Agentic commerce was one of the loudest e-commerce trends of 2025 — but is it real demand or mostly hype + incentives?

In this episode of Payments FM, Nikita sits down with Colin Luce, Founder & CEO of Basis Theory, to unpack what’s actually happening in agentic commerce and agentic payments right now, what merchants should do today, and why trust + tokenization might decide how this all plays out.

We cover:

• The real blocker: messy merchant data and product availability

• Embedded checkout vs “true agents transacting on your behalf”

• Why virtual cards would be a bad end-state for the ecosystem

• ACP (Agentic Commerce Protocol), platform incentives, and “who owns the customer?”

• Where agentic payments may show real near-term value (hint: not the sexy B2C stuff)

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Chapters

01:36 Welcome Colin Luce (Basis Theory)

02:23 FOMO, hype, and incentives driving adoption

06:04 What merchants should do first (traffic, data, readiness)

12:36 Payments realities: embedded checkout vs true agent payments

19:37 Are today’s demos “magic”? (disappointing discovery, data quality)

23:50 Best use cases + where agentic commerce really helps

34:26 Protocols, ACP momentum, and merchant voice

41:31 Who should store the payment credential? (trust + tokenization)

44:59 Chargebacks & liability in an agent-driven world

46:23 Cybersecurity risks in the rush to ship

49:49 Biggest blocker in payments: behavior change

54:01 One elevator tip to improve payment performance

#payments #ecommerce #fintech #tokenization #agenticcommerce #ai

In this episode of Payments FM, we sit down with Dan Loomis from Gusto to discuss the world of payroll and cashflow management for small and medium businesses.

Dan sheds light on the common financial headaches like cashflow volatility, lack of control and confidence, and how Gusto Money aims to solve these through innovative solutions.

We explore the challenges small businesses face such as managing payables, accelerating receivables, and the unique issues arising from bill payments and invoicing.

Dan also discusses the new integrations and features of Gusto Money, including the Payroll Bridge, financing options, and using stable coins for international payments. Learn how Gusto is transforming payroll management and providing flexible financial solutions to help small businesses thrive.

00:38 Guest Introduction: Dan Loomis from Gusto

01:12 Common Payroll Challenges for Small Businesses

05:02 Gusto Money: Addressing Payroll Pain Points

08:11 Invoicing Solutions and Market Competition

14:11 Bill Pay Solutions and Payment Methods

19:45 Same Day Payroll: How It Works

25:19 Financing Solutions: Payroll Bridge

35:04 Stable Coins for International Payments

38:26 Future of Payments and Final Thoughts

In this episode, we explore the intricate world of payments and banking with Victoria Soltesz, founder and CEO of PSP Angels.

We cover essential topics including international payments, high-risk merchants, crypto in payments, and the gaming industry. Victoria shares her mission to create a more ethical and transparent payment industry, emphasizing the need for proper education and strategic planning.

Learn practical advice on streamlining your payment processes, understanding the latest in FinTech, and optimizing your fees and customer journey.01:59 International Payments11:36 High-Risk Merchants21:34 Crypto in Payments25:38 Stablecoins and Tokenization27:33 The Complexities of iGaming Payments33:29 Offshore Entities and Tax Optimization39:57 Navigating Payment Systems and Banking42:39 The Future of Payments and Banking