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.Related: Sui tunnels hit 40.6M TPS in live AI agent testBanks experiment with AI-agent paymentsHSBC 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-initi...