Nets' latest payments report shows that half of European consumers already use AI as an adviser before they shop, and that 67% would let AI also pay on their behalf. In July, Nets/Nexi ran Europe's first AI-initiated card transaction.
Lars Erik Tellmann, Chief Regional Officer at Nets (part of Nexi), spoke about AI and payments at the Payments and Digitalisation Conference 2026. His starting point was the company's new Payments report, for which Nets asked 3,000 consumers in 11 European countries how they use artificial intelligence in purchasing decisions.
According to the report, 50% of respondents say they use AI to decide what to buy – as an adviser before heading to an online store. That share is growing week by week, according to Tellmann. Even more striking, 67% say they are willing to take the next step: letting AI also pay on their behalf, provided it feels safe.
In July, Nets/Nexi, together with Google, Visa and Mastercard, carried out what the company calls Europe's first live card transaction fully initiated by an AI agent. The transaction ran through existing infrastructure with real card data, with the same fraud protection that runs in real time on ordinary card transactions.
"The question is no longer whether agents can pay on our behalf. That's obvious – we've tested it. The question banks face is whether the payment is secure, auditable, and that someone is accountable," says Tellmann.
He points out that banks need to be able to see who gave an AI agent its authority, how much it can spend, and whether it is following the customer's instructions. When something goes wrong, the question becomes who is liable. Nets is now working with the card networks to find answers – not as fast as possible, but correctly, so that trust can be established.
Tellmann summed up with three recommendations for the industry: share fraud data with each other, since it isn't an area where companies compete. Clarify liability for AI agents. And set a strategy for governing AI agents before adopting them – not afterwards.
Sources: Nets
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