2025 Trends Overview EXECUTIVE INSIGHT In a global economy beingtransformed by technologyand buffeted by uncertaintyand geopolitical risks, Cameron BreadyChief Executive Officer Even as inflation cools and stock market wealth increases, consumers are still cautious. In such an environment, every strategic decision and choice can make the difference formany of the world’s leading businesses. That’s why this year’s trends report is so critical.It outlines six major developments testing the traditional norms of commerce. One such These trends reflect what our customers are experiencing firsthand.We surveyed hundreds of businesses globally to see what they’reinvesting in and curious about. Their responses provide a valuable But as this report makes clear, a major trend like AI can weave itsway into our lives quickly, even if its impact is mostly felt behind thescenes, at the operational level. At Global Payments, we spendsignificant time immersed in these trends. We see them affect the It’s a dynamic environment, and it’s always wise to take the time tounderstand what’s changing. Tracking these trends and seeing howthey may apply to your business is a critical step toward market What we see now suggests that when well-executed and fullyenabled, payment experiences can differentiate a business and We hope you will read this report to see what insights apply toyour business and how payments are a centerpiece of any At a tactical level, payments can be the basis of a new andmeaningful brand journey, a source of insight into consumerpatterns and a trigger to the business’s back end and supply 1.AI and its early wins2.Unified commerce’s impact on the back end INTRODUCTION Today, commerce and payments move at thespeed of data. Every transaction, every offer, everyclick, every search and every signal to the supplychain transmits multiple strobes of insight, How do you keep up with all of this transformation? The goal of thisreport is to help understand not only these technologies but alsohow they are being implemented right now to create efficiencies,reduce friction, improve security and drive growth. Seeing howcompanies of all sizes — whether enterprises operating on a global advanced tools for payment orchestration are closing thetime gap between accounts payable and accounts receivable. Small- and medium-sized businesses are now able to transactlike an enterprise business, thanks to payments orchestrationtechnologies, which work to link multiple back-office functions.The sole proprietor of a micro business can turn their mobilephone into a payment acceptance device — using tap-to-phonetechnology — in a matter of minutes. Travel and hospitalitybusinesses are incorporating search-to-purchase functionality What’s now abundantly clear: Thanks to emerging technologies,the moment of payment no longer represents just one salestransaction. It’s how a relationship is strengthened and deepened. In short, payment technologies now sit at the red-hot center ofbusiness execution and transformation. How do you rise to meetthis moment of opportunity? Our 2025 Commerce and Payment In the coming year, the trends that are driving investment andattention will continue to coalesce around the payment experience: But, increasingly, we are seeing how payment technology issupporting a revolution in the background: B2B relationships are GLOBAL INSIGHTS FROM THE EXPERTS To create this report, we built a foundation of insight from two primarysources. First, we held detailed discussions with leaders deeply familiarwith the major trends driving payments, consumer behaviors, B2Btransactions and other major technologies. These experts are DEFINING BUSINESS SIZE Throughout this report, we refer to three types of businesses:enterprises, which are defined as those with $1 billion or morein revenue; midmarket businesses, which have between $50million and $1 billion in revenue; and SMBs, which have up to$50 million in revenue. In the SMB category, roughly a fifth ofthe respondents had revenue of less than $10 million. In themidmarket category, slightly less than half of the respondentshad revenue between $50 million and $100 million. Thesecategories are based on definitions from Gartner.3We recognize Less than$10 million$10 millionto less than$50 million $50 millionto less than$100 million$100 millionto less than$500 million$500 millionto less than$1 billion $1 billionto less than$5 billion$5 billionor more AI deliversearly wins Last year, AI and specifically generative AI (GenAI)were new arrivals to this trends report, and theirpotential was just beginning to take shape. Now, AI has moved from theoretical gamechanger to actual impact-maker. GenAI istransforming client services and marketing, while AI continues to prove its role is critical in “It’s amazing how much data you can filter through to help quickly provideprompts to somebody who is on the phone with a cardholder,” says Judith Mc-Guire, senior vice president o