HSBC and Ant Group test AI agent tokenized deposit payments

HSBC and Ant Group tested a system that allows AI agents to access digital services and complete small payments using tokenized bank deposits, with transactions settled in real-time on a blockchain test network. This test combined HSBC's tokenized deposit service, Ant Group's Anvita Flow network, and the layer two blockchain testing environment Jovay Testnet. HSBC provided settlement capabilities and real-time risk checks, while Ant Group's network coordinated service access and payments. In the demonstration, an AI agent selected a digital service and completed the payment, with both parties referring to such transactions as small payments, typically defined as being under $2. Both companies stated that this test was limited to technical validation and does not represent a commercial release or actual services for customers.

Currently, several banks are testing AI agents to initiate financial transactions on behalf of clients. In March, Spain's Santander Bank completed AI agent-initiated payments in a controlled test using Mastercard's Agent Pay infrastructure, involving the bank's real-time payment system. In May, Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum tested AI agent-driven transactions on the main blockchain network, requiring client approval and signature for each transaction. Spain's CaixaBank also completed AI agent-initiated card transactions using Visa Intelligent Commerce with existing merchant payment systems. However, Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz believes that traditional clearing banks rely on systems designed for manual operations decades ago, making it difficult to adapt to the demands of automated, round-the-clock transactions.