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Southeast Asia urged to share data to curb AI-powered scams
A United Nations report says criminal enterprises stole up to US$114 billion from Asia-Pacific victims in 2025, more than triple two years earlier.
Southeast Asian governments and financial institutions are being urged to set up ways to share data safely and quickly to help contain a surge in AI-powered scams, according to SCMP Economy. Cybersecurity experts warn that artificial intelligence is helping criminal operations expand rapidly across the region.
SCMP Economy reports that criminal enterprises stole as much as US$114 billion from victims across the Asia-Pacific in 2025, citing a United Nations report released in July. The outlet said that amount was more than triple what was stolen two years earlier, aided by AI and other technology.
The report also warns that the problem could intensify as criminals adopt agentic AI, which experts say could let them automate and scale scams with unprecedented speed. It adds that regulators and institutions need mechanisms to safely share data across borders to identify and disrupt scam operations before they spread.
SCMP Economy concludes that regulators should prepare for a worst-case scenario by improving cross-border coordination and building effective data-sharing processes.