaming revenue by 2026, making payment experience a strategic differentiator.
Major regulatory frameworks – including Europe’s Digital Markets Act and Japan’s new competition rules – are mandating alternative payments and third-party app storefronts, breaking long-standing platform control.
Publishers that adopt native biometric authentication and operate outside traditional app-store billing can accelerate direct monetisation, especially in Asia, where out-of-app spending could reach one-third of the market by 2028.
Co-Pilots for Gamers
Autonomous «second selves» are emerging as purchasing delegates for players. Analysts forecast that AI agents will drive $100 billion in consumer spending by 2027, with half of major enterprises deploying them in the year ahead.
This rise of agentic commerce will introduce the «Agentic Gamer» – where algorithms analyse in-game economies, negotiate trades, and execute purchases aligned with player goals.
Coda has already completed a live agent-driven payment with Mastercard and PayOS, marking a commercial milestone rather than a theoretical model.
Security Evolves From Detecting «What» to Identifying «Who»
As transactions become autonomous, fraud prevention must become behavioural. By 2026, security systems will use AI to build a «behavioral fingerprint» for each player – from swipe dynamics to navigation patterns – enabling real-time detection of anomalies indicative of account takeover.
Major processors are already deploying generative AI to pre-empt fraud rather than react to it, signalling a structural shift in risk management.
Global Scale Requires Local Financial Realities
Despite AI-powered automation, regional payment preferences remain decisive. Standardised strategies fail in fragmented markets across Asia, Latin America, and Africa, where regulatory conditions rapidly shift.
Publishers must support diverse local payment rails, including digital wallets preferred by 55 percent of Southeast Asian consumers, direct carrier billing at 24 percent, and fast bank transfer systems to maximise conversion.
Competitive Battleground of the Next Decade
Agentic commerce turns payment infrastructure into a direct strategic lever for revenue control, customer ownership, and market expansion.
The companies that master compliant, secure, hyper-local value exchange will take the lead – as players shift from pressing «buy» to empowering AI to act on their behalf.
