Hong Kong Monetary Authority launches Project SAGE for AI agent governance in finance
The HKMA opened a framework on November 2, 2026, to oversee AI agents in financial services with industry and academic input.
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The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) launched Project SAGE on November 2, 2026, to support the responsible development and adoption of agentic finance in Hong Kong. SAGE, which stands for Securing Agentic Finance with Governance and Enablement, was announced at Hong Kong FinTech Week.
The authority established an Agentic Finance Expert Group comprising financial institutions, technology service providers, professional service firms, and academics to guide the initiative.
Project SAGE covers four work areas. The first, market development and use-case exploration, involves industry participants testing agentic finance applications. The HKMA identified consumer-facing commerce, everyday payments, business procurement, treasury management, and machine-to-machine payments for digital services as potential use cases.
The second area focuses on agent identity. The HKMA said it will explore methods to verify an AI agent’s identity and delegated authority, including Know Your Agent practices and authentication mechanisms. These measures aim to enable agents to participate in financial activities on trusted terms. Know Your Agent extends existing customer due diligence processes to software acting on behalf of individuals or companies, addressing questions of identity, authority, and operational limits.
The third area addresses interoperability, with the HKMA facilitating industry discussions on standards and protocols for secure interactions across the agentic finance ecosystem. The fourth area covers legal and regulatory questions, including governance, liability, and consumer protection.
Eddie Yue, Chief Executive of the HKMA, said, “Agentic finance has the potential to transform how financial services are delivered and utilised.” Yue stated the initiatives aim to encourage innovation while ensuring agentic finance serves users’ interests and safeguards financial stability.
The HKMA said agentic AI technologies are maturing, with the financial industry moving beyond internal adoption to explore how AI agents can improve efficiency and security in financial services. It added that associated risks and challenges require proper attention.