HSBC and Ant Digital test AI-agent payments using tokenized deposits

Technology and Testing Process

The test integrated HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service with Ant Digital’s Anvita Flow network, enabling AI agents to discover and use digital services. Transactions were settled in real-time on Jovay Testnet, a layer-2 blockchain testing environment that facilitates risk checks and payment settlement.

HSBC provided settlement capabilities and real-time risk assessments, while Ant Digital’s network coordinated access to services and payments. During the demonstration, an AI agent selected a digital service and completed a micropayment typically under $2.

The companies emphasized this exercise was purely a technical verification and did not represent a commercial launch or a live customer product.

Other Banks Experimenting with AI-Initiated Payments

HSBC is part of a broader wave of banks testing AI agents initiating transactions on behalf of customers.

In March, Spanish bank Santander completed an AI-agent-initiated payment via Mastercard’s Agent Pay infrastructure in a controlled test, integrating with the bank’s live payment systems.

In May, the Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum tested AI-agent-driven transactions on a blockchain mainnet, requiring customer approval and signature for each transaction. Spanish CaixaBank also conducted an AI-agent-initiated card transaction using Visa Intelligent Commerce coupled with existing merchant payment infrastructure.

However, some experts, like Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz, question whether established banks can adapt legacy infrastructures designed for human operations to handle fully automated, 24/7 AI-driven finance.

The Role of AI Agents in Driving Blockchain Adoption

Investment research firm Citrini Research explored blockchain’s potential role in AI-powered commerce in an October report titled "Breaking The Wall." The report argues autonomous AI agents could boost demand for programmable financial infrastructure.

The research suggests traditional financial systems, primarily designed for human users, may face challenges adapting as AI agents increasingly transact across diverse applications.

Citrini posits blockchain networks could provide the always-on, programmable infrastructure needed to move money and financial assets efficiently in alignment with AI operations.

The report quotes, “AI agents move programmatically, 24/7, across applications, and it’s only logical that money and financial assets eventually will, too.”