India's digital payments ecosystem has emerged as 'a showcase for the world' in building a deep, scalable, and reliable digital public infrastructure (DPI), according to The Economic Times. The country's digital payments journey has positioned it as a global leader in creating robust digital payment systems. As reported by The Economic Times, Suresh Sethi, Group Country Manager, India and South Asia at Visa, emphasized that 'a lot of foundational principles of a DPI are enshrined in what Visa does'. This leadership position is further validated by the country's innovative approach to festive marketing, with brands like Visa and Mastercard successfully integrating traditional festival themes with modern digital payment solutions.
The next decade of India's digital payments leadership is expected to be pivoted around artificial intelligence as the technology is perfectly poised to not only make decisions but execute transactions on behalf of individuals and enterprises, as reported by The Economic Times. Sethi explained that 'we are actually asking AI to help us create an itinerary for our travel, including destinations, locations, and other choices', demonstrating how AI is already playing a strong role in purchase decisions. However, this scenario requires trust and security to become more critical than ever. The recent festive season advertisements by global payment giants like Visa and Mastercard further demonstrate how AI-enabled commerce is becoming mainstream, with brands using collective obsession with festivals to connect with audiences through innovative digital payment solutions.
Visa is developing Visa Intelligent Commerce, which will enable trusted agent identification, agent certification, agent-led commerce journeys, making commerce sites discoverable by AI agents, and helping consumers use more trusted agents, according to The Economic Times. The company is also building 'Visa Payment Pass Keys', a second-factor authentication system launched a couple of months ago that enables transaction authorization through phone recognition when users look at their device. Sethi noted that 'for any DPI, trust is something you cannot bolt on'. This trust infrastructure becomes particularly relevant as brands increasingly integrate AI-driven marketing strategies, ensuring that payment systems remain secure while enabling innovative user experiences.
India is positioned as 'the tokenisation capital of the world' by Visa, as reported by The Economic Times. Sethi explained that 'at Visa, we actually use tokenisation, and you can actually use it. It is the foundation of agent e-commerce'. The company is also experimenting with real-time cybersecurity approaches, including participation in Project Glasswing where companies tested AI models' ability to identify interconnected vulnerabilities. 'The implication is that Cyber resilience can no longer be based solely on periodic detection and remediation. It has to be real-time online at machine speed', according to The Economic Times. This real-time security approach becomes crucial as AI-enabled commerce scales, requiring systems that can respond to threats at machine speed rather than traditional periodic scanning methods.
Sethi highlighted that 'the exciting part is that you are now harnessing technology for being able to do what you wanted to do, rather than learning', as reported by The Economic Times. He emphasized that 'this could be particularly significant for India's historically assisted economy' and noted that 'India was a huge assisted economy, and it still is today'. The digital divide is being bridged through technology adoption, moving beyond traditional payment systems toward AI-enabled commerce solutions. Recent festive season advertisements demonstrate this evolution, with brands like DHL, Croma, and Goldmedal artistically incorporating their products into festival celebrations, while services like Blinkit and Domino's showcased innovative ways to integrate AI-driven tracking with traditional festival themes.
