Real-time payments have arrived in the US, with a launch of a RTP system by bank-owned The Clearing House. It is the first payments system to be built in the US in nearly 40 years, reports the FT, with the US payments sector still dominated by cheque and credit card use. Compared to the RTP systems already in place in the UK and other countries, the new US system allows for more information to be sent along with payments. Standard Chartered is to roll out an AI-powered chatbot across its call centres, mobile channels and online channels, beginning in Hong Kong next year. The 'natural language' chatbot is being trained to help bank customers with managing money, making payments and analysing their spending, reports Finextra. HSBC is to pay €300 million to French authorities for helping the clients of its Swiss private bank evade taxes, reports the FT. The bank agreed to the settlement of a long-running investigation launched after French authorities obtained data downloaded by a former HSBC IT specialist in 2008. HSBC is still being investigated in the US and Belgium over the issue of actively assisting clients evade taxes.