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Atome lines up US$345M debt as Southeast Asia fintechs shun equity

Singapore-based digital finance platform Atome has closed a US$345 million syndicated debt facility, extending its funding capacity as it scales consumer credit products across Southeast Asia.

The new facility is a sizeable increase from the US$200 million raised in 2024 and comes at a time when growth-stage startups in the region are increasingly favouring debt over equity amid a constrained venture capital market.

Also Read: Atome defies market headwinds with 63 per cent income surge, US$4B GMV run rate

The financing was led by HSBC with DBS Bank joining as a co-mandated lead arranger. Other participants in the syndicate include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), Baiduri Bank, and Cathay United Bank, alongside new lenders Fubon Bank and Shanghai Pudong Development Bank.

Atome said the capital will be used to expand Atome Financial’s regional loan portfolio, including its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) offering, consumer lending products, and the Atome Card, primarily across Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Debt over equity in a tighter funding market

The decision to raise debt reflects a broader shift among Southeast Asian fintechs towards non-dilutive funding as equity financing becomes more selective. With its BNPL business now profitable, Atome has been able to tap bank-led facilities to extend its runway and support new product launches without issuing new shares.

Regional data shows that debt deals in Southeast Asia reached a six-year high of 54 in 2024, driven by a rise in venture debt and private credit as venture capital investment slowed. For growth-stage companies with stable cash flows, debt has emerged as a lower-cost source of capital compared to equity.

Financial performance underpins lender interest

Atome Financial, which houses the group’s BNPL business, Atome Card and Kredit Pintar, reported operating income of US$236 million in FY2024, up 63 per cent year-on-year. Over the same period, gross merchandise volume (GMV) processed across its platforms rose 50 per cent to more than US$2 billion.

Growth continued into 2025. By mid-year, the group’s annualised net revenue had exceeded US$500 million, while annualised GMV reached US$6 billion. In December 2025, Atome recorded its highest monthly GMV to date, posting over 70 per cent year-on-year growth compared with December 2024.

The company reached EBITDA profitability in the first quarter of 2024, supported by BNPL margins and expansion into cards and lending products.

BNPL expansion across Southeast Asia

Atome’s expansion is taking place alongside rapid growth in BNPL adoption across Southeast Asia, driven by rising e-commerce penetration and limited access to traditional credit. In Asia Pacific, the BNPL market is projected to reach US$211.7 billion in 2025, growing 14.5 per cent year-on-year.

Also Read: Scaling with purpose: Atome’s fintech evolution and future outlook

Within Southeast Asia, BNPL-enabled e-commerce spend is expected to grow almost ninefold to US$8.83 billion GMV by 2025. Indonesia accounts for around 58 per cent of regional BNPL spending, while Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia are seeing accelerated uptake from smaller bases.

Banking partnerships and regional reach

The latest facility builds on Atome’s existing debt funding base. Previous raises include a US$100 million facility from HSBC in 2023, a US$200 million syndicated facility in 2024, and a US$80 million accordion facility with BlackRock and InnoVen Capital in 2025. The company also has longer-term bank relationships, including a US$500 million, 10-year commitment from Standard Chartered.

Banks involved in these facilities provide syndicated capital, risk oversight and flexibility to scale lending across markets including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Credit access for underbanked consumers

Part of Advance Intelligence Group, Atome uses AI-driven credit assessment to underwrite consumer lending in markets where credit card penetration remains below 10 per cent in several countries. Across its platforms, the group has cumulatively disbursed over US$4 billion in financing to consumers and works with thousands of merchants across the region.

The company’s consumer-facing apps have recorded more than 40 million downloads, reflecting sustained demand for alternative credit products in Southeast Asia’s underbanked markets.

Also Read: Atome secures debt funding from EvolutionX to expand credit portfolio, launch new products

Backed by investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Warburg Pincus, Northstar, and EDBI, Atome is positioning its expanding debt base as a way to maintain growth while preserving equity in an increasingly disciplined funding environment.

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The rise of the ‘hard unicorn’ in Southeast Asia

The era of the “easy unicorn” is officially over in Southeast Asia, replaced by a new standard of efficiency and investor scrutiny. Only two unicorns were created in 2025, a 33 per cent drop from the three minted in 2024.

According to the “SEA Tech Annual Funding Report 2025” by Tracxn, these two new entrants — Supabase and Sygnum — represent a more technical and resilient class of billion-dollar firms than their predecessors.

Also Read: Jakarta trails as Singapore tightens its grip on tech capital

The path to unicorn status has become significantly longer and more capital-intensive. On average, it now takes 3.8 years from a Series A round to reach a US$1 billion valuation, a sharp increase from the 0.7 years seen during the hyper-growth period of 2024.

Furthermore, companies are raising far more capital before reaching the milestone; the average funding before a unicorn round rose to US$281 million, nearly double the US$146 million average of the previous year.

Investor selectivity has also intensified. 2025’s unicorns had an average of 8.5 institutional investors involved before their milestone round, up from 4.7 in 2024. Leading global names such as Coatue, Y Combinator, and Accel were identified as the top investors backing these successful ventures. This suggests that a US$1 billion valuation now requires a “consensus of excellence” from multiple top-tier global firms.

Also Read: Southeast Asia’s startup boom is becoming a closed club

Supabase, an open-source application backend platform, and Sygnum, a digital asset banking specialist, exemplify the trend toward specialised, high-utility technology. Both firms raised substantial sums — US$401 million and US$160 million, respectively — before their unicorn rounds, proving that even in a tighter market, capital is available for “category-defining” players.

Today’s new unicorns are not just fast-growing startups; they are battle-scarred warriors that have had to survive a more rigorous and selective gauntlet than ever before.

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Stocks hit records as crypto pulls back on macro and leverage fears

New highs on January 12 and 13, 2026, were propelled by strong corporate earnings expectations and a wave of optimism ahead of key US inflation data. Beneath the surface of this bullish equity momentum lies a more cautious undercurrent in crypto markets, where macro uncertainty, regulatory delays, and speculative leverage have combined to trigger a short-term retreat.

US equities closed at record levels on Monday. The S&P 500 edged up 0.16 per cent to 6,977.27, the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.17 per cent to 49,590.20, and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.26 per cent to finish at 23,733.90.

These gains reflected investor confidence in resilient corporate fundamentals and hopes that December’s Consumer Price Index report, due Tuesday, January 13, would show cooling inflation, potentially clearing the path for future Federal Reserve rate cuts. Early Tuesday trading told a slightly different story, with Dow futures dipping as markets paused to reassess.

Also Read: Crypto rebounds as gold hits all-time high and oil surges on Iran tensions

In Asia, the mood remained exuberant. Japan’s Nikkei 225 soared over 3 per cent to an all-time high of 53,540.6, driven by Wall Street’s rally and speculation surrounding domestic political developments. The broader MSCI Asia Pacific Index also reached a record high, underscoring the region’s alignment with global risk-on sentiment.

Meanwhile, commodities responded to rising geopolitical tensions. Gold advanced as a haven amid concerns about political pressure on the Federal Reserve’s independence. At the same time, West Texas Intermediate crude oil rose 0.4 per cent to US$59.75 a barrel, reflecting ongoing unease over potential US intervention in Venezuela.

Against this backdrop, the crypto market moved in the opposite direction, falling 1.24 per cent over the past 24 hours. This decline aligns with a broader weekly decline of 3.31 per cent, despite a modest 1.2 per cent gain over the month.

Three interrelated forces explain the pullback.

First, stronger-than-expected US economic data has dampened expectations for near-term Fed rate cuts. That shift triggered US$454 million in net outflows from crypto investment products last week, with US-linked funds alone shedding US$569 million. The tight correlation between crypto and the Nasdaq 100, currently at +0.78, confirms that digital assets remain highly sensitive to macro liquidity signals.

Second, regulatory progress in Washington stalled. The Senate Agriculture Committee postponed its markup of a major crypto market structure bill to late January, citing the need for further bipartisan negotiations. While not a rejection of reform, the delay prolongs the fog of uncertainty that has long clouded institutional participation. Proposals under discussion, including potential bans on stablecoin yield mechanisms and unresolved governance questions, further complicate an already fragile policy landscape.

Third, excessive leverage amplified the downturn. Bitcoin liquidations spiked to US$50 million in 24 hours, a 73 per cent increase, while total crypto derivatives open interest climbed 18.3 per cent to US$716 billion. This combination suggests that speculative positioning had grown frothy, and even a modest price dip was enough to trigger cascading margin calls. Although funding rates remain slightly positive at +0.0028, signalling lingering bullish sentiment among perpetual traders, the surge in liquidations reveals how quickly sentiment can flip when macro conditions shift.

Also Read: Wallets, not smart contracts, were crypto’s biggest risk in 2025

The current crypto correction should not be mistaken for a structural breakdown. Instead, it reflects the natural recalibration of a maturing asset class responding to real-world catalysts. Equities may celebrate anticipated soft landings and contained inflation, but crypto markets, still tethered to liquidity expectations and policy clarity, react more violently to ambiguity. The coming days will prove pivotal. The CPI release on January 13 could either validate hopes for a dovish pivot or reinforce a higher-for-longer rate narrative. Simultaneously, any movement on the Senate crypto bill would offer much-needed directional clarity.

For now, the divergence between traditional markets and digital assets highlights a critical truth. While both respond to macroeconomic forces, cryptocurrency remains more exposed to regulatory uncertainty and leverage-driven volatility. Investors should watch whether daily liquidations stabilise below US$40 million, a sign that speculative excess is being flushed out without triggering more profound distress. In the longer arc, such corrections are not setbacks but necessary adjustments in a market striving for institutional legitimacy.

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Ecosystem Roundup: Atome secures US$345M debt; SEA tightens AI rules; ‘hard unicorns’ rise; SK Telecom curbs AI spam

Atome

Atome’s latest US$345M syndicated debt facility is more than a financing milestone; it is a signal of how Southeast Asia’s fintech winners are recalibrating for a tighter capital cycle.

In a market where equity funding remains selective and valuations are under pressure, Atome’s ability to scale through non-dilutive capital reflects both operational maturity and growing lender confidence.

What stands out is not just the size of the facility, but its timing. Debt is increasingly becoming the preferred instrument for profitable, growth-stage startups with predictable cash flows, and Atome fits that profile squarely.

With its BNPL business already profitable and revenue scaling rapidly, tapping bank-led credit allows the company to extend its lending book without sacrificing ownership or strategic flexibility.

The composition of the syndicate—led by HSBC and DBS, with participation from regional and global banks—also underscores a broader shift. Traditional financial institutions are no longer merely observers of Southeast Asia’s fintech boom; they are active enablers, providing structured capital and governance frameworks to help platforms scale responsibly.

Atome’s expansion across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines aligns with structural demand for alternative credit in underbanked markets, where card penetration remains low and digital consumption continues to rise. If executed well, this debt-led growth strategy could become a blueprint for regional fintechs navigating the post-easy-capital era—prioritising sustainability, discipline, and long-term value creation over rapid dilution-driven expansion.

REGIONAL

Atome lines up US$345M debt as Southeast Asia fintechs shun equity: Atome Financial, which houses the group’s BNPL business, Atome Card and Kredit Pintar, reported operating income of US$236M in FY2024, up 63% YoY. Over the same period, GMV processed across its platforms rose 50% to more than US$2B.

ICEx licence signals Indonesia’s shift from crypto speculation to infrastructure: ICEx’s licensing comes amid rapid growth in Indonesia’s crypto market. As of October 2025, the country recorded 19.08M crypto investors, representing roughly 6.7 to 6.9% of its population of around 280M.

Gojek founder Makarim urges GoTo to speak on Chromebook case: The request was presented in a letter read by Nadiem’s lawyer during a hearing at Jakarta’s Corruption Court on January 12. Makarim is accused of benefiting from US$48M linked to the digitalisation programme at Indonesia’s education ministry between 2019 and 2022.

Malaysia, Indonesia escalate AI oversight with temporary Grok block: The twin actions by Malaysia and Indonesia send a strong signal to global AI developers operating in Southeast Asia: rapid innovation without robust safeguards may invite swift regulatory intervention.

Meta-backed AI sales coaching startup Hupo nets US$10M Series A: Investors include DST Global, Goodwater Capital, and January Capital. Hupo offers AI sales coaching for banking, insurance, and financial services. It claims to serve dozens of customers in Asia Pacific and Europe, including Prudential, AXA, Manulife, HSBC.

Zeya Health wins Antler backing to ease SEA’s healthcare workforce crisis using AI: Antler and unnamed strategic angels invested. With regional staff shortages worsening, Zeya’s AI front desk automates scheduling and follow-ups for clinics across Asia Pacific.

Thai logistics startup Flash Group to exit Malaysia market: The move comes amid rising competition from e-commerce platforms with their own logistics networks and partnerships, putting pressure on independent delivery providers across Southeast Asia.

FEATURES & INTERVIEWS

The rise of the ‘hard unicorn’ in Southeast Asia: The path to unicorn status has become significantly longer and more capital-intensive. On average, it now takes 3.8 years from a Series A round to reach a US$1B valuation, a sharp increase from the 0.7 years seen during the hyper-growth period of 2024.

AI’s biggest bottleneck isn’t intelligence but fragmentation: i10X co-founder: As AI tools proliferate, i10X argues fragmentation—not intelligence—is the real bottleneck, betting on a neutral AI meta-layer where retention, workflows, and habitual usage matter more than hype or raw model performance.

The IPO window is open, and SEA startups are walking through: The region recorded 15 IPOs in 2025, a substantial 67% increase from the nine recorded in 2024. This trend suggests that the region’s most successful companies are increasingly viewing the public markets as their preferred endgame.

Gaming in SEA: Understanding the growing opportunity for SMEs and payment providers: The growth of the gaming industry in SEA signals a larger shift in digital behaviour—one that merges entertainment, commerce, and identity.

Kaspersky: Deepfakes emerge as a top cybersecurity concern for 2026: Deepfakes are no longer limited to manipulated videos of public figures; they are becoming a mainstream technology encountered by employees, consumers and organisations alike.

INTERNATIONAL

Taiwan launches US$3.2B fund to train 500,000 AI talents by 2040: The initiatives include creating a national computing centre and advancing technologies such as silicon photonics, quantum computing, and robotics. The government will roll out AI training courses for the public sector.

UAE fintech Mal raises US$230M to launch AI Islamic digital bank: Mal aims to launch the platform in 2026, targeting both underbanked communities and the global Muslim population. The company does not yet hold a banking or financial services license but is seeking regulatory approvals in multiple markets.

Meta urges Australia to rethink under-16 social media ban: Meta removed nearly 550,000 accounts believed to belong to teens in December. The company argued for industry-wide standards to create safer, age-appropriate experiences online instead of blanket bans.

OpenAI said to acquire healthtech startup Torch for US$60M: Torch was developing an AI-powered system to consolidate patient health data from multiple sources into a single platform. The acquisition follows OpenAI’s recent launch of ChatGPT Health, which allows users to connect medical records and wellness apps to its chatbot.

SK Telecom blocks 1.1B voice spam, phishing calls using AI: In 2024, It introduced an AI model that analyses call patterns to detect and block suspected phishing numbers not yet reported to authorities. The company said it blocked 250M voice spam and phishing calls, a rise of 119% YoY, and 850M spam texts, up 22%.

Meta reportedly to cut 10% of Reality Labs staff: Reality Labs, which has around 15,000 employees, develops products including virtual reality headsets and the metaverse. The layoffs could be announced as soon as December 13, and are expected to primarily affect teams working on the metaverse and related hardware.

MENA VC funding hits record US$3.8B in 2025: The report found that funding in the region rose 74% YoY, led by strong activity in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Fintech was the most active sector, drawing US$1.2B in 178 deals, while funding for AI startups hit US$820M.

SEMICONDUCTOR

Nvidia, US firm Eli Lilly to launch US$1B AI co-innovation lab: The lab will combine Lilly’s pharmaceutical expertise with Nvidia’s capabilities in AI and computing. The facility will use Nvidia’s BioNeMo platform and Vera Rubin architecture to develop AI models aimed at improving medicine development and production.

Chinese chipmaker GigaDevice jumps over 45% in HK debut: Retail demand for GigaDevice was high, with subscriptions exceeding the allocated shares by 542 times. GigaDevice designs memory chips, microcontroller units, analog chips, and sensor chips for use in consumer electronics, vehicles, and industrial devices.

Nvidia, S Korea ministry to set up AI R&D hub: The science ministry and the chip maker shared a consensus on the need to promptly establish Nvidia’s research and development facility in South Korea and discussed ways to jointly foster AI startups.

AI

AI and the rise of gaming entrepreneurs: AI is reshaping gaming by collapsing the boundaries between players, creators, and entrepreneurs—enabling community-driven creation, diversified monetisation, and independent game development at unprecedented scale and speed.

AI companions: How I learned friendship in the digital age: An exploration of how AI companions are reshaping friendship, alleviating loneliness, and redefining emotional connection—raising new psychological, ethical, and cultural questions about human relationships in an increasingly digital world.

The ASEAN AI rush: Why “move fast and break things” is a dangerous strategy for risk: Southeast Asia is racing to adopt generative AI, but founders risk regulatory, financial, and reputational fallout by neglecting explainability, governance, and operational resilience in high-stakes fintech applications.

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Stocks hit records as crypto pulls back on macro and leverage fears: Global equities surged to record highs on earnings optimism and CPI hopes, while crypto markets pulled back amid macro uncertainty, stalled regulation, and leverage-driven liquidations.

Looking beyond the bots: The unsexy digital skills that actually matter in 2026: This year, practical digital skills like data querying, dashboards, no-code automation, and security hygiene offer more leverage than AI hype.

Retail in Asia moves in real time– your data should too: Retail is entering a real-time era where live commerce, seamless omnichannel experiences, and AI-driven personalisation demand instant data streaming to meet rising consumer expectations and stay competitive.

Why hiring is so hard for startups in Southeast Asia: Startup hiring in the region faces structural friction, not talent scarcity, as founders prioritise risk reduction amid cultural, communication, and incentive mismatches in constrained, fast-moving teams.

Crypto rebounds as gold hits all-time high and oil surges on Iran tensions: Crypto markets rebounded as institutional tokenisation, Layer 1 momentum, and macro uncertainty shifted sentiment toward infrastructure-led adoption.

Why retailers must think like tech companies to thrive in a data-driven economy: Retailers that treat data, AI, and cybersecurity as core infrastructure are better positioned to scale and protect trust during peak shopping seasons.

Top 10 UN SDG problem-based sector opportunities for Southeast Asia and Pacific startups in 2026: The region’s biggest startup opportunities in 2026 lie in SDG-aligned, problem-driven innovation, spanning climate, food, energy, health, education, and inclusion-focused sectors with scalable regional impact.

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Rising trade tensions and fraud risks: Why Asia’s businesses must rethink payment security

As geopolitical tensions flare and protectionist policies re-emerge, the global trade landscape is once again entering turbulent waters. From sky-high tariffs on Chinese goods under the Trump administration to continuing disruptions in cross-border supply chains, businesses in the Asia Pacific (APAC) are bracing for renewed volatility.

But amidst the headlines on trade policy, another crisis is quietly gaining ground – one that is less visible but no less dangerous. For the first time, digital fraud has overtaken traditional fraud in APAC, and now accounts for the majority of the region’s total fraud losses. This is not just a shift in tactics, it is a transformation in how, where and why fraud occurs – and businesses must respond with equal agility. 

This trend is particularly alarming for Asia’s businesses that form the backbone of the region’s economy. Operating with limited financial and human resources, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lack dedicated IT departments and robust cybersecurity infrastructures. The Asia Foundation highlights that 78 per cent of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the region have experienced at least one cyber incident in the past year, ranging from phishing scams to ransomware attacks. 

Further compounding the challenge, mid-market companies (MNCs) – while larger in scale – face a unique set of pressures. They typically seek the flexibility and scalability of multi-provider orchestration, advanced fraud management, and localised payment methods to compete effectively across borders. However, like SMEs, they often operate with fewer internal resources than large enterprises, leaving them vulnerable to security gaps and operational inefficiencies.

Further, the mobile-first nature of many Asian markets exacerbates the issue. With 85 per cent of transactions in the region conducted on mobile devices, and 54 per cent of human-initiated fraud attacks targeting these channels, businesses are exposed to threats on platforms they heavily depend upon. Against this backdrop, businesses across Asia are operating in an environment that is uniquely vulnerable to digital fraud. Factors such as limited cybersecurity, accelerated digital adoption and mobile channel dependence, alongside others, combine to create ideal conditions for fraudsters to thrive.

Trade turbulence creates the perfect storm for fraud

At the same time, broader economic turbulence is adding further strain. As trade tensions escalate, companies are struggling to maintain the same level of operational consistency. To keep up, businesses look to recalibrate supply chains at speed – onboarding new vendors and logistics partners, rerouting payments across unfamiliar financial networks and adjusting to volatile FX fluctuations. Each of these changes introduces new points of vulnerability into payment ecosystems, often faster than businesses can secure them.

When coupled with the rise of AI-driven tools, this landscape has created a golden opportunity for fraudsters. Gone are the days of crude, easily detectable scams – today’s fraud is sophisticated, well-timed and often indistinguishable from legitimate activity until it is too late. In many cases, they occur mid-transaction, exploiting the exact moment when urgency overrides scrutiny.

Also Read: Asia’s payments revolution: Why alternative methods matter more than ever

What’s more, the risk is magnified in cross-border commerce, where complex payment flows, multi-jurisdictional compliance and varied fraud profiles make security even harder to standardise. For businesses navigating these waters, fraud is no longer a hypothetical threat – it’s an operational reality. Every cross-border transaction introduces a new layer of risk, whether it is managing unfamiliar payment providers, adapting to fragmented compliance regulations or handling multiple currencies and FX volatilities. 

If that weren’t enough, there’s also the fact that most SMEs today rely on rule-based fraud prevention systems – tools that were designed for yesterday’s threats. These systems can be static, inflexible and prone to false positives that block legitimate transactions while missing real threats. They are also reactive, flagging anomalies only after a breach has occurred or a customer has been lost.

In an environment where both economic policy and fraud tactics can shift overnight, this approach is no longer tenable. Businesses need defenses that are as adaptive as the threats they face.

Meet payment orchestration: Security that scales with uncertainty

In the face of ever-sophisticated digital fraud schemes, AI-powered payment orchestration is redefining what modern payment security and agility looks like. Rather than acting as mere conduits for processing transactions, orchestration platforms have become intelligent control centres, monitoring payment flows, detecting anomalies in real time and dynamically routing decisions based on emerging threats.

By embedding fraud detection directly into the payment journey, orchestration allows businesses to move beyond rigid, static defences. These solutions can proactively intercept suspicious activity mid-transaction and significantly reduce exposure while maintaining a seamless experience for legitimate customers.

Crucially, orchestration not only stops fraud in the moment, it also empowers businesses to remain agile. In a world where geopolitical shifts, regulatory changes or new trade tariffs can instantly disrupt financial networks, orchestration platforms allow companies to pivot quickly without overhauling systems or sacrificing security. In a region as diverse and fast-evolving as APAC, where payment preferences and fraud risks vary dramatically between markets, this flexibility is not just valuable – it is vital.

Coupled with the rise of Generative AI (GenAI), payment orchestration is also taken to a new frontier. Unlike traditional tools, GenAI can be prompted to articulate the reasoning behind flagged transactions, uncover previously undetected patterns and recommend strategic adjustments to fraud prevention logic. This adds a powerful layer of intelligence and transparency to the fraud detection process, making it easier for businesses to understand, trust and act on security signals.

At its core, payment orchestration does not replace existing fraud tools – it enhances them. Rather than building proprietary fraud solutions, orchestration platforms focus on interoperability, bringing together the strongest capabilities in the ecosystem to deliver optimal outcomes in real time. By acting as a central layer that integrates seamlessly with a wide range of best-in-class fraud detection engines, orchestration platforms empower merchants to deploy the fraud providers they trust most within their payment flow.

This modular, plug-and-play approach ensures transactions are screened for risk using the most appropriate tools before being routed for approval, while allowing businesses to stay agile, scale securely and continuously upgrade fraud defenses without being locked into a single provider or system.

Also Read: Optimising cross-border payments for seamless APAC expansion

Beyond identifying threats, GenAI also plays a critical role in recognising legitimate transactions, helping ensure they are processed seamlessly. This dual function – blocking fraud while preserving customer experience – gives businesses greater visibility into their risk landscape and allows for the continuous refinement of security frameworks in real time.

The road ahead: From reactive to proactive security

As we move further into a digital-first economy, the line between commerce and risk is blurring. Fraud is evolving and so must our defences. It is no longer enough to detect fraud after the fact – businesses, regardless of size, must anticipate it. 

With the rise of GenAI, we are entering an era where fraud prevention can be both predictive and prescriptive, identifying weak points in the payment flow before they are exploited and recommending real-time adjustments to logic and routing.

Yuno is exploring the use of GenAI to strengthen operational intelligence and improve user transparency. For example, tools such as Monitors apply GenAI to detect anomalies in real time and reroute transactions through alternative paths, aiming to optimise approval rates and bolster fraud prevention.

In today’s climate, the objective goes beyond reducing fraud. It is about developing a payments infrastructure that is intelligent, responsive, and resilient to disruptions, whether triggered by tariff changes or emerging cyber threats.

Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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