HSBC and Ant Digital Test AI Agent Tokenized Payments

British banking giant HSBC and Ant Digital Technologies have tested a system that lets AI agents access digital services and make micropayments using tokenized bank deposits, with transactions settled in real time on a blockchain testnet.

According to an announcement on Friday, the test combined HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service with Ant Digital’s Anvita Flow network, which enables AI agents to find and use services, 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 demonstration showed an AI agent selecting a digital service and completing a payment of typically less than $2.

Technical Verification Only

The companies stated that the test was limited to technical verification and did not represent a commercial launch or live customer offering. HSBC joins several major financial institutions exploring how AI agents could initiate financial transactions on behalf of customers. In March, Santander completed an AI-agent-initiated payment using Mastercard’s Agent Pay infrastructure, while Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum tested AI-agent-driven transactions on a blockchain mainnet in May. CaixaBank also completed an AI-agent-initiated card transaction using Visa Intelligent Commerce.

Infrastructure Debate

While traditional banks test automated systems, industry participants hold varying views on legacy readiness. Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz argued in a May interview with Cointelegraph 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 also highlighted the growing intersection of AI and financial infrastructure in an Oct. 8 report titled Breaking The Wall, arguing that autonomous AI agents could increase demand for programmable, 24/7 financial infrastructure provided by blockchain networks.

Key facts

• HSBC and Ant Digital tested AI agent micropayments using tokenized bank deposits.
• The trial utilized HSBC's Tokenised Deposit Service, Ant Digital's Anvita Flow network, and Jovay Testnet.
• Transactions were defined as micropayments of less than $2.
• The test was restricted to technical verification without a commercial launch.