British banking giant HSBC and Ant Digital Technologies have tested a system that allows AI agents to access digital services and make micropayments using tokenized bank deposits, with transactions settled in real time on a blockchain testnet.
According to the announcement, 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. The companies described the transactions as micropayments, typically defined as less than $2. However, both firms emphasized that the test was limited to technical verification and did not represent a commercial launch or live customer offering.
Growing Banking Interest in AI-Agent Payments
HSBC is among several established banks experimenting with AI-agent-initiated financial transactions. In March, Spanish banking giant 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, 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.
Not all observers believe traditional banks can readily adapt their existing infrastructure to support AI-driven finance. Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz argued in May 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, betting that purpose-built infrastructure can replace parts of traditional banking systems.
Blockchain Infrastructure and AI Commerce
Investment research firm Citrini Research has explored blockchain's potential role in supporting AI-driven commerce. In an October 8 report, the firm argued that autonomous AI agents could increase demand for programmable financial infrastructure. Traditional financial systems, designed primarily for human users, may need to adapt as AI agents increasingly handle transactions across applications, with blockchain networks potentially providing the always-on infrastructure needed to move money and financial assets programmatically.
