KUALA LUMPUR — Asean should establish a regional anti-scam intelligence exchange to enable regulators, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, enforcement agencies and digital platforms to share information more quickly in the fight against fraud.
Axiata Group Bhd Group Chief Business and Technology Officer Thomas Hundt said various organisations already held valuable data and network insights, but these resources needed to be combined to improve the detection and disruption of scams, Bernama reported.
He said the proposed platform should bring together banks, telecommunications operators, regulators, law enforcement agencies, technology providers and digital platforms to strengthen regional efforts.
“The fraudsters are always ahead of us, frankly speaking, so we need to bring our intelligence together to fight them. Collaboration is a must, and the exchange of information and data points is a must.
“The exchange should involve banks, operators, regulators, law enforcement agencies, technology providers and platform operators,” he said during a panel discussion titled “Strengthening Digital Trust-Policy and Governance Responses to Scams and Fraud” at the Digital Trust Summit held in conjunction with M360 ASEAN 2026 here today.
Meanwhile, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Head of Office for Malaysia and Indonesia Erik van der Veen said national anti-scam response centres were crucial in coordinating efforts between governments and industries.
He noted that several ASEAN countries had already established such centres, which could become platforms for sharing best practices and experiences across jurisdictions.
“Ideally, we would have them across the region,” said Van der Veen, who is also UNODC liaison to ASEAN.
Meta Global Director of Messaging and API Partnerships Pushpendra Singh said broader adoption of standardised network application programming interfaces (APIs) could help digital platforms receive stronger fraud-related signals from telecommunications providers.
He added that ASEAN also required simpler collaboration mechanisms and frameworks that would allow information to be shared and acted upon swiftly while maintaining legal and privacy safeguards.
“If you are waiting for a perfect solution, it won’t happen, because by that time billions and trillions will be lost to scams and fraud,” he said.
Ericsson Director of Government and Policy Advocacy for Southeast Asia Jonathan Turley also called for greater 5G adoption, alongside stronger security requirements for the information and communications technology supply chain.
M360 ASEAN 2026, organised by the GSM Association (GSMA) on Sept 9 and 10 in Kuala Lumpur, brings together ministers, regulators and industry leaders to discuss digital trust, artificial intelligence, resilient infrastructure and regional digital integration.
The event, held for the first time in the ASEAN region and Malaysia, is endorsed by the Ministry of Communications, with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) serving as host partner. – September 9, 2026