According to Sina Tech, the Alipay AI Ecosystem Partner Conference was held today in Hangzhou, where Ant Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Cyril Han delivered a keynote speech.
Han believes that agentic commerce will take off in the next 6–12 months. He said this tipping point is being reached because three key conditions are maturing simultaneously. First, AI capabilities are evolving and improving: agents have matured in reasoning, execution, and tool use, while their ability to handle long-horizon, complex tasks continues to strengthen.
Second, demand has undergone a major shift. Han said, “The era of traffic dividends is over. If we want to pursue growth, we still need to find ways to improve efficiency within limited traffic.”
Third is a sustainable value loop. He noted, “Improvements in capabilities and efficiency can tangibly increase every merchant’s conversion rate and ultimately contribute to cost control.”
According to Ant Group’s official website, Han joined the company in May 2014 and has served as senior director, vice president, and chief financial officer. He became president of Ant Group in March 2024 and was appointed chief executive officer in March 2025.
Before joining Ant Group, Han joined Alibaba Group in September 2011 as senior director of its corporate finance department. Prior to that, he worked in the investment banking department of China International Capital Corporation from July 2001 to September 2011. Han earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in economics from Tsinghua University in July 1999 and June 2001, respectively.