Ant International's Strategic Edge in Agentic Commerce and Liquidity AI for SMEs

In the rapidly evolving landscape of global fintech, Ant International has emerged as a formidable force, leveraging AI and blockchain to redefine payment solutions for SMEs in emerging markets. By integrating agentic commerce and liquidity AI into its core strategies, the company is not only addressing operational inefficiencies but also unlocking new avenues for financial inclusion and cross-border trade. This analysis explores Ant International's innovations, their regional impact, and the investment implications of its forward-looking approach.

Agentic Commerce: Automating the Payment Lifecycle

Ant International's Antom Copilot, an AI agent designed for merchant payment and operations management, exemplifies its commitment to agentic commerce. By automating tasks such as onboarding, risk control, and dispute resolution, Antom Copilot has reduced integration time for merchants by over 90% and improved dispute-handling efficiency by 46%. This tool is part of a broader strategy to deploy domain-specific agentic AI, enabling SMEs to manage complex payment workflows with minimal human intervention.

Complementing this is EPOS360, an AI-powered application that integrates point-of-sale systems, payments, banking, and lending. For SMEs in markets with fragmented financial infrastructure, EPOS360 offers a unified platform to scale operations, reduce costs, and access growth-oriented services. These innovations align with Ant International's vision of creating a "self-driving" commerce ecosystem, where AI agents handle repetitive tasks while allowing businesses to focus on strategic growth.

Liquidity AI: Predictive Power for Cash Flow Management

Ant International's Falcon Time-Series Transformer (TST) model represents a breakthrough in liquidity management. By leveraging machine learning to predict cash flow and liquidity needs, the model has improved forecasting accuracy for SMEs, enabling them to reduce hedging costs by up to 30% in sectors like aviation and e-commerce. This capability is particularly valuable in emerging markets, where currency volatility and limited access to traditional financial tools often hinder business planning.

The company's collaboration with Citi and UBS further amplifies its liquidity AI capabilities. For instance, the partnership with UBS on blockchain-based tokenized deposits and real-time cross-border payments has streamlined treasury management for Ant International, using its proprietary Whale platform to facilitate multi-currency transactions. These initiatives underscore Ant International's ability to combine AI-driven analytics with blockchain's transparency to create resilient financial systems.

Regional Impact: Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa

Ant International's strategies are gaining traction in key emerging markets. In Southeast Asia, the company's blockchain partnerships have enabled near-instant cross-border FX settlements, such as USD to EUR transactions, through platforms like Kinexys Digital Payments. This addresses critical pain points in regions where traditional banking infrastructure is underdeveloped. Additionally, Ant's investments in local fintechs like GCash (Philippines) and Akulaku (Indonesia) have expanded its reach to millions of unbanked users, reinforcing its role as a catalyst for financial inclusion.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of blockchain and AI is equally transformative. According to Chainalysis, the region saw a 52% year-over-year increase in on-chain value, totaling over $205 billion between July 2024 and June 2025. Ant International's focus on tokenized money and stablecoins aligns with this trend, as these tools address currency volatility and facilitate low-cost cross-border transactions. For example, Nigeria's surge in stablecoin usage-accounting for 43% of its $59 billion in crypto transactions in 2025-highlights the demand for solutions that Ant's liquidity AI and blockchain infrastructure can meet.

Strategic Collaborations and Future Prospects

Ant International's partnerships with global players like Mastercard and Visa are pivotal to its expansion. The pilot of card-based agentic payments with these giants aims to create secure, seamless checkout experiences, blending AI-driven decision-making with blockchain's fraud-resistant architecture. Such collaborations not only validate Ant's technological prowess but also position it to capture a significant share of the global digital payments market.

Looking ahead, the company's focus on trusted AI and tokenization is likely to drive further innovation. At Hong Kong Fintech Week 2025, Ant's Chairman, Eric Jing, emphasized AI's role in automating financial operations and tokenized deposits in enhancing settlement speed. These efforts, coupled with Ant's expanding regulatory licenses in markets like Singapore and Luxembourg, suggest a robust pipeline for growth.

Investment Implications

For investors, Ant International's strategic edge lies in its ability to merge cutting-edge AI with blockchain to solve real-world problems in emerging markets. The company's initiatives have already demonstrated measurable impact: over 30 million SMEs have benefited from its Bettr credit tech solutions, and its Falcon TST model has delivered tangible cost savings for clients. As AI adoption in Africa's financial sector is projected to grow at a 27.4% CAGR, reaching $16.53 billion by 2030, Ant's early mover advantage positions it to capitalize on this expansion.

However, challenges remain. Regulatory scrutiny in key markets and the need for continuous innovation in AI security could pose risks. Yet, Ant's partnerships with institutions like Hong Kong Polytechnic University and its focus on ethical AI governance indicate a proactive approach to mitigating these concerns.

Conclusion

Ant International's integration of agentic commerce and liquidity AI is reshaping the payment landscape for SMEs in emerging markets. By automating workflows, enhancing liquidity forecasting, and leveraging blockchain for transparency, the company is addressing systemic inefficiencies while fostering financial inclusion. As global demand for AI-driven fintech solutions grows, Ant International's strategic initiatives present a compelling case for long-term investment.