Asia-Pacific Falls Behind in Fraud Protection, According to Sumsub's 2nd Global Fraud Index

• APAC drops to fourth place amid rising fraud exposure, trailing Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas
• Key markets, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan, experiencing significant declines in their rankings
• Singapore tops the Government Intervention pillar globally, despite an overall decline in ranking

SINGAPORE, Oct. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Sumsub, a global verification and anti-fraud leader, released the second edition of its Global Fraud Index, revealing that Asia-Pacific has dropped from third to fourth place globally in fraud protection amid rising exposure to fraudulent activities. The region now ranks just above Africa and trails Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas. The report, produced in collaboration with Statista and the Digital Assets Association (DAA) Singapore, examines fraud risk across 112 countries to help regulatory bodies, governments, and businesses better understand and prevent fraud.

While some markets like New Zealand and Thailand have strengthened their fraud protection, several of the region's leading digital economies, including Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia have experienced significant declines in their rankings, highlighting the widening gap between rapid digital growth and the implementation of robust fraud prevention measures to safeguard users against increasingly sophisticated fraud.

"This year's Global Fraud Index shows that fraud protection isn't about geography, it's about governance. At the same time, fraudsters are getting their hands on increasingly powerful AI tools. What was once a niche threat has become commonplace", said Timothy Owens, Tech and AI Industry Expert, and Senior Research Lead Technology and TeleCommunications at Statista. "For technology leaders, the message is clear: treat fraud exposure like system uptime. It requires constant monitoring. Verification systems, information sharing between organisations, and robust incident response aren't optional anymore; they're fundamental components of operating in today's digital environment."

Despite its decline in overall ranking, Singapore leads globally in the Government Intervention pillar, surpassing countries such as Luxembourg, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands. This underscores the city-state's commitment to building a robust anti-fraud infrastructure, strengthening regulatory frameworks, and fostering public-private collaboration to safeguard its digital economy against increasingly sophisticated threats.

Key highlights of the 2025 Global Fraud Index study include:

• Top APAC countries most protected against fraud are: New Zealand (#7), Singapore (#10), Australia (#15), South Korea (#27), Japan (#28)
• Top APAC countries least protected against fraud are: Sri Lanka (#103), Bangladesh (#106), India (#109), Indonesia (#111), and Pakistan (#112)
• New Zealand rose significantly from #12 in 2024 to #7 in 2025, Thailand climbed 25 positions (from #58 to #33) year-over-year
• Singapore dropped from #1 in 2024 to #10 in 2025
• Japan fell 15 positions (from #13 to #28), Indonesia declined 11 places (from #100 to #111)
• Malaysia experienced the most drastic decline, falling from #34 to #86
• Pakistan holds the last position in the Index for the second consecutive year
• Europe has the largest concentration of countries in the list of 15 most protected ones
• The U.S. has the highest government AI readiness index across the globe.

"The findings of the 2025 Global Fraud Index are a stark reminder of the escalating challenges we face in the digital economy. The marked decline in rankings for key APAC hubs like Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia highlights a pressing need for a unified response to the growing threat of sophisticated fraud. This isn't just about statistics; it's about protecting businesses and building the trust necessary for the digital asset ecosystem to thrive," said Chia Hock Lai, Co-Chairman, Digital Assets Association. "As an association committed to fostering a secure digital environment, these results reinforce our mission. We are proud to collaborate with Sumsub on this critical initiative, which generates awareness and provides actionable insights for both industry stakeholders and regulators. The DAA will intensify its efforts to collaborate with government bodies and technology providers to champion robust anti-fraud infrastructure and enhance the accessibility of essential KYC/AML services throughout the region."

"The 2025 Global Fraud Index provides a comprehensive view of fraud risks worldwide, highlighting both emerging threats and the effectiveness of preventative measures. By benchmarking markets globally, it offers businesses and regulators actionable insights to strengthen anti-fraud strategies, protect consumers, and maintain trust in the rapidly evolving digital economy," said Penny Chai, Vice President, APAC, Sumsub. "The findings also underscore the unique challenges faced by APAC's fast-growing digital economies, where rapid innovation is increasing exposure to sophisticated fraud. Effective government intervention, combined with public-private collaboration, is critical to ensuring these markets remain secure and resilient."

Building on last year's well-received edition, the 2025 Global Fraud Index expands its scope to include nine new countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. The research integrates Sumsub's internal verification data with insights from external sources including the World Bank, Transparency International, and Oxford Insights, providing a comprehensive view of global fraud exposure and government response capabilities.

You can find additional data-driven insights, explore interactive maps and infographics as well as build country-specific comparisons here: https://sumsub.com/global-fraud-index-2025.

In addition, Sumsub's inaugural What The Fraud Summit that will facilitate the public-private partnerships and knowledge sharing critical to strengthening fraud prevention, will be taking place in Singapore from November 19 to 20, 2025. Learn more about the WTF Summit and ticket details: https://sumsub.com/wtf-summit/.

Methodology of 2025 Global Fraud Index study

The Global Fraud Index uses both internal and external data. Sumsub's internal data is based on volumes of over 1 million checks conducted daily on the platform. The majority of data is from 2024-2025, with one indicator from 2023. External sources include The World Bank, The Heritage Foundation, Oxford Insights, Transparency International, Numbeo and other databases.

The Index consists of 4 main pillars of analysis for each country. Those include not only the country's fraud rate itself, but also incorporate 'The Fraud Triangle' hypothesis. This widely-used model reflects how certain factors – namely, pressure, opportunity, and rationalization – contribute to higher fraud rates and corruption. In digital fraud, this triangle manifests through lower digital resources accessibility, less efficient government intervention, and higher economic instability scores.

Please find more details on Methodology here: https://sumsub.com/global-fraud-index/methodology-2025/.

About Sumsub

Sumsub is a leading full-cycle verification platform that enables fraud-free, scalable compliance. Its adaptive, no-code solution covers everything from identity and business verification to ongoing monitoring – quickly adjusting to evolving risks, regulations, and market demands.

Recognized as a Leader by Gartner, Liminal, and KuppingerCole, Sumsub combines seamless integration with advanced fraud prevention to deliver industry-leading performance.

Over 4,000 clients—including Bitpanda, Wirex, Avis, Bybit, Vodafone, Duolingo, Kaizen Gaming, and TransferGo—trust Sumsub to streamline verification, prevent fraud, and drive growth. The platform's methodology follows leading global AML standards and regulations, and Sumsub has extensively engaged with leading research and public institutions like the UN, Statista, and INTERPOL.

SOURCE Sumsub