Checkout.com vs Mastercard

Checkout.com annualised net revenue hits $750M

Payments provider Checkout.com announced that its annualised net revenue jumped 28% year-on-year to $750 million, attributing growth to increased payment volume and geographical expansion. The company, valued at $12 billion, expects to achieve $150 million in adjusted EBITDA profit for 2026, having turned profitable in 2024. Checkout.com operates across 56 countries with 10 acquiring licences and projected payment volume of $480 billion for full-year 2026. The company also plans to expand its money management offering and accelerate its AI strategy in agentic commerce and payments. Additionally, it disclosed an internal $40 million dividend from subsidiary Checkout Limited to the parent, which it clarifies is a treasury transaction, not shareholder distribution. Chief Revenue Officer Antoine Nougué emphasized that sustained profitability enables investment in AI to help merchants generate revenue. The company employs 1,700 people.

• Checkout.com reported annualised net revenue of $750 million, up 28% year-on-year.
• The company expects to achieve $150 million in adjusted EBITDA profit for 2026.
• Checkout.com is valued at $12 billion and operates in 56 countries with 10 acquiring licences.

Awin Hires Former Amazon Exec as Chief Product & Technology Officer

Awin, a global affiliate marketing network, has appointed Varun Aggarwal as its new Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO). Previously holding leadership roles at Amazon and Checkout.com, Aggarwal will lead a unified product and technology strategy aimed at accelerating the platform's growth, with a focus on leveraging artificial intelligence. The company plans to launch new features like AI Visibility and Smart Search to help advertisers better understand and measure the impact of their affiliate partnerships across the increasingly complex customer journey. CEO Adam Ross highlighted Aggarwal's experience in scaling global commerce platforms and his expertise in product development, commerce, and AI as key assets. The move signals Awin's commitment to leading technological innovation in the partner marketing space.

• Awin appointed Varun Aggarwal as Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO).
• Aggarwal previously held leadership positions at Amazon and Checkout.com.
• Awin plans to introduce new AI-driven features, including AI Visibility and Smart Search.

Mastercard advances agentic commerce with new trust and intelligence services

Mastercard launches Wallet Pay to scale digital wallets worldwide, completes acquisition of BVNK, and launches $500 million global risk facility with World Bank Group.

10-Q Financial Filing Analysis for Mastercard (2026-07-30)

Mastercard reported solid financial performance for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2026. For Q2 2026, net revenue rose 14% year-over-year (12% currency-neutral) to $9.28 billion, driven by robust cross-border travel, steady switched transactions growth of 9%, and accelerated adoption of Value-Added Services and Solutions, which expanded 20% to $3.83 billion. Operating income reached $5.59 billion with an operating margin of 60.2%, while diluted EPS expanded 22% to $4.97. Capital deployment remained aggressive, with Mastercard returning substantial capital via $8.93 billion in share repurchases and $1.53 billion in dividends during H1 2026, supported by an aggregate $5.0 billion debt offering completed in June 2026. In addition, Mastercard announced an agreement to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK Holdings Limited for $1.5 billion (plus up to $300 million contingent consideration) to strengthen digital asset payment capabilities.

• Q2 2026 net revenue increased 14% YoY to $9.28B ($17.68B for H1 2026, up 15%), while diluted EPS rose 22% to $4.97 ($9.32 for H1).
• Mastercard returned over $10.4B to shareholders in H1 2026 through $8.93B of share repurchases (17.6 million shares) and $1.53B in dividends.
• Mastercard agreed to acquire stablecoin infrastructure provider BVNK Holdings for $1.5B (with up to $300M in contingent consideration), closing expected before Q3 2026 ends.

AI Agents Emerge as Key Holiday Shoppers

At The Advertising Club of New York's Commerce Media Exchange Conference, executives from Wevo, Dentsu, and Mastercard discussed the growing influence of AI agents on commerce and advertising. Nitzan Shaer, CEO of Wevo, cited Adobe data showing that 20% of holiday shopping experiences in 2025 were influenced by AI agents, with conversion rates 40% higher for agent-influenced purchases by March 2026. Jen Bryce of Dentsu highlighted the shift from search bars to agents pre-filtering options and the use of AI agents for continuous media planning and optimization. Nili Klenoff of Mastercard emphasized the importance of brand trust and product data legibility for agents. The panel also covered the use of synthetic audiences for campaign testing, balancing automation with human judgment, and the need for marketers to measure agent-driven traffic separately.

• 20% of 2025 holiday shopping experiences were influenced by AI agents, according to Adobe data cited by Wevo's CEO.
• Agent-influenced purchases converted about 40% better than non-agent traffic by March 2026.
• Dentsu uses AI agents for continuous media buying optimization, replanning within hours or days instead of weeks.