The Hong Kong Monetary Authority launched Project SAGE on November 2, 2026 to support the development and adoption of agentic finance, meaning financial services in which AI agents act for customers or firms. SAGE stands for Securing Agentic Finance with Governance and Enablement.
The project has four areas.
Use cases. The HKMA names consumer cases such as agentic commerce and everyday payments, business cases such as procurement and treasury management, and machine-to-machine cases such as usage-based payments for digital services.
Agent identity. The project will explore how to verify an AI agent's identity and the authority delegated to it, including Know Your Agent practices and authentication.
Interoperability. Industry discussion on standards and protocols so agents can interact securely across the ecosystem.
Law and regulation. Governance arrangements, liability and consumer protection.
The HKMA also set up an Agentic Finance Expert Group of financial institutions, technology providers, professional service firms and academics. Chief Executive Eddie Yue said the aim is to foster innovation while safeguarding the stability of the financial system.
A day later, on November 3, the Monetary Authority of Singapore said its Future of Finance Institute had started operations, beginning with AI in finance. One of its three pillars will develop practices and tools for the safe use of AI agents in financial services.
Why this matters
Two major Asian regulators are now working on the same questions: how to identify an agent, what it is allowed to do and who is liable when it acts. Firms building agent access to accounts or payments will be asked for answers to all three.
Sources: HKMA press release, MAS media release.
This article is for information only and is not an investment recommendation.
This article is not legal advice.
