WTF Summit 2025: Sumsub Unveils Dual Initiatives to Advance Digital Trust in Singapore--Deepfake Research Collaboration with NTU, and Introduction of Singpass Integration Services

• Sumsub offers clients the option to integrate with Singpass as part of its Non-Doc Verification product, enabling secure, compliant, and document-free onboarding for Singaporean users.
• Sumsub and NTU Singapore sign a RCA to foster research on watermarking methods for personal images targeting deepfake fraud, marking the first Asia-Pacific initiative under Sumsub's AI Academic Program.

SINGAPORE, Nov. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sumsub, a global verification and anti-fraud leader, announced two major initiatives at its inaugural What The Fraud Summit (WTF Summit). These include the launch of its integration services to Singpass, Singapore's national digital identity platform, as part of  its Non-Doc Identity Verification product, and the signing of a Research Collaboration Agreement (RCA) with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), a research-intensive public university, under Sumsub's AI Academic Program, to jointly advance research on watermarking personal images as a new defense against deepfake fraud—the first initiative of its kind in Asia-Pacific (APAC).

Together, these initiatives reaffirm Sumsub's commitment to building a safer, more inclusive, and accessible digital future for Singapore and beyond. This also aligns with the country's Smart Nation 2.0 priorities of strengthening digital trust, driving innovation-led growth, and nurturing a connected, technology-enabled community. 

"Singapore stands out as one of the world's most advanced digital ecosystems, anchored by its focus on security, innovation, and collaboration. As our regional headquarters, Singapore plays a pivotal role in driving our growth and partnerships across APAC," said Andrew Sever, Co-founder and CEO of Sumsub. "Facilitating integration with Singpass and our research partnership with NTU reflect our commitment to supporting the country's digital trust ecosystem and to contributing to a safer, fraud-resilient digital environment. At Sumsub, we are dedicated to working alongside regulators, academia, and businesses throughout the region to build a more secure, accessible, and inclusive digital future."

Seamless, Document-Free User Onboarding with Singpass Integration

By facilitating the integration with Singpass for its clients, Sumsub enables businesses in Singapore—and global companies expanding into the market—to authenticate Singaporean citizens and residents efficiently for seamless onboarding. Clients' integration requests are submitted to, reviewed, and approved by Singpass on a case-by-case basis. Singpass is familiar to 5 million citizens and residents and trusted across more than 2,700 government and private-sector services.

Sumsub's role as an aggregator for Singpass integration enables clients to deploy Sumsub's advanced document-free verification technology on its platform and verify users via secure government databases such as Myinfo. This ensures regulator-approved access to verified identity and address data, fully compliant with Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) AML/CFT obligations and Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) standards.

Login with Singpass enables users to verify their identity by scanning a QR code and authenticating using their biometrics or a six-digit passcode on the Singpass app. Additionally, Singpass Myinfo allows users to consent to sharing verified personal data from government sources to businesses, eliminating the need for manual document submission.

Users can now complete verification in as little as 4.5 seconds, compared to the typical 30 seconds for document-based methods. The process is tamper-proof and secure, and delivers up to 53% reduction in processing time and 35% improvement in customer pass rates. Companies – whether local or global and operating in Singapore – must be registered in Singapore with a UEN number.

In future, Sumsub plans to expand its integration services to more Singpass features. This will allow businesses to complete end-to-end digital onboarding and agreement signing entirely using Singpass.

Research Collaboration with NTU Singapore: Pioneering Human-Imperceptible Watermarks for Digital Identity Defense

At the WTF Summit, Sumsub signed a RCA with NTU Singapore to launch a strategic research collaboration focused on developing advanced protections against deepfake (also known as face-swap) technologies. This initiative is part of Sumsub's AI Academic Program, which funds and supports academic research tackling emerging identity and fraud risks through collaborative innovation with academic institutions worldwide.

The joint research project with NTU Singapore will explore the use of analogous, human-imperceptible watermarks embedded in personal images to prevent or degrade deepfake generation.

According to Sumsub's latest internal data, deepfake fraud remains a persistent threat to Singapore, with a staggering record of 158% year-on-year surge in 2025. Together, Sumsub and NTU Singapore will investigate and prototype watermarking methods that deter misuse of personal images on social media platforms, filling a critical gap in digital safety.

Professor Lam Kwok Yan, Associate Vice President (Strategy & Partnerships) and Executive Director of Digital Trust Centre, NTU, said: "Deepfake technologies are advancing rapidly, and their misuse poses growing risks to individuals, businesses and society. Through this collaboration, we are advancing watermarking techniques that can help enhance trust by safeguarding personal identities before misuse occurs. By developing defences that work at scale and in real-world online environments, this research will contribute to Singapore's broader efforts in building digital trust and ensuring a safer online ecosystem."

"Our research collaboration with NTU comes at a critical moment for Singapore and the wider APAC, where deepfake fraud and identity threats are escalating at an unprecedented pace," said Pavel Goldman-Kalaydin, Head of AI and Machine Learning at Sumsub. "This joint project marks the first initiative under our AI Academic Program in the region, and it's just the beginning. By combining pioneering research with real-world anti-fraud expertise, we aim to equip individuals and organizations with effective defenses against synthetic fraud and contribute to digital safety worldwide."

The WTF Summit, held from November 19-20, 2025 at Andaz Singapore, marked the first visionary summit dedicated to beating the global "fraudemic". Bringing together over 500 leaders and practitioners from finance, compliance, technology, and regulation, the event featured close to 60 distinguished speakers across panel discussions, fireside chats, debates, and expert-led certified workshops. Designed as a practical platform for innovation and collaboration, the summit spotlighted emerging challenges in AI-driven fraud, digital identity, and compliance, while reaffirming Singapore's role as a global hub for advancing digital trust across the Asia-Pacific.

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.

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