The global ecommerce landscape is growing ever more complex. The second edition of the Global Ecommerce Report 2026 – Scaling Ecommerce and SaaS: Finding the Right Partners to Succeed across Borders explores the developments that drive growth in the market and highlights the payment strategies that help merchants succeed. Building on last year’s edition, this issue covers new ground by tackling some of the hottest trends in the industry – from agentic commerce to stablecoins and so much more.
The report brings together contributions from top industry consultants, merchants and platforms, payment service providers (PSPs), and leading industry associations to help businesses navigate the complexities of global commerce and identify the opportunities that lie ahead.
What’s inside the report
The Global Ecommerce Report 2026 features five chapters that present the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping global ecommerce today. Some of the key themes included are:
- A global overview of the global ecommerce landscape: our analysis covers everything from the impact of geopolitical tensions on the cross-border market to insights into shifting consumer behaviours, the rise of super apps, QR code-initiated A2A payments, agentic commerce, stablecoins, livestream ecommerce, and more.
- A close look at key growth markets in LATAM, UAE, MEA, and APAC – including regional trends, local dynamics, and what it takes to expand to these regions.
- How Merchant of Record models help merchants expand globally with less complexity.
- Payment orchestration as a means to turn flexibility into trust, the buy vs build dilemma, the intersection of payment and fraud orchestration, and how AI makes self-optimising payments a reality.
- Lessons for global merchants and platforms – covering FX strategy, payment mix optimisation, gaming payments, infrastructure gaps, and more.
Original research by The Paypers
The report includes two original research pieces:
- Our payment orchestration infographic returns for its third edition. Structure-wise, the research has two parts: a breakdown of the key capabilities of the included players, and a regional overview of where orchestration players are active (North America, Europe, APAC, LATAM, MEA).
- New this year: in partnership with PCMI, we’ve mapped the payments landscape in six markets: Brazil, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia, the UAE, and Nigeria. More precisely, our research highlights the merchant acquirers and the PSPs operating in each market.
Acknowledgements
A special thank you goes to all our partners and collaborators for generously sharing their insights. They are: 8B.world, ACI Worldwide, Antom, Bluefin, Booking.com, BridgerPay, CMSPI, Edgar, Dunn & Company, FreedomPay, G2A.COM, IXOPAY, JUSPAY, Merchant Risk Council (MRC), MY.GAMES, Nexway, Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI), Redbridge Debt & Treasury Advisory, S.OLIVER GROUP, Spreedly, finby (previously TrustPay), Unlimit, Worldline, and Worldpay.
For this edition, our key media partner is merchant payments ecosystem (MPE), and our supporting partners are Merchant Risk Council (MRC) and Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI).
Download the report
Whether you are a merchant interested in expanding to new markets, a payment provider exploring growth opportunities, or a payments expert interested in the space, the Global Ecommerce Report 2026 is designed to give you the insights that you need.
Click on the ‘Download report’ button and get your free copy of the report now.
