The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is rapidly transitioning from simple digital adoption to a complex, AI-driven “agentic” ecosystem. According to Checkout.com’s latest 2026 report, “MENA Digital Commerce 2026: The New Era of AI in Payments,” the successful payment journey has been redefined. While the region is ready for next-generation automation, the future of e-commerce now hinges entirely on consumer trust and payment security.
As digital adoption accelerates, a staggering 97% of consumers now value “invisible” payments—transactions that occur without manual credential entry or page redirections. This demand for frictionless experiences is a clear signal to merchants, yet it is not unconditional.
Security remains the deciding factor at the point of sale. Data shows that 62% of consumers believe a safe and secure payment process is the most important factor in online shopping, even prioritizing it over speedy delivery. Merchants who fail to strike this balance face immediate consequences; 62% of shoppers will abandon a purchase following a false decline, and 35% will switch directly to a competitor.
Agentic commerce: The next frontier
The report identifies “agentic commerce”—where AI assistants shop on behalf of consumers—as the next frontier for regional retail. Currently, 50% of consumers are ready to delegate their shopping to AI agents to find the best prices or create shopping lists. However, widespread adoption faces a significant hurdle: 55% of respondents cite privacy as the primary barrier to allowing AI to handle their transactions.
Despite these concerns, the efficiency of AI “super shoppers” is appealing in a market where 56% of people already compare prices on their mobiles while standing in physical stores. Adoption is currently being led by digitally confident, high-income earners (67%) and men (54%), suggesting that agentic commerce will permeate the wealthier segments before broadening across the general population.
Digital wallets and spending shifts
Digital wallets have become deeply embedded in daily MENA life, with 64% of consumers using them monthly for budgeting and financial management, and 74% utilizing them for money transfers. This momentum has driven Checkout.com’s regional processing volume up by 62% year-on-year.
Consumer spending has also diversified significantly. Food delivery is now the most frequent digital purchase category at 59%, followed by clothing and accessories at 54%, and travel at 40%. Furthermore, the region is seeing an exceptional shift toward digital-first remittances, with Checkout.com reporting a 169% year-on-year increase in MENA remittance volumes between 2024 and 2025.
Confidence at every step
“In this new era of e-commerce in MENA, trust isn’t just a preference, it’s the ultimate currency,” noted Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, general manager, MENA at Checkout.com. He concluded that while consumers want payments to disappear into the background, they will only do so if they can trust the systems behind the scenes. As the digital economy scales, security, intelligence, and reliability are no longer differentiators—they are the baseline for survival
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