Ant International Launched Bank Accounts for AI Agents
The platform allows for machine-to-machine payments with smart contract controls and a full fund guarantee.
Updated on Sept. 18, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Ant International has introduced dedicated bank accounts for AI agents under its WorldFirst brand. These accounts feature the Agentic Mobile Protocol, which enables automated agent-to-agent transactions as small as $0.000001.
Why it matters
Existing financial payment controls were not originally designed to manage autonomous agents acting as intermediaries between human users and financial transactions. This update provides the necessary infrastructure to secure these machine-led payments.
The Agentic Mobile Protocol supports transactions as small as $0.000001, backed by a 100% fund guarantee through AgentSafePay. The system is designed to integrate across a network currently serving 150 million merchants and 2 billion consumer accounts.
The players
Ant International
This global financial technology company provides digital payment solutions and is a subsidiary of the Ant Group.
Monetary Authority of Singapore
This is the central bank and integrated financial regulatory authority of Singapore.
Visa
This global payments technology company facilitates electronic funds transfers throughout the world.
Mastercard
This multinational financial services corporation processes payments between banks and merchants.
The details
Users maintain control over their agent accounts while authorizing specific tasks via live monitoring and smart contract tools. Ant is currently working with Visa and Mastercard to develop an interoperability framework through a platform convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Timeline
In 2025, the WhaleRTP platform processed 45% of cross-border volume.
March 2026 saw the introduction of an open standard for machine payments by Tempo.
July 2026 marked a World Economic Forum note on missing agent payment controls.
September 10, 2026, was when card networks discussed the interoperability framework.
Ant International launched its AI agent accounts on September 18, 2026.
The Tech Race
The introduction of agent-specific banking marks a shift from legacy payment systems to infrastructure built for machine-led commerce. This development follows the integration standards set by the platform convened by the Monetary Authority of Singapore to ensure financial interoperability.
Users can now automate small-scale payment tasks with higher security and guaranteed fund protection against transaction losses. This change simplifies workflows by allowing agents to execute micro-transactions without constant human oversight.
The takeaway
The move toward agentic banking signals that machine-to-machine financial activity is becoming a core component of global payment networks. Businesses should monitor these interoperability developments as autonomous agents begin handling increasingly complex financial tasks.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Artificial Intelligence.
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