Checkout.com has released its latest report, MENA Digital Commerce 2026: The New Era of AI in Payments, revealing that while consumers increasingly expect “invisible” payments, security concerns remain the primary driver of cart abandonment in the region.
The report found that 97% of regional consumers value payments that occur without manual credential entry or page redirections.
However, 62% identified a safe and secure payment process as the most important factor in online shopping, placing it ahead of speedy delivery.
Friction in the payment process carries immediate penalties for merchants.
According to the data, 62% of consumers abandon a purchase following a false decline, and 35% will switch directly to a competitor.
Additionally, 28% of shoppers abandon their carts specifically due to security concerns.
“Consumers want payments to be fast and invisible,”
said Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA at Checkout.com.
“However, our data shows that merchants who succeed will be those who strike the right balance between simple experiences and strong protection.”
Surge in digital wallets and remittances
Digital wallet usage is becoming deeply embedded in daily financial behaviour across the region.
The report notes that 64% of consumers use digital wallets at least monthly for budgeting and purchases, while 74% use them for money transfers.
This shift towards digital-first money movement is reflected in Checkout.com’s own regional processing volume, which increased by 62% year-on-year.
Remittance volumes processed by the company in the region surged by 169% between 2024 and 2025.
Consumers are also showing a strong appetite for convenience, with half of respondents willing to save their card details to simplify future checkouts, provided there is robust fraud protection in place.
Online spending in the region is diversifying beyond occasional purchases.
Food delivery emerged as the most frequent category for online transactions at 59%, followed by clothing and travel. Furthermore, a quarter of consumers now shop through social media platforms.
The shift towards agentic commerce
The report also examined consumer readiness for AI-driven payments, often termed agentic commerce.
Half of the respondents are willing to let AI agents shop on their behalf for tasks like finding the best prices, comparing products, and creating shopping lists.
Adoption of these AI tools varies significantly across demographics. High-income earners and men showed greater comfort with delegating shopping to AI compared to lower-income groups and women.
Privacy remains the primary barrier to wider adoption, cited by 55% of consumers.
“Consumers are telling us they want payments to disappear into the background, but only if they can trust what is happening behind the scenes,”
Abbondandolo added.
“That is why security, intelligence, and reliability are now inseparable from growth.”
Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News UAE, based on image by The Yuri Arcurs Collection via Magnific
