{"id":69109,"date":"2025-04-05T07:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T23:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=69109"},"modified":"2025-04-03T14:00:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T06:00:29","slug":"ai-data-analytics-and-financial-inclusion-take-center-stage-at-surfins-ai-fintech-forum-in-manila-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2025\/04\/05\/ai-data-analytics-and-financial-inclusion-take-center-stage-at-surfins-ai-fintech-forum-in-manila-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"AI, data analytics and financial inclusion take center stage at Surfin\u2019s AI Fintech Forum in Manila 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Surfin\u2019s AI Fintech Forum (SAFF) 2025 brought together well-known thought leaders, fintech experts and policymakers in Manila to discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics are transforming financial services amid shifting geopolitical tides and growing urgency to push for greater financial inclusion.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith AI becoming a critical component for businesses across industries, including fintech, SAFF 2025 gathers industry leaders to tackle critical challenges such as data localization, privacy and cybercrime,\u201d said Dr. Yanan Wu, CEO and Chairman of Surfin Group. \u201cWe aim for this event to serve as a platform to discuss how we can help to improve the fintech landscape in safeguarding consumer rights while enhancing customer experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The forum, now in its third edition, was held on March 27 at the Grand Hyatt BGC, co-hosted by Surfin and Masaganang Buhay Finance Philippines Corp. (MBFPC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding Access to Financial Services with AI<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Philippines fintech industry has seen steady growth in recent years, driven by a surge in digitalization, widespread smartphone use and government support. More banks are expanding their digital services, while the number of fintech startups continues to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But challenges to financial inclusion remain. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, 34.3 million Filipinos remained unbanked as of 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Wu underscored the urgent need for inclusive, technology-driven solutions to close this gap. \u201cMany young Filipinos lack access to basic banking, credit and affordable remittance options. Technology holds the key to scaling these services and making them truly inclusive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surfin, a Singapore-based fintech platform focused on underserved middle-income markets, is working to address this gap by leveraging AI. The platform currently serves 60 million users across 10 markets and has processed over $3 billion in transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of Surfin\u2019s key initiatives is the Surfin Score, a proprietary AI-powered credit rating system that provides financing opportunities for individuals with limited or no formal banking history. \u201cEveryone deserves a credit score, whether they\u2019re wealthy or just beginning to build their financial future,\u201d Wu noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from credit scoring, Surfin offers microcredit products designed to meet the everyday needs of users, delivering accessible and user-friendly financial services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company is also enhancing its remittance and payment services to better serve overseas Filipino workers. \u201cMillions of migrant workers support families back home. We’re working to make that experience smoother and more secure,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the fintech industry evolves, Surfin is demonstrating that AI and data analytics can be successfully utilized to create more efficient and effective inclusive financial systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur bottom line is to use AI to understand our customers and analyze their behavior. From there, we can personalize Surfin\u2019s products,\u201d Wu said. \u201cThrough technology, we can make sure that financial services reach those who need them most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Navigating Global Shifts<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, SAFF 2025 also featured a keynote address by Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Spence, who emphasized the transformative potential of fintech in emerging markets.

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Panel discussions at SAFF revolved around timely issues including the potential implications of a second Trump presidency on Asian markets, data-driven strategies for financial inclusion and the importance of cross-border fintech collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notable panelists included Dr. John A. Quelch of Duke Kunshan University, Andrew Gan of the Maharlika Investment Corporation, Lito Villanueva of RCBC, Christopher M. Paz of the National Bureau of Investigation, Mila Bedrenets of Tonik Bank and Dr. Wang Lizong of the Guangdong National People\u2019s Congress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry leaders and notable VCs such as Yinglan Tan of Insignia Ventures, Roel Refran of the Philippine Stock Exchange, John Fennell of MDX Markets, Jianfeng Lu of WIZ.AI and Jack Tan of Fonterra also shared insights on building a resilient and inclusive fintech ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The discussions were moderated by Bruce McGuire of the Greenwich Economic Forum, Felix Davidson, Board Director of Surfin Group and financial commentator Peter Lewis.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWith AI becoming a critical component for businesses across industries, including fintech, SAFF 2025 gathers industry leaders to tackle critical challenges such as data localization, privacy and cybercrime,\u201d said Dr. Yanan Wu, CEO and Chairman of Surfin Group. \u201cWe aim for this event to serve as a platform to discuss how we can help to improve the fintech landscape in safeguarding consumer rights while enhancing customer experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":69110,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[96,2727,1656],"class_list":["post-69109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","tag-technology","tag-technology-adaption","tag-technology-investment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69111,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69109\/revisions\/69111"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}