Tag: verification

Singapore – Digital wealth advisory platform Endowus has partnered with customer engagement platform Twilio to enhance security on their platform and build client trust. 

Endowus worked with Twilio to implement various security measures to safeguard its ecosystem and comply with regulations. In particular, the platform needed an advanced verification solution to mitigate the increasing risks associated with bot sign-ups and fraudulent activities. 

This led to the implementation of Twilio Verify, which adds layers of protection by enforcing SMS OTP verification during critical user actions such as logging in or making a withdrawal – thus ensuring that only legitimate users interact with the Endowus platform. 

With Twilio Verify, Endowus also introduced WhatsApp OTPs for customers logging in from overseas, allowing them to securely and reliably access their accounts and make transactions from anywhere in the world. This has been particularly useful in instances where clients are travelling internationally and unable to receive SMS OTPs.

Endowus also leveraged Twilio Verify Fraud Guard, which can identify patterns matching fraudulent SMS schemes, then proactively block or flag these schemes and prevent them from ever reaching the client. For example, the tool can proactively monitor patterns such as the percentage of delivered OTPs which are subsequently successfully verified. 

A drop in verification rates could signal issues like compromised credentials, and Twilio Verify Fraud Guard can identify this occurrence early on and alert the company to investigate and take action quickly. 

Endowus is also looking to explore additional solutions with Twilio to further enhance security on the platform. This includes Twilio Verify Push, which sends a push authentication to a user’s smartphone or tablet, enabling them to securely confirm their identity with a simple tap.

Deepak Sarda, chief technology officer at Endowus, said, “We are constantly reviewing the security and privacy concerns facing our clients today, and it’s essential that we do all we can to mitigate these risks for them. We’ve been able to use Twilio’s standout solutions to significantly strengthen Endowus’ security safeguards, ensuring our clients can engage with our platform worry-free.”

Meanwhile, Robert Woolfrey, vice president of communications for APJ at Twilio, commented, “Investors are increasingly selective about who they entrust their capital to, so fostering assurance is key. This requires a non-negotiable commitment to a robust security posture. At the same time, businesses still need to ensure their user experience is as seamless as possible. With the right tools in place, there’s no longer a need to compromise security for quality – you can engage your customers immersively, meaningfully, and securely all at once. We’re proud to have partnered with Endowus to achieve this.”

Singapore – Global online verification platform Sumsub has launched ‘Greenflag’, a global awareness campaign to urge businesses to rethink their verification processes by adopting fairer, more inclusive solutions. Sumsub’s ‘Greenflag’ project aims to unveil the massive issue of digital exclusion—affecting over 627 million people—and attract businesses to help solve it. 

Created by Sumsub and independent creative agency Cloudfactory, ‘Greenflag’ is a global campaign launching the first ‘nation’ for a people-friendly digital world, where unfairly red-flagged digital exiles can have their chance to rejoin the digital economy. 

It launches today in celebration of ‘World Inclusion Day’ with an online film running across digital channels directing businesses to the website https://greenflag.me and uses imagery depicting a floating server, seemingly lost at sea to powerfully illustrate the isolation and disconnect felt by the 627 million individuals excluded from essential digital services. It is also supported by influencer activity.

‘Greenflag’ represents a largely untapped market with a collective spending power of a staggering US$1.75t. For businesses, embracing inclusivity through updated verification processes unlocks vast opportunities. Those ready to rethink exclusionary practices stand to benefit from engaging this economically powerful population.

The website contains the aforementioned whitepaper and information for businesses on how to be more inclusive in their verification processes and how Sumsub can help them unlock an unfairly exiled market, making digital services accessible to all.

For context, the whitepaper by Sumsub, in collaboration with The Catalyst Group, highlights that digital exclusion is not only a societal injustice but also a significant economic oversight, as the lack of accessibility restricts economic participation.

Sumsub notes that around 627 million people around the world are unjustly exiled from digital services and often red-flagged due to bias stereotyping based for reasons such as issues with identification documents, lack of digital literacy, physical appearance changes and country of origin. This profiling can lead to exclusion from services that most people take for granted.

Julia Kim, chief marketing officer at Sumsub, said, “At Sumsub, we believe that access to digital services is a right, not a privilege. The exclusion of over 627 million people from essential services is a global crisis that demands urgent attention. Through the ‘Greenflag’ campaign, we’re shedding light on this hidden issue and challenging businesses to rethink how they approach verification.”

She added, “By implementing more inclusive solutions, we can empower people and unlock enormous economic potential, while ensuring that digital services are accessible to all. It’s time for the industry to come together and take action for creating a fairer digital economy.”

Meanwhile, César García, creative director at Cloudfactory added: “Our goal was to create a tangible representation of a very real problem that has remained invisible for too long. The concept of the floating server, seemingly lost at sea, powerfully illustrates the isolation and disconnect felt by the 627 million individuals excluded from essential digital services.”

He added, “As an agency rooted in Creative Activism, we are dedicated to driving action. Many companies are swayed to tighten security due to new AI driven fraud, meaning businesses become too risk-averse when accepting new customers. We envision ‘Greenflag’ as a genuine pathway to change, offering actionable solutions businesses can adopt immediately. We aim to show the value in this marginalised group, shifting the perception of risk to a nation that’s now open for business.”

‘Greenflag’ will run globally including the US, the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Africa, and UAE.

New York, USA – With legacy blue verification marks disappearing on Twitter, the platform has instead launched a paid verification service called ‘Twitter Blue’, charged at US$8. But even with such a feature, more Twitter users are more likely to quit the platform than pay for the service, according to web analytics company SimilarWeb.

According to their latest insights, during the month of March, more than 1.1 million Twitter users deactivated their accounts, compared with about 116,000 who confirmed a signup for Twitter Blue.

For this month of April, Twitter Blue signups peaked at about 6,600 on April 2, compared with about 38,700 account deactivations that same day.

Sentiments related to quitting Twitter were already high during the months of October and November last year, the time when the acquisition of Twitter by Elon Musk has been processed.

Lastly, account deactivations have spiked around the time Elon Musk took control of Twitter, at about 88,900 on November 20, but have since subsided, averaging less than 35,700 per day in March. However, in the first three months of 2023, Twitter web and app engagement fell on a year-over-year basis.

Singapore – In response to customer feedback that hygiene plays a major role in the lookout for new accommodations, online travel agency Agoda recently announced HygienePlus, a new verification feature that shows how hotels and other accommodations maintain hygiene standards within their premises.

The feature provides an extensive checklist that accommodations have to follow in regards to sanitary and hygiene protocols which include safety protocol trainings, contactless check in/check out, temperature check, mandatory wearing of face masks, disinfection of rooms, sterilization of equipment, and signs to observe proper social distancing.

 According to Agoda’s latest survey, Asian travelers noted “Hygiene Standard Listings” as a top priority for checking in at accommodations. The survey also revealed “Daily Room Disinfection” and “Daily Disinfection of general areas” to be the most important hygiene measures travelers expect to be implemented by hotels and other accommodation providers.

“People are raring to travel again but need the reassurance that hygiene measures at their destination are rigorous. Hoteliers and accommodation providers need to regain the confidence of travelers and have been working hard to implement safety measures to do so. HygienePlus quickly and easily identifies hotels that are ensuring a safe and hygienic environment,” Omri Morgenstern, chief operating officer at Agoda stated.