MPE 2026: Checkout.com Doubles Down on Agentic Commerce and US Expansion

Why It Matters

The expansion gives Checkout.com a foothold in the lucrative U.S. market while its AI‑powered Agentic commerce could reshape merchant payment strategies, intensifying competition among global PSPs.

Key Takeaways

• Checkout.com achieved $300B transaction volume and 30% YoY growth.
• First full year of profitability in 2025 signals strong financial health.
• Secured U.S. license to process payments on its own rails.
• Launching “Agentic commerce” with AI integration across all employees.
• Focus on merchant revenue‑share model to boost top‑line growth.

Summary

At the 2026 Merchant Payments Ecosystem conference, Checkout.com’s UK‑Europe head Ashley Pace announced a strategic push into the United States and the rollout of what the firm calls “Agentic commerce,” an AI‑driven payment model.

The company reported its first full year of profitability in 2025, processing more than $300 billion in transactions and delivering 30 % year‑on‑year growth for the second consecutive year. A newly‑obtained U.S. license now lets Checkout.com run payments on its own rails, reducing reliance on third‑party acquirers.

Pace emphasized the firm’s merchant‑centric revenue‑share approach, saying Checkout.com’s sole goal is to lift merchants’ top‑line revenue. She also noted an internal KPI that every employee must use AI in some capacity, positioning the firm to support “agentic” merchants ready to automate payment flows.

If successful, the move could sharpen competition with Stripe and Adyen, give U.S. merchants a domestic alternative, and accelerate adoption of AI‑enhanced checkout experiences across the industry.

Original Description

At MPE 2026, Ashley Paulus, Head of UK and Europe for Checkout.com, spoke about the company's laser focus on driving merchant profitability and expansion into new markets. As one of the world's leading PSPs, independently rated among the top three PSPs alongside Stripe and Adyen.

Checkout.com operates on a revenue-share, partnership model with their merchants and Paulus emphasized that their singular goal is to increase merchant revenue by improving payment acceptance rates, lowering the cost of funds, and helping with internal reconciliation.

This performance-driven approach yielded significant results in 2025, which marked the company's first full year of profitability with Checkout.com processing over $300 billion in transactions and achieved 30% year-on-year growth for the second year in a row. For 2026, the strategy is built around expansion and innovation, including doubling down on the U.S. market, securing their own domestic processing license while also committing to Agentic Commerce. This Agentic push involves internal KPIs for every employee to use AI and preparing merchant solutions for agentic processing as the technology matures.

Finally, reflecting on her first time at the MPE conference, Paulus praised the event for attracting payments experts who are "deep in the weeds" and appreciated the opportunity to meet directly with merchants and offer utility as they develop their payments strategies for 2026.