Photo: Thomas Frei © Sygnum
§ First regulated Swiss bank to use AI agents to test on-chain transactions in live conditions, with the client validating every action and private keys never leaving their device
§ Model- and asset-class-agnostic architecture capable of turning client instructions in free text into multi-step on-chain operations involving stablecoins, tokenised equities, gold and securities
§ Validates Sygnum’s “Human-in-the-Loop” strategy, in which AI augments and strengthens — rather than replaces — human decision-making and trusted personal relationships
§ Developed by AI@Sygnum, the team responsible for building agent-driven workflows across customer experience, regulated innovation, organisational efficiency and operational excellence
Sygnum, the global banking group specialising in digital assets, announced today that it has become the first regulated Swiss bank to use an AI agent to test digital asset transactions in live market conditions, while the client retains custody, consent and control over their assets at every step. This is the latest initiative from AI@Sygnum, which leads the development, integration and governance of agent-driven workflows across the Group.
In a first for the Swiss banking sector, free-text instructions issued by the client were used to execute multi-step live transactions on a blockchain Mainnet. Sygnum’s AI agent used those instructions to autonomously plan and prepare each step, analyse the relevant smart contracts and flag potential transaction risks, before submitting every operation for client approval. Transactions are signed only from the client’s self-custodied wallet on their own device, ensuring that private keys never leave the client’s control. Sygnum’s AI agent can be used to execute multi-step on-chain transactions involving stablecoin transfers, asset swaps, on-chain lending positions, token wrapping and liquidity provision.
The pilot was developed using an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server built in-house by the AI@Sygnum team, powered by Anthropic’s Claude as the underlying AI model. MCP is a new open standard that enables AI and financial platforms to share context and data, streamlining transactions while preserving client control and security safeguards. The MCP-based architecture is model- and asset-class-agnostic, enabling the infrastructure to scale as the ecosystem grows.
Thomas Frei, Head of Data Analytics and AI@Sygnum at Sygnum Bank, said : « Connecting AI agents to wallets is fundamental to the future of finance. The next decade will see agents transact, settle trades and interact with markets on behalf of clients. The core challenge is to do this in a way that preserves — and even strengthens — consent, custody and trust to bank-grade standards. That is what we sought to solve, and what this pilot demonstrates: that a regulated Swiss bank can offer clients the speed, simplicity and accessibility of agent-driven execution without ever relinquishing control of their assets. »
Unlike architectures in which AI agents with their own wallets conduct transactions autonomously, Sygnum’s approach allows clients to own, hold and fully control their wallets and assets at all times. This reflects a founding principle of the AI@Sygnum programme: AI augments and strengthens, rather than replaces, human decision-making and trusted personal relationships. Clients will therefore benefit from the ability to execute on-chain actions directly and access real-time market infrastructure, compose multi-step workflows without writing a single line of code, and use their wallets natively.
This human-in-the-loop design is central to Sygnum’s integration of its agentic AI roadmap across the group’s global operations. The four pillars of Sygnum’s organisational AI strategy are:
Sygnum’s human-centred, AI-enhanced approach comes at a time when regulators are increasingly viewing the prospect of AI agents operating beyond the scope intended by the client as a risk for financial institutions. Sygnum’s AI governance on data, risk management, transparency and accountability is designed to fully meet the highest regulatory requirements and bank-grade standards. It also reinforces the values most prized by Sygnum’s private and institutional clients: trust, personal relationships and the ambition to shape the Finance of the Future.
Sygnum’s MCP AI agent is not yet available to clients. Its production rollout will be subject to all required regulatory, compliance and security reviews and approvals.
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