Why smart automation will shape the next wave of payments innovations

The rapid evolution of the payments sector is being driven by the integration of new technologies into existing infrastructure. This has enabled legacy systems to overcome traditional barriers to cross-border transactions, unlocking significant growth in payment volumes.

Key verticals such as iGaming, Forex, and e-commerce have seen particularly strong momentum. These sectors depend heavily on online, cross-border B2B and B2C fund transfers. Over time, intraday transaction volumes have reached into the millions, spanning multiple channels, currencies, and merchants. Research from 2023 indicates that global digital commerce transactions exceeded $10 trillion, with iGaming and Forex playing a major role. High user engagement in these industries brings with it a surge in queries around deposits, withdrawals, transaction failures, chargebacks, and identity verification, issues that demand responsive, knowledgeable support backed by deep industry expertise.

The complexity of these support requests is compounded by the need to comply with local financial regulations, anti-money laundering (AML) requirements, and Know Your Customer (KYC) protocols. Both iGaming and Forex are tightly regulated in many jurisdictions, and compliance introduces friction that can lead to user confusion or delays.

Conversations with partners, merchants, and clients reveal consistent pressure points in the payments journey, many of which can be alleviated through automation. Based on these discussions, several insights and recommendations have emerged to guide the strategic use of automation in support services.

One clear opportunity lies in automating the first line of support. Allowing users to submit support requests directly through the platform, without needing to go through the merchant, can streamline the process. Automated validation of receipts and transaction data ensures that only verified cases reach the support team. This approach shortens resolution times and makes the process more predictable and manageable.

However, it's important to strike the right balance between automation and human oversight. Full automation may not be suitable for sensitive or complex cases. As technology advances, human involvement remains essential to ensure that automation enhances rather than diminishes service quality. A hybrid model, where automation supports human agents, is often the most effective. The goal isn't to replace people with bots, but to create scalable, transparent systems that maintain control and deliver consistent outcomes.

On the provider side, automation can significantly improve support workflows, especially when managing large volumes of tickets across multiple systems. Features such as automatic order verification, intelligent routing via live chat, full-cycle case tracking, and unified interfaces are all critical to building scalable support operations.

Smart integration between chat systems, bots, and ticketing tools is foundational to faster resolution times and more transparent operations. This is particularly important when the objective is not just to close tickets, but to maintain visibility and accountability across the entire support chain—from end-user to merchant.

Even complex inquiries can be resolved efficiently when support teams have full visibility in a single interface.

These observations highlight how automation can be strategically applied in high-demand sectors like iGaming, Forex, and e-commerce. With millions of transactions flowing through these verticals, responsive and intelligent support solutions are no longer optional—they are essential. Continued exploration and development of automation strategies will be key to building trust, speed, and transparency across the payments ecosystem.