HSBC, Ant Digital Test AI-Agent Micropayments With Tokenized Deposits
HSBC and Ant Digital tested an AI agent that selected a digital service and paid with tokenized deposits, but the test was not a commercial launch.
Category: Payment Infrastructure
Lloyds Survey Puts Faster Settlement at Center of UK Tokenisation Plans
A Lloyds survey of 100 UK financial-sector executives found faster payments and settlement are the leading perceived benefit of tokenisation.
IBM Adds Beta Swift Adapter for Tokenized-Deposit Pilots
IBM added a beta ISO 20022 adapter and on-premises option to Digital Asset Haven, extending banks’ access to Swift tokenized-deposit pilots.
Binance Invests $100 Million in Circle Under Five-Year USDC Deal
Circle sold Binance $100 million of stock and tied monthly incentives to USDC held through its wallet infrastructure under a five-year agreement.
BlackRock Sees Agentic AI Driving Demand for Stablecoin Rails
BlackRock argues that AI agents could increase demand for stablecoins and programmable payment rails, while stressing that the market remains nascent.
Six Canadian Banks Explore Joint Tokenized-Deposit System
BMO, CIBC, National Bank, RBC, Scotiabank and TD are exploring a shared approach to moving tokenized Canadian-dollar deposits between institutions.
ECB Launches Pontes for Tokenized Asset Settlement in Central Bank Money
The Eurosystem has opened Pontes, connecting market DLT platforms with TARGET Services so wholesale tokenized transactions can settle in central bank money.
Bank of Korea Opens 24-Hour Won Settlement Pilot
The Bank of Korea has started a four-bank pilot that extends won settlement across global business hours ahead of planned full operation in January 2027.
Hana Bank Issues $100M Digital Bond on Euroclear Blockchain
Hana Bank says a five-year digital bond used Euroclear’s D-FMI platform to move allocation and payment settlement from a multiday process to the same day.
BIS Research Shows Why Onchain Volume Can Misstate Payment Activity
A BIS working paper finds that blockchain architecture and classification choices can materially change estimates of crypto and stablecoin activity.
QuFi Launches Post-Quantum Verification Layer With Bitcoin Testnet Demo
QuFi launched an external verification layer and a Bitcoin Testnet4 proof of concept, but has not disclosed a production deployment or independent audit.
Fed Study: US Noncash Payments Hit 236.6 Billion in 2024
The Federal Reserve’s first results from its 2025 payments study show cards drove transaction growth while ACH handled 74% of noncash value in 2024.