HSBC, Ant Digital test AI-agent payments using tokenized deposits

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 Friday’s 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.

The companies said the test was limited to technical verification and did not represent a commercial launch or live customer offering.

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Banks experiment with AI-agent payments

HSBC is among several banks testing how AI agents could initiate financial transactions on customers’ behalf.

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.