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 a Friday announcement, the trial combined HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service with Ant Digital’s Anvita Flow network and Jovay Testnet, a layer-2 blockchain testing environment. Ant Digital said Anvita Flow enables AI agents to discover and use services, while the testnet handled the blockchain side of the exercise.
Technical trial focused on service discovery and payment execution
HSBC provided settlement functions and real-time risk checks during the test. Ant Digital’s network coordinated service access and payment flows. In the demonstration, an AI agent selected a digital service and completed a payment.
The companies described the transactions as micropayments, which are typically defined as payments of less than $2.
They also said the exercise was limited to technical verification. It was not presented as a commercial launch or a live customer offering.
Banks are testing AI-agent-initiated payments
HSBC is one of several banks exploring whether 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 test that involved the bank’s live payment systems.
In May, Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum tested 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 everyone is convinced legacy banks can adapt their infrastructure for AI-driven finance. In a May interview with Cointelegraph, Augustus Bank CEO Ferdinand Dabitz said traditional clearing banks still rely on decades-old systems built for human operations rather than automated, around-the-clock transactions.
Augustus is developing a US bank built around stablecoins and AI-driven operations, arguing that purpose-built infrastructure can replace parts of traditional banking systems.
Research points to blockchain as infrastructure for AI commerce
Investment research firm Citrini Research recently examined blockchain’s role in AI-driven commerce. In an Oct. 8 report titled Breaking The Wall, the firm said autonomous AI agents could increase demand for programmable financial infrastructure.
Citrini said traditional financial systems were designed mainly for human users and may need to adapt as AI agents handle more transactions across applications. The report argued 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,” Citrini wrote.