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Thai Parliament Passes Cybercrime Decree Mandating Banks, Telecom Providers to Compensate Scam Victims

Thai parliament on 26 October 2020. (Photo: Jonathan Klein/AFP)

Thailand’s House of Representatives has passed a new Royal Decree aimed at tackling the growing threat of online scams, with a key provision requiring banks and telecommunications providers to compensate victims of fraud.

The decree was approved on 28 June with 452 votes in favor, none opposed, and two abstentions. 

Under the new law, financial institutions and telecom operators will be held jointly accountable if they fail to prevent fraud linked to suspicious accounts or phone numbers. 

This includes requirements for more stringent screening processes and quicker action when fraud is detected.

Deputy Prime Minister Prasert stated that Thailand’s 2023 Royal Decree on combating technological crimes has become insufficient to address the evolving tactics of call center gangs. 

The revised legislation aims to modernize the legal framework by speeding up refunds to victims, enhancing the efficiency of freezing fraudulent accounts, establishing joint responsibility for banks and telecom providers when they fail to take proper action, and strengthening regulations on suspicious transfers involving digital assets.

Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, Member of the House of Representatives of Thailand, emphasized that call center gangs are no longer just scammers deceiving individuals, but criminals causing widespread social harm and undermining the national economy. 

The new decree is expected to strengthen the oversight powers of agencies responsible for payment systems and telecom services, ensuring faster intervention and fairer redress for those affected by cyber fraud.

EuroCham Laos Reviews 2024 Progress, Elects New Board at Annual Meeting

Stefano Pighin, Executive Director of EuroCham Laos (left) and Mette Boatman, President of EuroCham Laos (right)

The European Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Laos (ECCIL EuroCham Laos) held its Annual General Meeting on 22 May, at Amari Vientiane.

Singapore Unveils Insights from World’s First Technical Testing of Real World Applications of GenAI

  • First Global AI Assurance Pilot brought global testing companies and GenAI deployers to test real world uses
  • World’s first Starter Kit for Gen AI applications to provide practical guidance to industry
  • AI Singapore and the UN Development Programme to strengthen AI literacy and expand AI access and opportunity     

SINGAPORE, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Singapore unveiled key insights from its Global AI Assurance Pilot, an initiative to catalyse emerging norms and best practices around technical testing of Generative AI (GenAI) applications. These insights then provided the blueprint for the world’s first Testing Starter Kit for GenAI applications, which is now open for views. These global initiatives were announced by Mr Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information at the ATxSummit 2025, the flagship event of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG). These efforts put Singapore at the forefront of efforts to operationalise AI safety, accelerate trusted and responsible AI adoption and deployment, and promote international cooperation for AI that benefits all.

Global AI Assurance Pilot 

2. To encourage safe adoption of AI in industries, the Global AI Assurance Pilot was launched in February 2025, an initiative by the AI Verify Foundation (AIVF) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to catalyse emerging norms and best practices around technical testing of Gen AI applications. The pilot received strong interest from both local and international AI stakeholders, especially from companies deploying Gen AI in their business process. In the pilot, 16 specialist AI testers were paired with 17 deployers of real-world Gen AI applications – from 10 different industries including finance, healthcare, HR, people and public sectors.  

3. An example of a key finding from the pilot was that Gen AI risks are often context-dependent (specific to industry, use case, culture, language and organisation). To narrow risks and tests for specific situations is a challenge and the recommendation is to involve subject matter experts throughout the application lifecycle. AIVF and IMDA will continue to work with industry to refine the pilot.  

Testing Starter Kit for Gen AI Apps 

4. IMDA also announced plans to develop a first of its kind Testing Starter Kit for Gen AI applications. The Starter Kit generalises key insights from the Assurance Pilot and consultations with other practitioners to provide practical testing guidance for all businesses developing or leveraging GenAI applications, across sectors and use-cases. The Starter Kit provides a step-by-step guide on how to think about risks to be concerned about, highlighting common ones like hallucination, undesirable content, data disclosure, and vulnerability to adversarial prompts, and subsequently how to test the Gen AI applications. IMDA is calling for views from the industry on this Starter Kit on the testing guidance as well as recommended tests for the four identified risks.  

5. The Starter Kit is complemented by testing tools such as Project Moonshot, which provides a platform enabling businesses to implement the testing guidance. The Starter Kit will continue to expand to address emerging risks and testing requirements in tandem with technological developments.  

6. Both the Assurance Pilot and Starter Kit aim to uplift the capabilities of businesses in the safe deployment of Gen AI applications and build overall trust in the AI ecosystem.  

Singapore continues to harness AI for Public Good for Singapore and the World 

 7. Singapore believes in harnessing AI for Public Good and that AI can uplift economic potential, enhance social impact and meet the needs and challenges of our time. AI Singapore (AISG) will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the UNDP to advance AI literacy in six pilot countries aimed at closing the AI literacy divide and transforming communities in developing countries. This partnership will extend AISG’s successful AI for Good (AI4Good) programme – initially launched in 2024 to bolster national AI capabilities across Asia – to an international scale.

AISG’s AI Student Developer Conference  

8. The AI Student Developer Conference (AISDC) led by AI Singapore (AISG) brought together over 1,000 students and 60 industry partners in a two-day event dedicated to artificial intelligence innovation and talent development. A key highlight is the National AI Student Challenge (NAISC), where students from six ASEAN countries (Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam) compete to tackle real world problems through LLM fine-tuning and prompt engineering. The conference has expanded to include ASEAN participation through its first regional challenge track, underlining Singapore’s role in fostering AI talent development and collaboration across Southeast Asia. Mdm Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information will deliver the closing remarks at this event.  

Women in Tech  

9. Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, spoke on a panel ‘Success to Significance – Leaders Building Communities” which explored how successful Women in Tech can and have been playing impactful roles in “paying it forward” and creating equally successful communities of women. On the panel with Minister Teo were Ms Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, Ms Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS Group, moderated by Professor Annie Koh, Professor Emeritus of Finance (Practice), Singapore Management University.

Contact: atxsg.imda@archetype.co 

XTransfer to Debut as a 4-Star Sponsor at Money20/20 Europe 2025


AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 May 2025 – XTransfer, the world’s leading and China’s No.1 B2B cross-border trade payment platform, is excited to announce its debut participation in Money20/20 Europe 2025 as a 4-star sponsor. The prestigious fintech event will take place from June 3 to 5, 2025, in Amsterdam, bringing together global visionaries, innovators, and decision-makers from across the financial technology ecosystem.

XTransfer to Debut as a 4-Star Sponsor at Money20/20 Europe 2025
XTransfer to Debut as a 4-Star Sponsor at Money20/20 Europe 2025

XTransfer’s presence at Money20/20 Europe marks a significant milestone in its global expansion journey. As a first-time sponsor, the company will lead a series of high-impact sessions and strategic engagements, showcasing its cutting-edge solutions and vision for inclusive cross-border finance.

The event will feature a keynote product pitch by Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer, who will introduce the company’s latest cross-border payment innovations tailored for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets. In addition, multiple signing ceremonies will be held to formalise new global partnerships, reinforcing XTransfer’s commitment to enabling seamless international trade.

XTransfer will also host a Fireside Chat featuring leaders from top global banks to discuss how technology, collaboration, and compliance are unlocking new opportunities in the cross-border payment industry on 4th June, 11:30 AM at XTransfer’s booth.

Further strengthening its strategic position in Europe, XTransfer recently obtained the Electronic Money Institution (EMI) license in the Netherlands. This significant achievement enables XTransfer to offer comprehensive, compliant, and localised payment solutions to SMEs in the Netherlands. The license forms a critical part of XTransfer’s vision to build a global financial network that empowers SMEs to grow and trade internationally with ease.

During the event, Bill Deng will also meet with government officials and executives from international banks and financial institutions to explore opportunities for deeper cooperation and innovation in the cross-border financial infrastructure landscape.

“We are honoured to join Money20/20 Europe for the first time as a 4-star sponsor,” said Bill Deng, Founder and CEO of XTransfer. “This is a milestone moment for XTransfer as we continue expanding our global footprint. We look forward to sharing our vision, engaging with industry leaders, and exploring new partnerships that will advance the future of the global trading and payment industry.”

Money20/20 Europe is widely recognised as the premier destination for the global fintech community. XTransfer’s participation marks a bold step forward in its mission to provide secure, efficient, and affordable cross-border financial services to SMEs around the world.

Visit XTransfer at Booth 1G10 to learn how we are transforming the future of cross-border B2B payments.
Hashtag: #XTransfer #Money2020EU #Crossborder #Payment #SMEs





The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Yeahka Obtains MTL Payment License in U.S., Accelerating Its Globalization Strategy

Yeahka has once again obtained a significant payment license.

HONG KONG, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, Yeahka (9923.HK), a leading payment-based technology platform, has been granted the Money Transmitter License (MTL) by the financial regulatory authorities in Arizona, USA. This marks another important milestone in Yeahka’s journey towards globalization since obtaining the Money Services Business (MSB) license.

Obtaining the MTL license in the United States requires a complex and time-consuming process, involving multiple procedures and rigorous evaluations. Typically, companies must firstly apply for the MSB license as a prerequisite before applying for MTL licenses in individual states to comply with local regulations.

Yeahka’s successful acquisition of the MTL license reflects the recognition of its products, compliance standards, and overall strength by U.S. financial regulators. With both MSB and MTL licenses in place, Yeahka can now offer secure, compliant, and efficient payment services to users, laying the foundation for further expansion in the American market.

Overseas expansion has been a key focus for Yeahka in recent years. Since commencing its overseas market exploration in 2021, Yeahka has prioritized compliance, actively pursuing licenses in various regions, including the MSO in Hong Kong, MPI in Singapore, and MSB in the United States. It has launched services such as local wallets, overseas wallets, credit cards, joint acquiring, foreign exchange, and cross-border remittances, providing secure, convenient, and efficient digital financial services to customers worldwide.

To accelerate market penetration and enhance customer loyalty, Yeahka has strengthened internal synergies while advancing its globalization strategy. This includes diversifying payment channels, efficient service delivery capabilities, and overseas investments, enabling the company to tap into new industries such as automotive, luxuries, beauty, and entertainment. Notable clients include Clinique, Arabica, Bose, and Leica Camera, among others, reflecting a more diversified client base and stronger business resilience.

In 2024, Yeahka’s overseas business experienced rapid growth. According to the latest financial data, the company’s overseas transactions for the year exceeded RMB 1.1 billion, a five-fold increase year-over-year, showcasing its robust market expansion capabilities and customer recognition.

Huawei Intelligent Operations Advances AI and Gen-AI in ICT

BARCELONA, Spain, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Operating telecommunications networks is getting more difficult. Networks are converging: fixed and mobile are often both required to provide a given service experience, whether it’s an IoT use case or end-to-end network slicing.

As networks become more software-driven, operating them requires different skills in maintenance, and assurance. Add to that complexity new technologies like enterprise-oriented APIs and agentic AI. These technologies can optimize network operations for granular service differentiation and prioritize business KPIs over simple uptime. With the right architecture and operational practices, networks can serve much more diverse use cases with a higher degree of reliability.

Huawei Can Help

Huawei Intelligent Operations works closely with its own network technology engineers as well as with industry standards bodies to guide the evolution of network services, and to ensure it supports all industry best practices. It works closely with the TM Forum, coordinating customer inputs and its own operational vision to create service-centric operational metrics. Thus, Huawei is expanding the boundaries of AI in telecoms operations, devoting intensive research into digital twins and telecoms-specific foundation models. Additionally, it feeds its substantial experience running telecoms networks back into its own operational best practices.

Key examples:

In the Asia-Pacific region, Huawei collaborated with a carrier to analyze the service impact of faulty sites. The work made use of Huawei’s Expected Demand Not Served algorithm, which identifies service usage that is lower than usual, identifies faults that may be leading to depressed usage, and prioritizes fixes to return the network to its designed functionality. This has reduced traffic loss by 15% for this carrier.

In the Middle East, Huawei Intelligent Operations significantly improved topology accuracy for an FTTx network, using delay-tolerant network architecture to reduce invalid work orders by 60%, and ultimately, led to a 10% decline in customer complaints.

In Europe, Huawei used Gen-AI to improve MTTR by 25%. Huawei’s work with the carrier on role-based copilots for field maintenance personnel and multi-agent collaboration to provide comprehensive treatment of complex scenarios.

Kevin Ye, President, Intelligent Operation Domain, Huawei
Kevin Ye, President, Intelligent Operation Domain, Huawei

“Huawei Intelligent Operations believes not only in helping its CSP partners conquer its existing operational challenges, but in helping them harness the latest technology to drive new business benefits across the company” – Kevin Ye, President, Intelligent Operation Domain, Huawei

Gen-AI Applications and Challenges

The dramatic rise of generative AI has led to two basic operational models: copilots and agents. Copilots help a human employee for coding, configuring systems, or managing a stream of service quality data and trouble tickets. Agents are more devoted to a specific set of tasks or operational concerns, and can operate independently under the supervision of a human employee.

In order to use Gen-AI, these tools must address the following concerns:

  • Hallucinations. Gen-AI can generally produce wrong information. Therefore, model training, retrieval-augmented generation, verification from other systems, and other guardrails are all required to minimize incorrect data and actions.
  • High cost. Gen-AI can become expensive. CSPs need an AI version of finops that minimizes the cost while still reaping the benefits of this new technology. For example, services partners can determine the lowest version of an LLM that still produces the desired output, and systems can be designed to minimize token usage.
  • Integration with existing systems. Agentic AI is already demonstrating that a Gen-AI interface couple with a digital twin of the network can produce powerful automation. Integrating data sources and BSS/OSS systems is complex work, however.
  • Data transformation and management. Building that digital twin requires breaking down data siloes, cleaning and normalizing bad data, and bringing together disparate data formats and sources in a single repository. This requires experience and strong professional services.
  • Training. Without training from a domain expert, LLMs can’t understand CSP’s documentation, trouble tickets, operational processes etc.

Huawei Intelligent Operations can help.

DeepSeek: The Next Generation of Gen-AI

The January 2025 introduction of DeepSeek proved that Gen-AI could provide all of its current capabilities with a much more efficient model. Huawei’s research indicates that DeepSeek provides advantages such as domain knowledge construction and application, code generation, data analysis, and intelligent ticket processing have direct application to CSP operations. Huawei is at the forefront of applying these new models to telecoms infrastructure.

Huawei’s Vision for ICT Operations

Huawei believes that ICT technology will continue to play an important role in driving the digital economy, with new technologies acting as intelligent accelerators. Reliable network operations and intelligent operations will continue to grow in importance. Huawei continues to invest heavily in R&D to support these advancements, and will continue to accelerate the transformation toward intelligent operation.

Recently, Huawei has collaborated with TM Forum and leading carriers to release annual versions of the New-Generation Intelligent Operations White Paper 3.0. which provides valuable insights into the latest business practices and applications of new technologies.

GAR and CIRAD Strengthen Commitment to Scientific Collaboration, Advancing Sustainable Palm Oil

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Integrated palm oil producer Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has announced a new agreement to accelerate innovation in sustainable palm oil, together with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD).

Representatives from CIRAD and GAR (3rd and 4th from left) sign an MoU to advance sustainable palm oil research at the Indonesia-France Business Forum 2025
Representatives from CIRAD and GAR (3rd and 4th from left) sign an MoU to advance sustainable palm oil research at the Indonesia-France Business Forum 2025

In a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in Jakarta, the two parties committed to extend their partnership, targeting a new phase of progress that will address critical challenges for the palm oil sector. The agreement builds on over 25 years of scientific collaboration between CIRAD and the SMART Research Institute (SMARTRI), GAR’s flagship agricultural research facility.   

The MoU was witnessed by Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Republic of Indonesia and Eric Lombard, Minister of Economy, Finance, Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France as part of the Indonesia-France Business Forum 2025, held on the sidelines of French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Indonesia aimed at strengthening strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Building on a longstanding relationship

The relationship between GAR and CIRAD began in 1996 and has been strengthened over the years with successive agreements to cover topics including sustainable palm oil production, environmental management, and precision agriculture. Nearly IDR550 billion has been jointly invested in Research & Development since the start of this collaboration.

Together with WWF Indonesia; GAR and CIRAD have established the biennial International Conference on Oil Palm and the Environment (ICOPE). At the most recent event, held in February 2025, leading global researchers and early career academics showcased the latest research on critical topics such as climate resilience and protecting nature and biodiversity in palm oil.

The partnership has also contributed to high-profile international research initiatives, such as the Sustainable Palm Oil Production (SPOP) project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR), and the International Oil Palm Genome Projects (OPGP) Consortium.

Addressing critical issues

Through the MoU, the parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to developing practical, science-based solutions to advance sustainable palm oil practices, focused on enhancing scientific knowledge, improving climate change adaptation, and increasing productivity in the palm oil sector.

The renewed collaboration will include joint investments into research and development activities, including the modelling of plant functioning and climate change impact simulations, aimed at protecting and enhancing livelihoods for palm oil farmers in the face of growing climate risks.

“Our partnership with CIRAD brings together global scientific expertise with field research that addresses the realities of Indonesia’s palm oil landscape. It enables us to develop innovative, practical, and scalable solutions, with benefits not just for our plantations, but for independent smallholders across Indonesia,” explained The Biao Leng, President Director at Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, GAR’s subsidiary in Indonesia.

The partnership also seeks to contribute to Indonesia’s national food security and self-sufficiency goals, while reducing carbon emissions, by developing new agroforestry approaches for the palm oil sector.

“Our collaboration with GAR demonstrates how international partnerships can combine scientific rigour with practical results. It enables us to address key sustainability challenges such as climate resilience, land-use efficiency, and smallholder inclusion. This is a truly integrated approach to transforming the sector,” said Jean-Marc Roda, CIRAD Regional Director for Southeast Asia Island Countries.

[ENDS]

About GAR

GAR is a leading fully-integrated agribusiness company. In Indonesia, it manages an oil palm plantation area of more than 500,000 hectares (including plasma smallholders) as of 31 March 2025. It has integrated operations focused on the technology-driven production and distribution of an extensive portfolio of palm-based products throughout its established international marketing network.

Founded in 1996, GAR was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 1999 and has a market capitalisation of US$ 2.6 billion as of 31 March 2025. Flambo International Limited, an investment company, is GAR’s largest shareholder, with a 50.56% stake. In addition, GAR’s subsidiary, PT SMART Tbk was listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 1992.

As an integrated agribusiness, GAR delivers an efficient end-to-end supply chain, from responsible production to global delivery. In Indonesia, its primary activities include cultivating and harvesting oil palm trees; the processing of fresh fruit bunch into crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel; refining CPO into value-added products such as cooking oil, margarine, shortening, biodiesel and oleo-chemicals; as well as merchandising palm products globally.

GAR’s products are delivered to a diversified customer base in over 110 countries through its global distribution network with shipping and logistics capabilities, destination marketing, onshore refining and ex-tank operations. GAR also has complementary businesses such as soybean-based products in China, sunflower-based products in India, and sugar businesses.

About CIRAD

CIRAD is the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions.

It works with its partners to build knowledge and solutions for resilient farming systems in a more sustainable, inclusive world. It mobilizes science, innovation and training in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its expertise supports the entire range of stakeholders, from producers to public policymakers, to foster biodiversity protection, agroecological transitions, food system sustainability, health (of plants, animals and ecosystems), sustainable development of rural territories, and their resilience to climate change. CIRAD works in some fifty countries on every continent, thanks to the expertise of its 1750 staff members, including 1200 scientists, backed by a global network of some 200 partners. It also supports French scientific diplomacy operations.

ITRI, MediaTek, and Chunghwa Telecom Advance Satellite-Ready B5G Infrastructure

HSINCHU, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — At the 2025 COMPUTEX MOEA TECH HUB, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) showcased its latest innovations alongside other leading research institutes in Taiwan. A key highlight from ITRI is the debut of a world-leading B5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) base station system, which enables direct-to-cell satellite connectivity via software upgrades. Co-developed with MediaTek and Chunghwa Telecom, the solution has successfully passed multi-orbit satellite communication trials. This breakthrough is set to transform communication capabilities in remote and offshore areas and drew global attention at this year’s MWC Barcelona.

ITRI researchers present the B5G NTN wide-coverage base station system, which enables seamless high-speed communication across land, sea, and air.
ITRI researchers present the B5G NTN wide-coverage base station system, which enables seamless high-speed communication across land, sea, and air.

Pang-An Ting, ITRI Vice President and General Director of Information and Communications Research Laboratories, likened the integration of AI technologies to the human body’s systems: AI decision-making acts as the brain, logistics robots as the sensory system, NTN communications as the nervous system, and energy management systems as the circulatory system. He emphasized that the integration of these four systems is key to realizing the full potential of smart technologies.

The exhibition featured innovations in five areas: AI services, immersive experiences, AI for manufacturing, green energy, and next-gen communications. Notable solutions include:

  • B5G NTN Base Station System
    The solution enables direct-to-cell satellite connectivity via software upgrades, advancing Taiwan’s NTN technology and global standards.
  • AI Medical Logistics Robot
    The AI-powered robot uses vision and context awareness to improve logistics efficiency at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital.
  • AI 3D Modeling via Smartphone
    ITRI’s AI technology allows fast creation of photorealistic 3D models using only a smartphone, reducing time and cost.
  • Transparent Display Open System
    The OpenXR-compliant system supports multi-brand devices, accelerating XR deployment in smart libraries and museums.
  • POXA Energy Management System
    The AI-driven POXA platform optimizes energy storage, cutting costs and expanding industrial applications. The system is slated to spin off into a startup by the end of 2025.

About ITRI
Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is one of the world’s leading technology R&D institutions aiming to innovate a better future for society. Founded in 1973, ITRI has played a vital role in transforming Taiwan’s industries from labor-intensive into innovation-driven. To address market needs and global trends, it has launched its 2035 Technology Strategy and Roadmap that focuses on innovation development in Smart Living, Quality Health, Sustainable Environment, and Resilient Society.

Over the years, ITRI has been dedicated to incubating startups and spinoffs, including well-known names such as UMC and TSMC. In addition to its headquarters in Taiwan, ITRI has branch offices in the U.S., Germany, the UK, Japan, and Thailand in an effort to extend its R&D scope and promote international cooperation across the globe. For more information, please visit https://www.itri.org/eng.