Plaid Payments Head: AI Agents Choosing Payment Methods Will Reshape the Payments Mix

AI Agents and Payment Selection

Brian Dammeir, head of payments and financial management at financial data aggregator Plaid, said in an interview with Payments Dive on October 19, 2026, during Money20/20 in Las Vegas that the overall mix of payment methods could change when AI agents choose payment methods on behalf of consumers.

Insulated From Traditional Friction

Dammeir noted that agents are not affected by traditional friction such as cluttered checkout flows, account-opening forms, password setup or poor interfaces. Instead, they select payment methods that meet parameters set by the user—for example, maximizing discounts or credit card issuer rewards. He believes this could drive broader adoption of channels such as bank payments, though the outcome will ultimately depend on the consumer experience and how attractive each payment method is to users.

Agent-to-Agent Decision-Making

He also said agents will make decisions on behalf of both buyers and sellers, and that technology providers able to help both sides' agents make better choices could gain a competitive advantage. Plaid, headquartered in San Francisco, primarily transmits consumer account information between banks and fintech companies.

Source: https://www.paymentsdive.com/news/ai-agents-wont-pay-same-ways-agentic-commerce-payments/873291/