DBS Hong Kong has partnered with Preface to provide customers with AI education and hands-on workshops, addressing the shift toward AI-powered shopping where agents autonomously search, compare, and complete purchases.
The partnership builds on DBS's collaboration with Visa on Visa Agentic Ready, a program that equips banks to let AI agents execute secure payments on behalf of customers.
Since 74% of Asia Pacific consumers already use AI tools for shopping tasks, DBS aims to help customers understand and confidently adopt these emerging capabilities while maintaining control.
What happened
DBS Bank (Hong Kong) announced a partnership with Preface, a tech-enablement company, to offer customers practical AI education and tools. The partnership complements DBS's existing work with Visa on making payment cards Agent Ready—enabling AI agents to execute transactions securely on behalf of customers with proper authorization.
Why it matters
According to Visa's study, up to 74% of consumers in Asia Pacific have already used AI-powered tools for product searches and price tracking. As AI agents begin handling entire shopping journeys—from searching and comparing prices to executing payments—DBS believes customers need practical knowledge to use these capabilities confidently and maintain control over their data.
What to watch
Starting September 2026, DBS Credit Cardholders subscribing to designated AI tools can access exclusive AI Experience Workshops free through the DBS Credit Cards Subscription Bonus Club. Cardholders enrolling in Preface AI courses with a DBS Credit Card can receive up to 15% off, with additional privileges coming later for DBS Visa Credit Cardholders.
Ask the AI about this article →
The partnership reflects a broader shift in how AI is reshaping consumer commerce. According to Visa's research cited in the announcement, 74% of consumers in Asia Pacific have already adopted AI-powered tools for shopping tasks like product searches and price tracking—a clear signal that AI adoption is not a future scenario but an active present. DBS's dual-track approach—combining payment infrastructure innovation (through Visa Agentic Ready) with consumer education (through Preface)—addresses a specific gap: while the technology for AI agents to execute transactions securely is advancing, customers themselves may lack the literacy to understand and trust these capabilities. Emily Ip from DBS notes that "customers need practical knowledge and tools to take advantage of AI confidently," positioning education as essential to unlocking the value of AI-enabled payments. The timing aligns with DBS's pilot of Visa Intelligent Commerce, which has already demonstrated live transactions where AI agents securely complete everyday payments using issuer-led authentication. This means the bank is moving from proof-of-concept toward scaling, and customer readiness becomes a business prerequisite.
For example, today's edition would include:
AI-summarized, only the topics you pick — one digest a day via Email, Slack, or Discord.
Free · takes 30 seconds · unsubscribe anytimeWhat is AIToday? →
Ask AI anything about this article. Q&As are published on this page for other readers too.
Phonely Ltd. launched Alma, a large language AI model built for voice agents and trained on over 10 million re…
Aranya Inc., a startup founded last year, launched today with $11 million in funding
CBTS Technology Solutions LLC launched Forge Agents, a platform that turns a plain-language job description in…
Imec CEO Patrick Vandenameele said at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 that the Belgian research center is broadening its c…
Alphabet's AI Overviews now reach over 2.5 billion monthly users through Google Search, and its ad business ge…
Sarah O’Connor's book 'We Are Not Machines' explores how mechanization and AI have transformed the workforce…
