DBS Hong Kong Partners Preface on Practical AI Education Skills

DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited today announced a partnership with Preface, a leading tech-enablement company, to help customers build practical AI readiness for everyday life and work. The collaboration extends DBS’s ongoing work with Visa, a global digital payment leader, including its participation in Visa’s Agentic Ready programme, which prepares issuers and ecosystem partners for the next generation of secure, AI-powered commerce.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in how consumers discover, compare and transact, DBS believes customers will benefit from accessible education and AI tools offered by Preface. This will enable them to understand and use AI with greater confidence while the bank continues exploring secure, issuer-led payment experiences for AI-enabled transactions with Visa.

According to a recent Visa study, up to 74% of consumers in Asia Pacific have used AI-powered tools for product searches, price tracking or research. AI is evolving from offering recommendations to proactive execution. Under Agentic Commerce, AI agents are expected to handle the entire shopping journey under secure authorisation from searching and comparing prices to executing payments while ensuring consumers maintain clear visibility and control.

Against this backdrop, the partnership with Preface is designed to complement DBS’s payment innovation agenda by equipping customers with the knowledge and practical tools needed to participate confidently in an AI-enabled future.

As AI agents increasingly take part in consumption and payment flows, DBS believes the card of the future must be both intelligent and trusted. As the first issuer in Asia-Pacific to pilot Visa Intelligent Commerce, DBS has demonstrated through live pilot transactions how AI agents can securely complete everyday payments on behalf of customers using an issuer-led authentication process. This work forms the foundation of DBS’s Agent Ready roadmap. The new collaboration with Preface broadens the proposition by helping customers build the AI literacy and hands-on skills required to benefit from these emerging capabilities.

Visa’s Agentic Ready programme combines existing network infrastructure with advanced tokenisation, authentication and risk controls. It provides issuers with a comprehensive testing framework to safely explore how AI agents can execute payments on consumers’ behalf. Through its ongoing collaboration with Visa, DBS is exploring how AI agents backed by user consent and robust safeguards can automatically identify rewards, search for offers and complete purchases, establishing a trustworthy environment for consumers.

Emily Ip, Managing Director, Head of Cards and Unsecured Lending, Consumer Banking Group and Wealth Management at DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, said: “AI is reshaping how customers live, work and transact. As we continue working with Visa to explore secure Agentic Commerce and make our cards Agent Ready, we also recognise that customers need practical knowledge and tools to take advantage of AI confidently. Our partnership with Preface brings this to life by making AI education more accessible, hands-on and relevant to customers’ everyday needs.”

Paulina Leong, General Manager of Visa Hong Kong and Macau, said: “Trust is the foundation for unlocking the full potential of agentic commerce at scale. Building that trust requires more than secure technology. It also means helping consumers better understand how AI can assist them while ensuring they remain in control. Through Visa’s trusted global network and payments infrastructure, we are helping to make AI-powered shopping safe, seamless and reliable, enabling a frictionless end-to-end shopping experience. We are proud to partner with DBS Hong Kong on this initiative and look forward to helping shape a future where consumers can embrace AI-powered commerce with confidence.”

Through the partnership with Preface, DBS Hong Kong will launch exclusive hands-on AI experience workshops designed to translate complex technology concepts into practical, accessible learning. The workshops will help customers understand how to use AI tools more effectively from improving prompts and tailoring AI responses to building customised AI assistants for everyday scenarios.

During the launch briefing, Preface instructors demonstrated a range of practical AI applications, including prompt engineering, AI assistant design, Computer-using Agents and Agent Orchestrators. These demonstrations showed how AI tools can support learning, productivity and daily task coordination, giving attendees a firsthand view of how rapidly AI is becoming part of daily life and work.

Starting in September 2026, DBS Credit Cardholders who subscribe to designated AI tools can receive a free chance to access an exclusive AI Experience Workshop via the “DBS Credit Cards Subscription Bonus Club.” Cardholders can also enjoy up to 15% off when enrolling in Preface AI courses with a DBS Credit Card. Additional privileges will later be available for DBS Visa Credit Cardholders when subscribing to designated AI tools through the same programme, further supporting customers as they explore and adopt AI tools in practical ways.

Also Read: DBS, UOB Prioritize AI Reskilling Over Job Cuts, Say Executives

DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia with a presence in 19 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, the bank operates across Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. It holds some of the highest credit ratings in the world and has been recognised as “World’s Best Bank” by Global Finance, Euromoney and The Banker. DBS has also been named “World’s Best AI Bank” by Global Finance and “Safest Bank in Asia” by Global Finance for 17 consecutive years from 2009 to 2025.

The bank provides a full range of consumer, SME and corporate banking services and remains committed to leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking while building lasting relationships with customers across Asia.