GoCardless tests agentic charity payment under FCA oversight

GoCardless processed what it called the UK’s first agentic account-to-account payment, using an AI-driven checkout on its website to complete a donation to Trussell. A donor interacted with an AI agent from the initial enquiry through to setting up a Direct Debit mandate, with the process carried out under the Financial Conduct Authority’s AI Live Testing programme.

The donation flow lets users ask about Trussell’s work and choose a monthly gift of £5, £10 or £15, with each option explaining how the money will be used before bank details are entered for authorisation. The trial positions Direct Debit and recurring pay-by-bank as potential foundations for agentic payments, where software agents support the payment journey while customers retain final approval.

GoCardless said consumer control will be central to wider adoption, citing research that found 64% of UK consumers are open to AI managing recurring payments if they keep control over spending limits or final approval. Trussell said the conversational format could make recurring giving feel more natural and reduce friction for donors.