Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy Officer at Money20/20 
Scarlett Sieber, Chief Strategy Officer at Money20/20, reflected on the second edition of Money20/20 Asia in Bangkok, highlighting key developments since its inaugural year. Cross-border payments remained a major focus, with expanded content and a white paper launched in partnership with FXC Intelligence. AI was also a prominent theme, particularly its role in fraud prevention, while regulator engagement grew significantly with over 20 regulators attending a closed-door roundtable.
The event’s theme, Empowering Humanity Through Collaboration, was chosen to address regional fragmentation and promote financial inclusion. Major announcements included partnerships such as Google Pay with Shopee in Malaysia, a new aviation product from MessageSpring, and LianLian Global introducing China Pay to Thailand.
Islamic banking continued to gain momentum, with dedicated sessions and strong participation from Malaysian financial institutions. Looking ahead, Sieber sees strong growth potential for Money20/20 Asia and confirmed upcoming events in Riyadh and the launch of the inaugural Money Awards.
Billie Setiawan, Head of Data Management and Analytics at Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI) 
Billie Setiawan, Head of Data Management and Analytics at Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), spoke at Money20/20 Asia about the bank’s approach to inclusive finance through hyper-personalised digital banking. He described BNI as a state-owned bank with a broad portfolio, operating across Indonesia’s vast geography via branches and agent banking, and maintaining a growing international presence.
Setiawan discussed BNI’s digital platforms—Wonder for retail and BNI Direct for corporate clients—designed to integrate financial services into daily life and business ecosystems. Hyper-personalisation, he explained, means understanding customer needs before they arise, using data and AI responsibly to tailor offers without overwhelming users.
He highlighted the use of big data, machine learning, and GenAI for smarter decision-making and customer engagement, and stressed the importance of clean data, strong governance, and clear organisational goals. He also emphasised that successful transformation must be driven by leadership and supported by a purpose-driven team with an entrepreneurial mindset.
John Medina, COO of the Philippine Bank of Communications 
John Medina, COO of the Philippine Bank of Communications, shared how the 86-year-old bank is navigating the convergence of physical and digital banking. While expanding digitally, the bank retains a physical presence—valued by Gen Z for trust and reassurance, especially for significant financial decisions. For corporate clients, the bank enables remote transactions by installing cheque and cash drop machines directly in offices and retail locations.
During the pandemic, this model made them a key cash supplier to other banks. Medina highlighted their human-centred design approach, focusing on real customer needs rather than assumptions—such as offering card delivery, which proved popular, unlike other remote concierge services.
The bank also launched a digital-only platform in 2019 with open APIs, though some partner uptake has been slow. Looking ahead, Medina expects banking to evolve technologically while retaining its familiar role, shaped by changing but inherently human customer behaviours.
Vandy Leng, VP and Head of Digital Banking at Hattha Bank 
Vandy Leng, VP and Head of Digital Banking at Hattha Bank, spoke about the bank’s transition from microfinance to commercial banking in 2020, following its acquisition by Thailand’s Krungsri Bank and integration into the MUFG group. With a strong rural customer base, Hattha Bank faces challenges in digital adoption, both internally among staff and externally with customers. To bridge the gap, the bank trains staff extensively and uses tablet-based, in-person onboarding to help customers open accounts and activate mobile banking.
During Money20/20, Vandy shared Hattha Bank’s approach to delivering a unified customer experience, focusing on real-time service (seamlessness), integrating physical and digital touchpoints, and maintaining consistency across interfaces.
In Cambodia’s fast-evolving digital landscape, mobile banking is growing rapidly, driven by personalisation trends and the rise of QR payments, facilitated by the Bakong system—a blockchain-based, central bank-backed payment platform. Vandy also pointed to open banking, embedded finance, and low-cost cross-border QR payments as the next key developments, particularly through initiatives like Project Nexus, which is enhancing payment connectivity across ASEAN nations.
Zokhir Rasulov, Chief Digital Officer at ABA Bank 
Zokhir Rasulov, Chief Digital Officer at ABA Bank, shared how the bank has become Cambodia’s largest and most digitally advanced bank, thanks to significant investment in a broad, interconnected digital ecosystem. This includes a retail super app for lifestyle banking, a payment platform for merchants (PayWay), a bill collection platform (BillZone), and ABA Business for SMEs and corporates. These platforms are fully integrated, allowing seamless and cost-free transactions between retail users, merchants, and businesses.
He emphasised the importance of ecosystems and partnerships in promoting financial inclusion, especially in a market like Cambodia where the population is highly mobile-centric and digital-first due to the country’s recent economic development and young demographics. ABA’s trust and infrastructure have enabled millions of users to access financial services in a highly connected way.
Rasulov noted that Cambodia’s banking sector is evolving rapidly, with digitisation being a common goal. The country skipped legacy infrastructure and went straight to mobile adoption, aided by affordable internet and smartphone access. ABA was the first to introduce eKYC for onboarding, and its super app now includes AI-powered chat, lifestyle services like ticket booking and food delivery, and secure P2P chat features—highlighting a future where banking becomes an always-on, integrated part of daily life.
Adisorn Hatairatana, Head of Consumer Credit Risk Model at Krungsi Bank 
Adisorn Hatairatana, Head of Consumer Credit Risk Model at Krungsi Bank, spoke about the need for transformational change in credit decisioning across Asia’s digital economy. While current credit systems have served well, new requirements—such as increased stress testing and provisions introduced in 2020—mean the industry must rethink outdated tools and frameworks. Adisorn stressed the importance of collaboration and collective action across the financial ecosystem to build better, locally relevant credit models.
He believes that innovation and building trust in more effective risk analysis will help drive both efficiency and financial inclusion, ultimately supporting economic growth. Rather than simply adapting legacy solutions, the industry must develop new, localised approaches that can instil confidence and improve accessibility.
On the role of technology, Adisorn acknowledged AI as a powerful tool but urged caution, highlighting the need for robust monitoring and governance. He emphasised that AI is only part of the solution—the broader thinking and framework behind problem-solving are just as critical.
Looking ahead, he noted that the entry of three new virtual banks in Thailand will increase competition and innovation. He advocates for building local knowledge through collaboration between academia and practitioners, ensuring Thailand can develop its own credit risk solutions that are fit for the region’s fast-changing economic landscape.
