DBS and Visa Pilot AI Agents That Make Payments on Behalf of Customers

DBS Bank, Asia’s leading financial institution, has partnered with global payments giant Visa to launch the first pilot in the Asia-Pacific region of an AI-powered agent system capable of autonomously making payments on behalf of customers. Announced on February 16, 2026, the initiative represents a landmark evolution in financial technology, transitioning artificial intelligence from a passive advisory role to an active decision-maker in everyday transactions.

According to Fintech News Singapore, the pilot leverages agentic AI—systems designed to perceive, reason, plan, and execute actions without human intervention—to analyze customer spending patterns, contextual cues, and pre-approved parameters to initiate purchases. These AI agents can, for instance, reorder household essentials when inventory runs low, book travel tickets based on calendar events, or pay recurring subscriptions after verifying budget thresholds—all without requiring the user to manually approve each transaction.

The technology builds upon Visa’s secure payment infrastructure and DBS’s proprietary AI platform, which integrates natural language processing, real-time behavioral analytics, and federated learning to ensure privacy and compliance. Unlike traditional chatbots or voice assistants that require explicit commands, these AI agents operate proactively, learning from historical behavior and contextual signals such as location, time of day, and even weather patterns to anticipate needs.

Security remains paramount. The system employs multi-layered authorization protocols, including biometric verification for initial setup, dynamic risk scoring for each transaction, and real-time anomaly detection. Customers retain full control through a transparent dashboard that logs all AI-initiated actions and allows for immediate reversal or adjustment of spending rules. DBS emphasized that no transaction is executed without explicit prior consent from the user to define the agent’s scope and boundaries.

Industry analysts view this pilot as a potential catalyst for broader adoption of agentic AI in finance. "This isn’t just automation—it’s autonomy," said Dr. Lena Tan, a fintech researcher at the National University of Singapore. "We’re moving toward a future where AI doesn’t just answer questions but acts on behalf of its user, much like a personal assistant with financial authority. The challenge now is scaling trust."

The pilot initially targets a select group of DBS digital banking users in Singapore, with plans to expand to other APAC markets including Malaysia and Indonesia. Early participants report increased convenience and reduced cognitive load in managing routine expenses. One user, a freelance designer, noted that her AI agent now automatically reorders her coffee beans and pays her cloud storage subscription, freeing up nearly 45 minutes per week.

Regulatory bodies in Singapore, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), are closely monitoring the pilot for implications on consumer protection, liability, and algorithmic bias. MAS has issued preliminary guidelines requiring full transparency in AI decision-making and mandatory human override capabilities—a framework DBS says it has fully integrated.

As AI evolves from tool to agent, financial institutions worldwide are watching DBS’s experiment as a bellwether. If successful, this model could redefine customer-bank relationships, shifting the paradigm from reactive service to anticipatory stewardship. For now, the line between convenience and control remains carefully drawn—and under constant scrutiny.

Source: Fintech News Singapore (https://fintechnews.sg/126516/ai/dbs-visa-agentic-ai/), AI News (https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/dbs-pilots-system-that-lets-ai-agents-make-payments-for-customers/)