hobex, a leading Austrian provider of cashless payment transactions, has had a strong financial year. With a transaction volume of 13 billion euros, the company exceeded its balance sheet from the previous year by around 15 percent. Hobex benefited in particular from the core sectors of gastronomy, hotels, large-scale catering, body-related services and clothing retail. But while many competitors are still talking about digital payment processes, hobex is already thinking about the next step: the integration of artificial intelligence into the purchasing process itself.
According to CEO Michael Bratl, the industry is facing a profound change. “In the future, it won’t just be people who shop, but also digital assistants,” says Bratl. “Artificial intelligence will search, select and pay for products for us. This will fundamentally change how retail works.” This concept is called “agentic commerce”, a new form of e-commerce in which intelligent systems make decisions and trigger orders independently.
hobex acquired the assets of Graz-based payment specialist Qenta in May 2025 in order to expand its expertise in e-commerce. This strengthens the company’s position as a holistic payment partner in both brick-and-mortar and online retail. However, the focus is not only on more transaction volumes, but also on more intelligent processes.
Hobex is currently investing in future projects relating to AI-based payment systems and automated purchasing decisions. These technologies should enable companies to better understand their sales processes and manage them in a more targeted manner. In future, retailers will gain insights into when, through which channels and under which circumstances their products are purchased. On this basis, they will be able to dynamically adapt their offers and make marketing measures more efficient. “In future, we will provide companies with tools that can have a lasting positive impact on their business success,” emphasizes Bratl.
In this coming era of digital commerce, hobex sees itself in a dual role. On the one hand, as a technology provider that provides secure payment interfaces, tokenization and API connections for AI systems. On the other hand, as a partner that actively supports its customers in the digital transformation. The company is planning workshops, knowledge formats and pilot projects to gradually introduce retailers to the possibilities of AI-driven purchasing decisions.
“Our task is to make this new technology tangible, secure, simple and with real added value for everyone who relies on hobex solutions,” continues Bratl. This positions hobex as one of the pioneers in the European payment market, actively shaping the transition from traditional e-commerce to automated, AI-driven retail logic.
Conclusion
hobex serves more than 44,000 customers in Austria and beyond. Headquartered in Salzburg and with branches in Vienna and Graz, the company employs around 200 people. In addition to traditional POS, online and mobile payment solutions, hobex is increasingly focusing on AI-supported systems that simplify payment processes and open up new business opportunities. Innovation, security and customer proximity form the central pillars of the corporate strategy.
Source: itwelt.at
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