Mastercard has announced the successful rollout of its first wave of authenticated agentic transactions across ASEAN, marking a significant step in its AI strategy. This initiative, conducted in collaboration with UOB, aims to enhance secure, AI-initiated payments across the region. Mastercard is also set to establish a new AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore later this year, further cementing its commitment to innovation and governance in AI-powered commerce.
The initial pilots in Singapore and Malaysia demonstrate the region’s readiness for AI agents that enable secure transactions. Mastercard’s collaboration with UOB leveraged the bank’s extensive network, ensuring scalability across diverse markets. “The first wave of authenticated agentic transactions across ASEAN shows how quickly the region is embracing secure, AI-enabled commerce,” said Safdar Khan, Division President, Southeast Asia, Mastercard.
Mastercard’s Agent Pay framework, which includes tokenisation and verifiable intent, ensures that AI-initiated transactions are secure and trustworthy. This framework was co-developed with Google to create a tamper-resistant record of user authorisation, providing a shared source of truth for consumers, merchants, and issuers.
The upcoming AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore will combine Mastercard’s innovation hub, cybersecurity capabilities, and AI expertise. This centre will be the largest innovation space in Asia Pacific, focusing on advancing AI across the region. “Trust is the currency of the AI economy,” Khan noted, emphasising the importance of data in transforming payments into seamless experiences.
Mastercard’s efforts are supported by a global network of over 2,000 data scientists and engineers, reinforcing its long-standing use of AI in fraud detection and risk management. The new centre aims to build a foundation for secure, interoperable, and inclusive AI-initiated payments across Southeast Asia.
