Agentic Finance & The Trust Paradox: When AI Agents Handle the Money with Ant Digital Technologies

In Episode Four of THE SHIFT, Danny Levy explores one of the biggest questions emerging in financial services today:What happens when AI doesn’t just assist humans… but starts acting on their behalf?Joining him is Garry Sien - a fintech and AI leader and Chief Innovation and Solutions Officer, International at Ant Digital Technologies. He is working at the intersection of financial infrastructure, digital trust, and next-generation platform innovation. Recorded onsite at Money20/20 Asia, this conversation dives deep into the rise of agentic finance: a world where AI agents can execute trades, approve loans, move money across borders, and make decisions in real time with minimal human intervention.Together, they unpack the shift from the super-app era to what comes next: intelligent, autonomous financial ecosystems built around AI agents capable of acting — not just advising.But with that shift comes a far bigger challenge:How do you build trust into systems where humans are no longer directly in the loop?The conversation explores:Why the super-app model was only the beginningWhat “agentic platforms” actually look like in practiceThe accountability debate surrounding AI-driven financial decisionsWhether regulators may eventually treat AI agents more like digital employees than software infrastructureWhy trust, auditability, and reversibility could become foundational requirements for financial AI systemsThe balance between innovation speed and systemic riskHow banks and fintechs can compete in a world moving beyond closed big-tech ecosystemsWhat’s real today versus what’s still hype in agentic financeWhich institutions are best positioned to win over the next 3–5 yearsDrawing on Garry’s experience across fintech, cloud, cybersecurity, and AI strategy, the discussion moves beyond surface-level AI hype and into the practical realities of building financial systems that are autonomous, scalable, and trusted.Grounded, thought-provoking, and highly relevant for leaders across banking, fintech, payments, and policy, this episode examines the infrastructure, governance, and trust models that could define the next era of financial services.Because this isn’t just about technology shifting.It’s about how decisions get made… and who we trust to make them.That’s THE SHIFT.