Discus Fish of Cobo and Samuel Tse of Animoca Brands discuss how AI agents, digital identity and blockchain could change the way money moves.
Updated
November 2, 2026 12:03 PM
The Agentic Economy Summit at CVCF 2026 explores how AI agents and digital assets could shape the future of business and finance. IMAGE: CYBERPORT
For an AI agent to manage money on someone’s behalf, it needs more than the ability to follow instructions. It must be able to establish whom it represents, access funds and transact within agreed limits.
These are among the questions informing the discussion of AI and digital assets at Cyberport Venture Capital Forum (CVCF) 2026. Ahead of the forum, Discus Fish, CEO and Co-founder of Cobo, and Samuel Tse, Head of Investment and Corporate Finance at Animoca Brands, shared their views on how this convergence could develop—and where they see opportunities for businesses.
Discus Fish points to a longstanding challenge: blockchain can be difficult for everyday users to navigate, but AI agents may find it easier to interact with these networks.
“Blockchains have always been hard for ordinary people to use. AI agents may be better users: the chain is fully transparent and every record is traceable, which suits agents well.”
His outlook comes with a qualification. Both the agents and the networks they would use still need to develop.
“Agents aren’t capable enough yet, and chains are still adapting. But once agents truly run on-chain, the number of users and what’s possible will grow by an order of magnitude.”
Discus Fish says blockchain could reshape how financial assets are issued, traded and settled over the next five years. He also notes that institutional adoption has progressed faster than Cobo initially expected, with individual users no longer leading the shift. “Since 2017, we have believed blockchain will become part of the financial infrastructure of the future. We expected individual users to lead, but institutions moved faster.”
For Fish, the next stage involves a broader range of assets and financial clients.
“What gets redefined next is how assets are issued, traded, and settled. As traditional assets like US equities come on-chain, a much wider range of financial clients will follow.”
Samuel Tse, Head of Investment and Corporate Finance at Animoca Brands, focuses on investment opportunities across digital assets and agentic AI. He sees digital identity as essential to allowing AI agents to act on behalf of people while keeping transactions within the permissions they set.
He believes users should set clear rules for what an AI agent can do, allowing it to complete transactions without requiring approval for each one.
“Once agents can prove who they represent, hold digital assets, and move value under clear rules, the economy stops being click-by-click. You set the policy once—who, how much, for what—and the agent transacts inside it.”
He describes applications ranging from everyday payments and transfers to subscriptions, swaps and earning returns on idle funds. “That’s agentic transactions: payments, transfers, subscriptions, swaps, even chasing a better rate on idle cash. Identity is the trust layer. Assets and credentials are the spending authority—always accountable to the human who granted permission.”
In Tse’s account, the human remains the source of that authority. The agent acts within the permissions granted to it.
To illustrate how AI agents, digital identity and digital assets might work together, Tse offers a hypothetical Hong Kong parent's weekday.
“A Hong Kong parent’s weekday: top up the child’s Octopus, book a weekend football slot, translate a school notice for the helper, check weather before pickup, restock milk at the member price, and keep leftover budget earning until tomorrow.”
At present, he says, completing these tasks requires navigating services that often operate separately.
“Today that means many apps that don't talk to each other, and rails that struggle with micro payments.”
His proposed alternative brings the tasks together under instructions established by the user.
“With an agent, they set the rules once and let it decide what to do. Identity unlocks trust and member prices without oversharing. Digital assets fit the money—per-use fees, hard limits, yield until spend.”
For Tse, this combination could create opportunities across payments, merchants, identity providers and digital-asset platforms. He compares the potential scale of agentic commerce to an earlier change in how consumers accessed services.
“The iPhone in 2007 rewired how people buy and use services for 20 years. We are just at the beginning of a similar paradigm shift, with outcomes we can barely imagine.”
Discus Fish and Samuel Tse offer two perspectives on the emerging agentic economy, from the blockchain infrastructure enabling transactions to the digital identity and permissions that allow AI agents to act on people's behalf. At CVCF 2026, these ideas will become part of a wider conversation with the leaders building and investing in this evolving space.
Be part of the conversation. Join industry leaders, founders and investors at CVCF 2026 on 4–5 November and explore the technologies and opportunities shaping the next phase of business.
Exclusive for Ventureport readers: Use code cvcf26vp to access a Full Access Pass for HK$300, subject to confirmation by the organiser.
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Where Hollywood magic meets AI intelligence — Hong Kong becomes the new stage for virtual humans
Updated
February 7, 2026 2:18 PM
William Wong, Chairman and CEO of Digital Domain. PHOTO: YORKE YU
In an era where pixels and intelligence converge, few companies bridge art and science as seamlessly as Digital Domain. Founded three decades ago by visionary filmmaker James Cameron, the company built its name through cinematic wizardry—bringing to life the impossible worlds of Titanic, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the Marvel universe. But today, its focus has evolved far beyond Hollywood: Digital Domain is reimagining the future of AI-driven virtual humans—and it’s doing so from right here in Hong Kong.
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“AI and visual technology are merging faster than anyone imagined,” says William Wong, Chairman and CEO of Digital Domain. “For us, the question is not whether AI will reshape entertainment—it already has. The question is how we can extend that power into everyday life.”
Though globally recognized for its work on blockbuster films and AAA games, Digital Domain’s story is also deeply connected to Asia. A Hong Kong–listed company, it operates a network of production and research centers across North America, China and India. In 2024, it announced a major milestone—setting up a new R&D hub at Hong Kong Science Park focused on advancing artificial intelligence and virtual human technologies. “Our roots are in visual storytelling, but AI is unlocking a new frontier,” Wong says. “Hong Kong has been very proactive in promoting innovation and research, and with the right partnerships, we see real potential to make this a global R&D base.”
Building on that commitment, the company plans to invest about HK$200 million over five years, assembling a team of more than 40 professional talents specializing in computer vision, machine learning and digital production. For now, the team is still growing and has room to expand. “Talent is everything,” says Wong. “We want to grow local expertise while bringing in global experience to accelerate the learning curve.”
Digital Domain’s latest chapter revolves around one of AI’s most fascinating frontiers: the creation of virtual humans.
These are hyperrealistic, AI-powered virtual humans capable of speaking, moving and responding in real time. Using the advanced motion-capture and rendering techniques that transformed Hollywood visual effects, the company now builds digital personalities that appear on screens and in physical environments—serving in media, education, retail and even public services.
One of its most visible projects is “Aida”, the AI-powered presenter who delivers nightly weather reports on the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). Another initiative, now in testing, will soon feature AI-powered concierges greeting travelers at airports, able to communicate in multiple languages and provide real-time personalized services. Similar collaborations are under way in healthcare, customer service and education.
“What’s exciting,” says Wong, “is that our technologies amplify human capability, helping to deliver better experiences, greater efficiency and higher capacity. AI-powered virtual humans can interact naturally, emotionally and in any language. They can help scale creativity and service, not replace it.”
To make that possible, Digital Domain has designed its system for compatibility and flexibility. It can connect to major AI models—from OpenAI and Google to Baidu—and operate across cloud platforms like AWS, Alibaba Cloud and Microsoft Azure. “It’s about openness,” says Wong. “Our clients can choose the AI brain that best fits their business.”
Establishing a permanent R&D base in Hong Kong marks a turning point for the company—and, in a broader sense, for the city’s technology ecosystem. With the support of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) in Hong Kong, Digital Domain hopes to make the city a creative hub where AI meets visual arts. “Hong Kong is the perfect meeting point,” Wong says. “It combines international exposure with a growing innovation ecosystem. We want to make it a hub for creative AI.”
As part of this effort, the company is also collaborating with universities such as the University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University to co-develop new AI solutions and nurture the next generation of engineers. “The goal,” Wong notes, “is not just R&D for the sake of research—but R&D that translates into real-world impact.”
The collaboration with OASES underscores how both the company and the city share a vision for innovation-led growth. As Peter Yan King-shun, Director-General of OASES, notes, the initiative reflects Hong Kong’s growing strength as a global innovation and technology hub. “OASES was set up to attract high-potential enterprises from around the world across key sectors such as AI, data science, and cultural and creative technology,” he says. “Digital Domain’s new R&D center is a strong example of how Hong Kong can combine world-class talent, technology and creativity to drive innovation and global competitiveness.”
Digital Domain’s story mirrors the evolution of Hong Kong’s own innovation landscape—where creativity, technology and global ambition converge. From the big screen to the next generation of intelligent avatars, the company continues to prove that imagination is not bound by borders, but powered by the courage to reinvent what’s possible.