Singapore consumers open to AI shopping agents but most want to approve each purchase

Singapore consumers are relatively receptive to integrating AI agents into their shopping routines, according to research from Global Payments. Nevertheless, the vast majority still insist on approving every transaction before any money actually leaves their accounts.

In terms of general engagement, the study found that 59% of Singapore respondents welcomed an AI agent participating in their retail journeys, and 23% had already used one. Across the seven international markets surveyed, this placed Singapore behind China and Brazil in terms of overall consumer openness, though the city-state remained comfortably ahead of both the US and the UK.

That readiness evaporates as soon as payment is involved. Only 15% of respondents would allow an agent to complete a transaction independently, whereas 65% insisted on personal approval for every purchase, and 20% barred automated purchasing altogether.

Singapore consumers favour checks before payment

This caution is reflected in a strong appetite for formal oversight. Singapore recorded the highest demand among all surveyed markets for a government-backed AI safety certification, selected by 34% of respondents. A further 39% demanded an explicit confirmation step before every single purchase, representing the second-highest result internationally behind Brazil.

Existing mobile payment habits appear to guide these preferences. Phone notifications were favoured by 45% of Singapore respondents compared with 37% globally, while 41% sought biometric confirmation through a fingerprint or face scan, against 36% worldwide.

Phil Pomford, executive lead, Enterprise APAC at Global Payments, observed that these security preferences mirror the safeguards consumers rely on daily in mobile commerce. In his assessment, local shoppers are not hesitant about artificial intelligence itself, but rather expect payment providers to integrate the familiar, trusted checkpoints they already use into new automated retail journeys.

“These research results do not reflect blanket hesitation. Responses indicate Singaporeans do not need convincing that AI agents can be safe in principle. Rather, the data shows they are looking for the same visible, verifiable checkpoints that already make mobile banking and PayNow feel trustworthy. A notification before money moves, a fingerprint or face scan to confirm identity and a recognised authority backing the system. For merchants and payment providers, this is simply a design problem instead of a fundamental trust deficit. For consumers, they clearly expect the verification processes they already recognise and trust built into the agentic flow. When that is established, agentic commerce adoption has a clear path forward,” said Pomford.

Payment security remains another paramount concern across the island. A notable 57% of Singapore respondents ranked the protection of their payment details as their primary worry, tying with Australia for the highest proportion among the surveyed markets. In addition, 82% stated it was critical that no third party, including an AI agent, could view their card or bank account details.

Consumers want to know why AI recommends a product

Transparency around algorithmic decisions emerged as another major priority. The research revealed that 55% of Singapore respondents wanted oversight of how an AI agent reached its recommendations, including clear disclosures such as a “Sponsored” label on AI-generated suggestions. That level of scrutiny exceeded figures recorded in Western markets, comparing with 50% in the UK and 42% in the US.

Ultimately, the responses indicate far greater willingness to let artificial intelligence handle product discovery and price comparisons than to authorise final transactions. Global Payments described this point of payment as the critical threshold where Singapore consumers still require direct personal control.

Spending limits vary by transaction

The financial latitude granted to an AI agent without prior approval also varied depending on the category of transaction. Shoppers demonstrated noticeably different comfort levels when authorising low-cost digital entertainment compared with higher-stake financial services.

For respondents open to AI managing digital content, the average permissible spend without prior confirmation stood at S$52.51 for an automated subscription renewal. That figure fell sharply to S$23.14 when the expenditure was meant to support an online creator or community.

Financial services attracted much tighter constraints. Some 54% of Singapore respondents would permit an automated spend of only up to S$100 for a money transfer, with that number falling to 35% when the task involved wealth or asset management. More broadly, the research showed that consumers felt considerably more comfortable letting an agent monitor account activity or spot opportunities than allowing it to execute financial transactions on their behalf.