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New skill turns W Checkout into a plug-and-play payment rail for autonomous AI agents, covering both payment and acquiring across multiple chains with enterprise-grade human-in-the-loop controls.
SINGAPORE, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WSPN, the issuer of the WUSD stablecoin and a leading provider of Web3 payment infrastructure, today announced the launch of W Agent, a new AI Agent payment skill that enables autonomous agents to discover merchants, place orders, and settle payments in stablecoins end-to-end. Built on top of WSPN's existing W Checkout stack, W Agent is designed to become a default payment primitive for the rapidly growing AI agent economy.
As agentic commerce moves from demos to production, AI agents increasingly need to transact on behalf of users and enterprises — purchasing data, calling APIs, paying for compute, and coordinating with other agents. W Agent provides the missing payment layer for these workflows, with a clean separation between order orchestration and on-chain settlement.
Why W Agent
Most agent-payment solutions on the market today stop at one side of the transaction: they let an agent push a payment, but offer little or no support for the merchant side, or they cover only a single chain, or they bypass the human approval steps that enterprises require. W Agent is designed to close those gaps.
Compared with other agent-payment skills available today, W Agent is among the very few that simultaneously cover payment and acquiring, support multiple chains, and preserve human approval in the loop. That combination makes it well suited to enterprise compliance requirements and to the diversity of real-world commerce scenarios.
How It Works
W Agent connects buyer-side AI agents with merchants through a lightweight order and payment hub, while stablecoin settlement is handled by W Checkout. The hub orchestrates orders, accounting, and receipts but never custodies funds, keeping the trust model simple and auditable. W Agent exposes a single unified external interface, so partners can plug in within minutes — through a one-line command or simply by chatting with their agent — and the end-to-end experience flows naturally from discovery and ordering through on-chain payment to service delivery.
Built for Multiple Chains and Enterprise Use
W Agent supports multi-chain stablecoin settlement out of the box and allows per-transaction and per-day spending limits to be configured, balancing efficiency with compliance and control. Because the W Connector never custodies funds, the trust model remains simple and auditable: settlement runs on-chain through W Checkout, while the W Connector focuses on orchestration, accounting, and receipts.
Availability and Roadmap
WSPN has already released W Agent and is currently testing simultaneous support for both fiat and stablecoin payments. A major update to W Agent is expected in the near future.
"AI agents will not reach their potential until they can transact as easily as they can talk," said a spokesperson for WSPN. "W Agent gives every agent — and every merchant that wants to serve agents — a production-ready stablecoin payment rail, without forcing anyone to give up the compliance and control that enterprise commerce requires."
About WSPN
WSPN is a leading provider of next-generation stablecoin infrastructure, dedicated to building a more secure, efficient, and transparent global payment ecosystem. Our flagship stablecoin, WUSD, is fully backed and pegged 1:1 to the U.S. Dollar, serving as the foundation for a suite of integrated financial solutions. These solutions support a range of financial applications from institutional treasury management to programmable payments and decentralized finance. With a strong focus on transparency, regulatory compliance, and user accessibility, WSPN bridges the gap between Web3 innovation and traditional financial systems, driving the global adoption of stablecoins at scale.
Learn more: www.wspn.io | X | LinkedIn
New skill turns W Checkout into a plug-and-play payment rail for autonomous AI agents, covering both payment and acquiring across multiple chains with enterprise-grade human-in-the-loop controls.
SINGAPORE, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WSPN, the issuer of the WUSD stablecoin and a leading provider of Web3 payment infrastructure, today announced the launch of W Agent, a new AI Agent payment skill that enables autonomous agents to discover merchants, place orders, and settle payments in stablecoins end-to-end. Built on top of WSPN's existing W Checkout stack, W Agent is designed to become a default payment primitive for the rapidly growing AI agent economy.
As agentic commerce moves from demos to production, AI agents increasingly need to transact on behalf of users and enterprises — purchasing data, calling APIs, paying for compute, and coordinating with other agents. W Agent provides the missing payment layer for these workflows, with a clean separation between order orchestration and on-chain settlement.
Why W Agent
Most agent-payment solutions on the market today stop at one side of the transaction: they let an agent push a payment, but offer little or no support for the merchant side, or they cover only a single chain, or they bypass the human approval steps that enterprises require. W Agent is designed to close those gaps.
Compared with other agent-payment skills available today, W Agent is among the very few that simultaneously cover payment and acquiring, support multiple chains, and preserve human approval in the loop. That combination makes it well suited to enterprise compliance requirements and to the diversity of real-world commerce scenarios.
How It Works
W Agent connects buyer-side AI agents with merchants through a lightweight order and payment hub, while stablecoin settlement is handled by W Checkout. The hub orchestrates orders, accounting, and receipts but never custodies funds, keeping the trust model simple and auditable. W Agent exposes a single unified external interface, so partners can plug in within minutes — through a one-line command or simply by chatting with their agent — and the end-to-end experience flows naturally from discovery and ordering through on-chain payment to service delivery.
Built for Multiple Chains and Enterprise Use
W Agent supports multi-chain stablecoin settlement out of the box and allows per-transaction and per-day spending limits to be configured, balancing efficiency with compliance and control. Because the W Connector never custodies funds, the trust model remains simple and auditable: settlement runs on-chain through W Checkout, while the W Connector focuses on orchestration, accounting, and receipts.
Availability and Roadmap
WSPN has already released W Agent and is currently testing simultaneous support for both fiat and stablecoin payments. A major update to W Agent is expected in the near future.
"AI agents will not reach their potential until they can transact as easily as they can talk," said a spokesperson for WSPN. "W Agent gives every agent — and every merchant that wants to serve agents — a production-ready stablecoin payment rail, without forcing anyone to give up the compliance and control that enterprise commerce requires."
About WSPN
WSPN is a leading provider of next-generation stablecoin infrastructure, dedicated to building a more secure, efficient, and transparent global payment ecosystem. Our flagship stablecoin, WUSD, is fully backed and pegged 1:1 to the U.S. Dollar, serving as the foundation for a suite of integrated financial solutions. These solutions support a range of financial applications from institutional treasury management to programmable payments and decentralized finance. With a strong focus on transparency, regulatory compliance, and user accessibility, WSPN bridges the gap between Web3 innovation and traditional financial systems, driving the global adoption of stablecoins at scale.
Learn more: www.wspn.io | X | LinkedIn
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WSPN Launches W Agent: A Stablecoin Payment Skill Built for the AI Agent Economy
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hong Leong Bank ("HLB" or the "Bank") has been named the Best Managed Bank in Malaysia at The Asian Banker ("TAB") Global Leadership Achievement Awards 2026, attributed to the Bank modernizing its digital foundation, reducing dependency on legacy tech, and focusing on operational excellence and efficiency gains through its 3-5 year bankwide transformation plan.
Complementing this, Kevin Lam, HLB's Group Managing Director and CEO, was also named the Best Bank CEO in Malaysia, recognizing his pivotal role in orchestrating the Bank's transformation, including introducing a "Quantum Growth" goal that successfully transitioned HLB into a highly integrated, AI-driven financial institution. In its mission to deliver personalized banking solutions to its customers, the Bank implemented a "One Bank" strategy, eliminating legacy silos in favor of a unified, cross-functional ecosystem, which has yielded a market-leading Cost-to-Income Ratio ("CIR") that has consistently hovered below the 40% mark, a benchmark for operational efficiency in the region.
This growth was achieved alongside impeccable asset quality, where HLB continues to report a Gross Impaired Loan ("GIL") ratio of below 0.65%, significantly outperforming the industry average and demonstrating the Bank's foundation of robust credit risk management and data-centric underwriting.
Reflecting on the milestone, Kevin Lam commented, "This recognition may seem like a finish line, but for us it's a catalyst for our next phase of evolution. Our transformation journey was about building a future-ready infrastructure where AI and data-driven insights allow us to move from generic services to efficiently delivering hyper-personalized financial solutions. By integrating AI into the fabric of our bank, we are transitioning towards becoming a proactive partner. Whether through predictive wealth management or seamless digital onboarding journeys, our innovation is always anchored in our Built Around You promise, where we look for innovative solutions to cater to our customers' diversified needs. Looking ahead, we will continue to pioneer products that don't just meet market standards, but anticipate the specific, evolving needs of our customers in an increasingly complex global economy."
TAB attributed the awards to the Bank's disciplined navigation of a complex transformation, which has moved the institution from a position of stability to one of aggressive, tech-led growth. A central pillar of this recognition was the "One Bank" consolidated banking philosophy, which prioritized long-term customer outcomes through strategic branch transformation initiatives such as launching diversified branch models that cater to different segments of society, enabling the Bank to manage customers from across all segments effectively. For SME customers, HLB also offers solutions across their operations that meet the business owners' personal banking and business banking needs.
This is most evident in HLB's structured lifecycle migration model for SME banking, where growing retail SMEs are seamlessly transitioned to Commercial & Corporate Banking as they scale, ensuring the Bank retains holistic relationships by evolving alongside its clients rather than losing them to legacy institutional barriers.
The Bank has also consistently championed AI integration throughout its operations, and has recently democratised the use of AI by providing all its employees with access to AI tools, allowing employees to shift their focus from routine processing toward strategic problem-solving and high-value innovation.
HLB has recently accelerated its momentum through several strategic initiatives aimed at deepening its customer-centric ecosystem. Within the wealth management segment, HLB has enhanced its regional capabilities through a landmark strategic alliance between HLB Private Banking and Lombard Odier, blending global private banking excellence with local market insights. This was further complemented by the refresh of HLB Priority, which transitioned the affluent segment toward an advisory-led model focused on long-term stewardship. Simultaneously, the Bank elevated its Shariah-compliant offerings via the rebranding of HLB Islamic, introducing the Hayat @ HLB Islamic proposition to provide holistic, value-based financial solutions. To ensure physical accessibility remains a priority, the Bank also introduced the innovative Meet @ HLB branch concept, providing flexible banking services and specialized support within the heart of Malaysia's growing townships.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Hong Leong Bank Awarded Best Managed Bank in Malaysia by The Asian Banker, Group MD/CEO Kevin Lam Named Best Bank CEO in Malaysia
