Maya Calls for Stronger Digital Finance Infrastructure in ASEAN

At the ASEAN Tech Summit Manila 2026, Maya Bank President and CEO Angelo Madrid joined Tala Director for External Affairs Atty. Arianne Ferrer and G-Xchange Chief Operating Officer Barbie Dapul to discuss how stronger infrastructure, enabling policies, and healthy competition can support sustainable digital finance across ASEAN.

• Shared Foundations: Stronger digital identity systems, payment and settlement infrastructure, real-time fraud intelligence, trusted data-sharing standards, and reliable connectivity can reduce friction and costs across ASEAN's digital financial ecosystem.
• Sustainable Access: Maya Bank President and CEO Angelo Madrid emphasized that financial inclusion must go beyond opening accounts and downloading apps, with real progress measured by people's ability to transact, save, borrow responsibly, and withstand financial shocks.
• Enabling Policies: Clear, proportionate, and predictable regulation can protect consumers while giving financial institutions enough room to compete, invest, and develop innovative services suited to their respective licenses and business models.

Digital finance has already opened doors for millions of consumers across Southeast Asia, but simply gaining access to an account or financial app is only part of the journey. Maya Bank President and CEO Angelo Madrid believes ASEAN's next challenge is making sure that access leads to meaningful and sustainable financial outcomes.

Speaking at the recent ASEAN Tech Summit Manila 2026, Madrid said the region has achieved significant progress in digital payments, financial services, and account access. Moving forward, however, the focus must increasingly turn toward the infrastructure, policies, and market conditions that allow these services to remain accessible, trusted, and sustainable.

Angelo Madrid said, “Access is necessary, but an opened account or downloaded app is not yet a financial outcome. Real progress is when people can transact reliably, save regularly, borrow responsibly and become more resilient to financial shocks.”

Building Stronger Digital Foundations

Madrid joined the Futurecast panel titled “Building Sustainable and Inclusive Financial Services Ecosystems in ASEAN,” which explored the roles of technology, regulation, infrastructure, and business models in supporting continued digital-finance growth across the region.

One area he highlighted was the importance of shared digital infrastructure. Governments and infrastructure providers can accelerate financial inclusion by investing in capabilities that benefit the broader ecosystem rather than individual institutions alone.

These common foundations can include digital identity, payment and settlement infrastructure, real-time fraud intelligence, trusted data-sharing standards, and reliable connectivity. By strengthening these systems, ASEAN markets can reduce friction and system-wide costs while allowing financial service providers to concentrate more of their resources on improving their own products and customer experiences.

Angelo Madrid said, “Strong shared infrastructure creates a foundation on which providers can compete more effectively on price, service, reach and innovation.”

Digital identity is one example. When it is trusted, reusable, privacy-protecting, and interoperable, it can simplify customer onboarding while helping reduce fraud. Open Finance can likewise expand consumer choice when people genuinely control their data and clear standards exist for consent, security, liability, and portability.

Balancing Affordability and Sustainability

For digital finance to reach more people, affordability remains essential. Madrid, however, stressed that affordability should be considered alongside transparency, reliability, safety, and consumer choice.

Providing digital financial services requires continuing investments in cybersecurity, fraud prevention, settlement and reconciliation, customer support, system resilience, compliance, and product development. These requirements mean that institutions with different licenses, cost structures, and business models may approach pricing differently.

Angelo Madrid explained, “Consumers should have access to affordable and transparent services, but affordability does not mean every provider must arrive at the same price. Different institutions operate under different licenses, business models and cost structures. What matters is that consumers receive fair value, strong protection, reliable service and continued innovation.”

Strong competition, supported by efficient shared infrastructure, can therefore play an important role in improving both pricing and value for consumers. At the same time, it can preserve the ability of different providers to innovate according to their respective mandates.

Clear Rules, Healthy Competition

Regulation will also be critical as ASEAN's digital-finance ecosystem matures. Madrid said rules should be clear about their intended outcomes, proportionate in implementation, and predictable over time.

Financial institutions operate under different licenses, permitted activities, balance-sheet obligations, and prudential requirements. Common principles can help safeguard consumers while still recognizing these structural differences.

Angelo Madrid said, “Clear and predictable regulation supports consumer trust while giving institutions the confidence to continue investing and innovating.”

He also emphasized that consumer protection and innovation do not have to work against each other. Angelo Madrid added, “A progressive regulatory environment sets strong standards and clear outcomes, then gives institutions room to innovate and compete within those guardrails.”

ASEAN's Next Digital Finance Chapter

As payments and financial services become increasingly interconnected across Southeast Asia, the long-term opportunity lies in strengthening the common digital foundation while preserving the diversity of institutions and business models that have helped expand access.

For ASEAN, this means looking beyond the number of accounts created or apps downloaded and paying closer attention to whether digital finance is genuinely helping people build stronger financial lives.

Angelo Madrid said, “Payments and financial services are already becoming more connected across ASEAN. The next step is making sure trust, identity, data, and consumer protection can move with them.”

With stronger shared infrastructure, competitive markets, and policies that balance protection with innovation, ASEAN can build on the progress it has already achieved and move toward a digital financial ecosystem designed not merely for wider access, but for lasting value and resilience.