HSBC and Ant Digital Technology pilot AI proxy payments based on tokenized deposits

HSBC and Ant Digital Test AI Proxy Micropayment System

British banking giant HSBC and Ant Digital Technologies have jointly tested a new system. The system allows artificial intelligence (AI) agents to access digital services and make micropayments through tokenized bank deposits, and all transactions are settled in real time on the blockchain test network.

According to an announcement released on Friday, this test combines HSBC's "tokenized deposit service" with Ant Digital's Anvita Flow network. The Anvita Flow network is designed to enable AI agents to discover and use various services, and is also connected to Jovay Testnet, a Layer-2 blockchain testing environment. In the partnership, HSBC provides settlement capabilities and real-time risk assessment capabilities, while Ant Digital's network coordinates service access and payment processes. The demonstration process showed a complete scenario of an AI agent selecting a digital service and completing the payment. The company describes these transactions as "micropayments," which usually refer to transactions with amounts less than $2.

The company emphasized that this test is limited to technical verification and does not represent a commercial release or actual operational service for customers.

Traditional banks explore the feasibility of AI proxy payments

HSBC is not the only bank testing AI agents to initiate financial transactions on behalf of customers. In March, Spanish banking giant Santander completed payments initiated by AI agents in a controlled test involving the bank's real-time payment system that leveraged Mastercard's Agent Pay infrastructure.

In May, Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum followed suit, testing AI-driven transactions on the blockchain main network, requiring customers to approve and sign each transaction. In addition, Spanish banking group CaixaBank has also used Visa Intelligent Commerce and existing merchant payment systems to complete card transactions initiated by AI agents.

Industry divergence: Can traditional architecture adapt to AI finance?

However, not everyone believes that traditional banks can adapt their existing infrastructure to an AI-driven financial model. Ferdinand Dabitz, CEO of Augustus Bank, pointed out in an interview in May that traditional clearing banks rely on decades-old systems designed for human operation rather than automated, round-the-clock transaction processing mechanisms.

Augustus is developing a U.S. bank with stablecoins and AI-driven operations at its core, with the idea that purpose-built infrastructure can replace some functions of the traditional banking system.

AI agents are expected to promote the popularization of blockchain

Investment research firm Citrini Research recently discussed in depth the potential role of blockchain in AI-driven commerce. In a report titled "Breaking The Wall" released on October 8, the company suggested that autonomous AI agents may increase the need for programmable financial infrastructure.

report notes that traditional financial systems designed mainly for human users may need to be adjusted as AI agents are increasingly processing transactions across applications. The report believes that blockchain networks can provide always-on infrastructure to enable the programmable flow of funds and financial assets.

Citrini wrote in the report: "It is logically inevitable that AI agents run programmatically across applications and operate 7x24 hours a day, so currencies and financial assets will eventually achieve the same characteristics."

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