Eric Jing, Chairman of Ant Group, outlined a vision for inclusive AI and digital financial innovation during a panel discussion at the Singapore FinTech Festival on November 14, 2025. Speaking on the theme of “Steering the Global Future,” Jing emphasized Ant Group’s mission to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with advanced AI and tokenisation tools to drive global productivity and financial inclusion. Jing highlighted the emergence of agentic payment systems as a transformative force in commerce, where AI agents act as virtual CFOs and COOs for SMEs. These intelligent systems can autonomously manage payment integrations, risk settings, and chargeback responses, significantly reducing operational burdens. Antom, Ant Group’s international merchant services arm, has already deployed Antom Copilot, which has cut payment integration time by over 90%, improved chargeback win rates by 3 percentage points, and reduced resolution time by 46%. To further support SMEs, Antom launched EPOS360, a unified app that integrates point-of-sale systems, payments, banking, lending, and business growth tools. This platform is designed to help micro, small, and medium enterprises transition smoothly from setup to scale. Jing also pointed to the growing role of tokenised money in enabling real-time, cross-border settlements. He stressed that such innovations are especially beneficial for SMEs engaged in global trade, and praised the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for its leadership in creating a regulatory environment that fosters innovation while managing risk. Ant International’s collaboration with MAS through initiatives like Project Guardian and PathFin.ai exemplifies successful public-private partnership. Under Project Guardian, Ant has contributed to pilot projects in tokenised money and cross-border payments, demonstrating the potential for faster, more transparent, and secure global transactions. Through PathFin.ai, Ant is sharing expertise in AI implementation, including its Falcon Time-Series Transformer (TST) Model—a high-capacity 8.5-billion-parameter AI system designed for foreign exchange and liquidity forecasting. The model has enhanced accuracy in predicting cash flow, helping businesses lower hedging costs amid economic volatility. Jing expressed appreciation for MAS’s regulatory sandboxes, which provide a safe space to test new technologies, refine products, and ensure responsible deployment. “We cannot shy away from new technology,” he said. “The right approach is to harness its benefits while proactively managing risks.” Headquartered in Singapore, Ant International became an independent entity in 2024 and now works with over 1,400 institutional partners. It serves 150 million merchants and operates through a global network of wallets and national QR systems, reaching more than 1.8 billion consumer accounts across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America.