British banking giant HSBC and Ant Digital Technologies tested a system that allows AI agents to access digital services and make micropayments using tokenized bank deposits; transactions were settled in real time on a blockchain test network.
According to an announcement published Friday, the trial combined HSBC’s tokenized deposit service with Ant Digital’s Anvita Flow network, which allows AI agents to discover and use services, and Jovay Testnet, a testing environment for a layer-2 blockchain.
HSBC provided settlement and real-time risk-checking capabilities, while Ant Digital’s network coordinated access to services and payments. The demonstration showed an AI agent selecting a digital service and completing a payment. The companies described the transactions as micropayments, which are generally defined as payments of less than $2.
The companies said the trial was limited to technical validation and did not constitute a commercial launch or an offering for real customers.
Banks experiment with AI agent payments
HSBC is among several banks testing how AI agents can initiate financial transactions on behalf of customers.
In March, Spanish banking giant Santander completed an AI agent-initiated payment using Mastercard’s Agent Pay infrastructure in a controlled trial that involved the bank’s live payment systems.
Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum followed suit in May, testing AI agent-managed transactions on a blockchain mainnet, with customers required to approve and sign each transaction. Spanish banking group CaixaBank also completed an AI agent-initiated card transaction using Visa Intelligent Commerce and existing merchant payment systems.
However, not everyone believes established banks can adapt their existing infrastructure to AI-managed finance. In a May interview with Cointelegraph, Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz said traditional clearing banks rely on systems built decades ago for people, not for automated transactions conducted around the clock.
Augustus is building a US bank based on stablecoins and AI-managed operations, betting that purpose-built infrastructure can replace some elements of traditional banking systems.
AI agents could drive blockchain adoption
Research investment firm Citrini Research recently examined the potential role of blockchain in AI-managed commerce. In an October 8 report titled “Breaking The Wall,” the firm said autonomous AI agents could increase demand for programmable financial infrastructure.
The firm said traditional financial systems, designed primarily for people, may need to adapt as AI agents increasingly handle transactions across applications. Blockchain networks, it said, could provide the always-on infrastructure needed to move money and financial assets programmatically.
“AI agents move programmatically, 24/7, between applications, and it stands to reason that money and financial assets will move the same way over time,” Citrini wrote.