Digital payments, AI and real time: the new standard for travel in Latin America

Technologies like generative AI (GenAI), blockchain, and ubiquitous mobile hardware are rapidly transforming how society interacts with money. The payments industry is leading this transformation, and nowhere is this change happening faster than in Latin America and the Caribbean. The region is making great strides in adopting next-generation payments innovations, from Tap to Pay and digital wallets to tokens, biometrics, and stablecoins, and has become one of the fastest-growing online shopping markets in the world. Some of the most significant advances in global payments, including real-time payment systems, are emerging directly from our region. After a transformative 2025, 2026 is poised to accelerate this momentum.

Below, I share the five main payment predictions and trends that we should watch in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Tokenization ends manual payments and enables AI-powered commerce

The days of reaching for your wallet to manually enter your 16-digit card number, expiry date, and 'confidential' code on the back to shop online will finally be a thing of the past.

Just as smartphones made memorizing phone numbers obsolete, biometric authentication and token technologies are poised to transform the online checkout process into a one-click experience, ensuring that every online transaction is as simple, secure, and fast as paying in the physical world. This translates into faster, simpler checkouts, fewer abandoned shopping carts, and less fraud. By 2026, we anticipate that manual data entry for payments will begin to disappear in many markets, thanks in part to the 16 billion Visa tokens that enable this shift, considering that 50% of Visa's e-commerce transactions in Latin America and the Caribbean are already tokenized.

But tokens aren't just another innovation; they're the cornerstone of agentic commerce. By moving tokenized payment credentials to the cloud, consumers can securely access their payment information from any connection point, anywhere. This dramatically reduces the risk of handling sensitive data and offers issuers a phased, future-proof path to cloud tokenization adoption. In short, cloud tokens will keep issuers relevant, competitive, and ready to lead in an AI-driven commerce ecosystem.

Latin America is entering a new era of commerce as AI moves from assisting shoppers to acting on their behalf. With more than two-thirds of consumers already using AI to guide their purchases, agentive commerce is poised to scale by 2026. Authenticated and tokenized AI agents will soon autonomously compare, select, and purchase products, creating seamless, hyper-personalized shopping experiences across all channels. With Visa Intelligent Commerce, we are collaborating across the ecosystem to deliver the infrastructure that enables this shift.

The battle for digital identity intensifies

But as AI-powered agents advance, so do the threats. Cybercriminals are using the same technologies to amplify fraud through deepfakes, synthetic identities, and agent scams. Latin America is already feeling this impact, with e-commerce fraud reaching 3.9%, well above the global average.

The rise of agent commerce will intensify a parallel battle for digital identity. This is where the combined power of tokens and Visa Payment Passkeys becomes essential. Passkeys verify identity using biometrics and offer a faster, more secure, and seamless passwordless payment experience.

By 2026, the region will require stronger collaboration, shared defenses, and advanced risk mitigation tools to stay ahead. Visa will be at the heart of this evolution, providing the infrastructure, intelligence, and protection that enable trusted agent commerce and safeguard digital identity across Latin America.

Real-time payments are here to stay, with open banking on the horizon.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, another innovation quietly transforming the way money moves is the rise of real-time account-to-account (A2A) payment networks. These systems are making peer-to-peer (P2P) and merchant transactions instant and low-cost, fundamentally reshaping the financial landscape.

With real-time payments (RTP) initiatives fully operational in Brazil, Argentina, and Costa Rica, this technology is emerging as a cornerstone of the digital transformation of payments in the region. It is changing consumer behavior and reducing reliance on cash transfers and exchanges. The broader context of this real-time revolution includes open banking and interoperability reforms, with Brazil as a true pioneer.

At Visa, we are prepared to provide maximum security for these platforms with our award-winning solution, Visa Protect for A2A, which is active in Argentina and recently piloted in Brazil on Pix. This latest project has assessed over US$495 billion in volume from our partner banks, resulting in over US$91 million in savings from fraud prevention, with an 82% detection rate. Our new company in Brazil, Visa Conecta, also enables Pix payment initiation through Open Finance, accelerating secure A2A payments beyond cards.

Stablecoins will gain momentum

Stablecoins are transforming what was historically a speculative asset into a reliable global payments infrastructure. Latin America is at the forefront of this financial revolution, emerging as one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic stablecoin markets in the world.

The potential of stablecoins to complement the existing global payments ecosystem is enormous, especially for emerging economies, with the stablecoin market projected to reach up to $4 trillion by 2030. We anticipate significant growth in stablecoins for cross-border transactions, remittances, and credential-backed use cases in the region (Visa currently supports more than 130 stablecoin-linked card programs in over 40 countries worldwide). The outlook is also promising from a consumer perspective: 60% of Latin American consumers express a willingness to use stablecoins for international transfers in the future.

Furthermore, thanks to the passage of the GENIUS Act in the US and similar regulations around the world that establish a regulatory framework, stablecoins are poised for wider adoption in 2026.

The digital revolution is reaching the vast micro-business sector

Latin America is home to more than 93 million micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which generate over 60% of the region's employment. However, many still face barriers to fully participating in the digital economy. For too long, a limited adoption network has restricted where consumers can spend digitally, and it's time to change that and level the playing field for MSMEs.

Through recent Visa-led interviews with thousands of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the region, we heard a consistent message: they want to protect their money and data, access credit, adopt instant acceptance tools, and digitize for the future. Visa is uniquely positioned to help meet these needs with solutions already available on the market. As more micro and small businesses choose to operate digitally, they are turning to business cards, e-invoicing, QR payments, mobile terminals, and online marketplaces to grow. Tools like Visa Accept, which allow small businesses to easily accept card payments from their mobile phones, will further expand digital acceptance without the need for expensive hardware, bringing the long tail of businesses into the digital world and transforming how family businesses operate in Latin America.

2026 will be a pivotal year for payments in Latin America and the Caribbean. AI-powered commerce, stronger digital identities, real-time account-to-account payment networks, the expansion of stablecoins, and the digitization of millions of small businesses will redefine how the region moves and manages money.

Visa is ready for this moment. With reliable infrastructure, advanced security, and deep partnerships in the region, we will continue to offer the technologies and intelligence that keep commerce moving safely and efficiently.

The next chapter of payments is here.

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By Nuno Lopes Alves, Regional President of Visa Latin America and the Caribbean