Mastercard will proceed a rollout of authenticated AI-driven transactions across parts of Southeast Asia, alongside plans to establish a regional artificial intelligence center in Singapore, the company said in a press release on Monday.

The initial deployment of these “agentic transactions” has taken place in Singapore and Malaysia, with further expansion to other ASEAN markets expected. The system allows AI agents to initiate transactions on behalf of users, with built-in authentication and verification measures. Mastercard conducted early testing in collaboration with United Overseas Bank (UOB), leveraging the bank’s regional network. Additional partnerships with local banks supported country-specific implementations.

According to Mastercard, these early pilots are intended to demonstrate that AI-enabled transactions can operate securely and transparently across different markets, laying the groundwork for broader adoption.

The company also introduced “Agent Pay,” a framework designed to support AI-powered commerce. It incorporates tokenized credentials, user authorization tracking, and audit systems to ensure that transactions initiated by AI agents reflect consumer intent. A related concept, “Verifiable Intent,” developed in collaboration with Google, creates a tamper-resistant record of user authorization for such transactions.

Mastercard said these measures aim to address trust and accountability concerns as AI plays a larger role in commerce.

Mastercard also confirmed plans to launch an AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore later this year. The facility will combine research, cybersecurity capabilities, and data expertise, forming the company’s largest innovation hub in the Asia-Pacific region. Mastercard has used artificial intelligence (AI) in areas such as fraud detection and risk management for more than a decade, supported by global teams of data scientists and engineers.

The expansion reflects growing efforts within ASEAN to prepare financial systems for AI-integrated services, particularly as digital payments and automated commerce continue to evolve.

Mastercard and Thunes team up to bring stablecoin payouts to the mainstream