Trends and insights The Spending Shift

Visa delivers global insights about changes in the payments landscape

10/15/2025

Just as plastic cards revolutionized consumer spending

Today the digital movement of money is changing how and when people buy and redefining the motivations that drive those choices. Taps, tokenization, peer-to-peer transfers and digital wallets have made secure and seamless payments possible anytime, anywhere, in less than a blink of an eye. The barriers that once governed spending have all but disappeared and consumer spending habits are evolving. Emerging forms of digital currency such as stablecoins have the potential to revolutionize the infrastructure of money movement and drive mainstream adoption of crypto.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating this transformation. Visa already powers 100+ products with AI to optimize payments, enhance security and enable new forms of commerce. But AI isn’t just behind-the-scenes anymore – it’s reimagining the shopping experience itself. Take agentic commerce for example, AI agents will be able to search, complete and return purchases on a customer’s behalf. Visa Intelligent Commerce will empower AI agents to deliver these personalized and secure shopping experiences for consumers at scale.

And right on the heels of innovation, are fraudsters leveraging technology and social engineering to exploit businesses and consumers. Criminals are using AI to mimic spending patterns, launch seasonal scams and deceive consumers with realistic fakes. Visa is fighting back with AI-powered fraud prevention that stops billions of dollars in fraud each year, helping to ensure that innovation and trust advance together.

Visa is staying ahead of consumer needs and building the infrastructure for the future of payments.

Introducing The Spending Shift

How people and businesses spend is being redefined in real time. The Spending Shift is Visa’s lens on that transformation.

Through insights, analysis and predictions, The Spending Shift captures the pulse of global commerce. It reveals the patterns emerging today and the signals of where payments are heading next.

Holiday spending stays strong despite economic headwinds

Visa Business and Economic Insights' annual forecast reveals shoppers plan to spend more this year, even amid inflation and economic uncertainty

From AI Shopping to Strides in Stablecoin: The Top Payments Predictions That Will Reshape 2026

2025 was a transformative year for payments. 2026 will eclipse it

Trust: The currency of payments innovation

Visa’s technology continues to stay ahead of sophisticated fraud schemes.

See how real-time AI threat detection, adaptive security systems and global intelligence networks are protecting the integrity of every transaction.

The future of commerce

Visa’s predictions provide a glimpse into the future of payments.

Discover the emerging technologies, from digital currencies to frictionless in-store and online experiences, that are poised to transform global commerce in the years ahead.

Modern consumer spending trends

Visa data unlocks shifting spending habits and trends.

Gain a clearer understanding of how digital payments, seasonal changes and new technologies are shaping how people choose to spend.

AI: Powering the next payments revolution

AI innovation is powering change at an unprecedented pace.

Explore how AI, from predictive analytics to agentic commerce, will create seamless, personalized and secure shopping experiences that will change the way transactions happen.