First major Swiss bank brings an AI agent into live market execution

Sygnum, a global digital asset banking group, today announced it has  become the first Swiss regulated bank to use an AI agent to test live digital asset market transactions, with the client  retaining custody, consent and control 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 globally. 

In a first for Swiss banking, client-issued plain text instructions have been used to execute multi-step live transactions on a  blockchain Mainnet. The Sygnum AI agent used these instructions and independently planned and prepared each step,  reviewed the relevant smart contracts, and flagged potential transaction risks before presenting each transaction to the client  for approval. Transactions are only signed through the client’s self-custodial wallet on their own device, ensuring private keys  do not leave client control at any time. Sygnum’s AI agent can be used to execute multi-step on-chain transactions for  stablecoin transfers, asset swaps, on-chain lending positions, token wrapping and liquidity provisioning.

The pilot was built using a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server built in-house by the AI@Sygnum team using Anthropic’s  Claude as the underlying AI model. MCP is a new open standard enabling AI and financial platforms to share context and data,  streamlining transactions while maintaining client control and security safeguards. The MCP-based architecture is model- and  asset-class agnostic, allowing the infrastructure to scale as the ecosystem develops.

Thomas Frei, Head of AI and Data Analytics and AI@Sygnum lead at Sygnum Bank, said:

Unlike architectures where AI agents with their own walletstransact autonomously, Sygnum’s approach enables clients to own,  hold and fully control their own wallets and assets at all times. This reflects a core principle of the AI@Sygnum program, where AI augments and enhances, but does not replace, human decision making or trusted personal relationships. This will benefit clients by enabling them to directly execute on-chain actions and access live market infrastructure, compose multi-step  workflows without code and use their wallets natively.

This “human-in-the-loop” design is central to Sygnum’s integration of its agentic AI roadmap into all areas of the group’s global  operations. The four key pillars of Sygnum’s organisational AI strategy are:

Sygnum’s human-led, AI-augmented approach comes at a time when regulators increasingly view the potential for AI agents  to act beyond the client’s intended scope as a risk for financial institutionsi. Sygnum’s AI governance on data, risk management,  transparency and accountability is designed to fully meet the highest regulatory, bank-grade standards. It also reinforces the  values that Sygnum private and institutional clients value most: trust, personal relationships and the vision to shape Future  Finance.

Sygnum’s MCP AI agent is not currently available to clients. Production deployment will be subject to full regulatory, compliance  and security reviews and approvals.