HSBC and Ant Digital Prove AI Agents Can Spend — Now They Just Need the Money 🪙

HSBC and Ant Digital Technologies have tested a system that allows artificial intelligence agents to use digital services and complete micropayments through tokenized bank deposits, settling transactions in real time on a blockchain testnet. According to Friday's announcement, the trial combined HSBC's Tokenised Deposit Service with Ant Digital's Anvita Flow network, which coordinates service discovery for AI agents, and Jovay Testnet, a layer-2 blockchain testing environment. HSBC provided settlement capabilities and real-time risk checks, while Ant Digital's network coordinated service access and payments. The companies described the transactions as micropayments, typically defined as less than $2.

The companies stated that the test was limited to technical verification and did not represent a commercial launch or live customer offering. In the demonstration, an AI agent selected a digital service and completed a payment against tokenized deposits issued by HSBC.

HSBC is among several banks exploring how AI agents could initiate financial transactions on customers' behalf. In March, Santander completed an AI-agent-initiated payment using Mastercard's Agent Pay infrastructure in a controlled test involving the bank's live payment systems. Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum followed in May with a test of AI-agent-driven transactions on a blockchain mainnet, requiring customers to approve and sign each transaction. CaixaBank also completed an AI-agent-initiated card transaction using Visa Intelligent Commerce and existing merchant payment systems.

Not all market participants are convinced established banks can adapt legacy infrastructure to AI-driven finance. In a May interview, Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz argued that traditional clearing banks rely on decades-old systems designed for human operations rather than automated, around-the-clock transactions. Augustus is developing a US bank built around stablecoins and AI-driven operations.

Investment research firm Citrini Research addressed the broader implications in its Oct. 8 report "Breaking The Wall," arguing that autonomous AI agents could increase demand for programmable financial infrastructure. The firm said traditional financial systems, designed primarily for human users, may need to adapt as AI agents increasingly handle transactions across applications, and noted that blockchain networks could provide the always-on infrastructure needed to move money and financial assets programmatically. "AI agents move programmatically, 24/7, across applications, and it's only logical that money and financial assets eventually will, too," the report stated.