Fraud and scams continue to pose systemic risks to the global financial system, costing the global economy more than $1 trillion in 2023 according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance. This harm is accelerating as real-time cross-border payments expand and scam prevention remains fragmented and slow, leaving institutions with limited ability to intervene on behalf of victims.
To help combat this threat and accelerate fraud detection and investigation, FNA and Proto have joined forces to develop an innovative Anti-Scam Centre platform. This integrated technology has been shortlisted for the G20 TechSprint 2025, an international competition organized by the BIS Innovation Hub and the South African Reserve Bank to advance cutting-edge solutions for threats to global financial integrity and inclusion.
The joint submission, “Trust at Speed: A National Utility for Scam Reporting and Fund Tracing,” addresses one of the most pressing gaps in financial resilience: the lack of a coordinated, end-to-end system for fraud response that closes the gaps in scam response.
Traditional fraud management often depends on institution-by-institution monitoring, manual escalations, and informal coordination between authorities. This approach leaves wide gaps between victim reporting, institutional investigation, and fund recovery. In practice, these delays mean that by the time an investigation progresses, stolen funds have already moved beyond reach or left the banking system completely.
Curtis Matlock, CEO of Proto, said: “The G20 Techsprint’s shortlist of FNA and Proto shines a light on how integrated AI systems can be used to rapidly support victims, trace fraudulent funds, and safeguard trust in the financial system – particularly in low-and income countries.”
Closing the gaps in fraud response
The Anti-Scam Centre solution from FNA and Proto addresses these shortcomings through an integrated framework: FNA’s Money Trails, a real-time fund tracing and analytics platform combined with Proto’s multilingual AI-driven citizen communication infrastructure. This solution enables scam victims to discreetly report fraud in their native languages, while financial institutions and regulators gain the ability to trace, freeze, and recover funds within seconds.
Key features include:
- Inclusive reporting: Proto’s multilingual AI-driven assistants enable victims to discreetly report scams via messaging apps and local languages, such as Cebuano and Kinyarwanda, to ensure that no victim is left unheard.
- Real-time tracing: FNA’s Money Trails platform tracks stolen funds across multiple institutions within seconds, identifying mule accounts where funds can be frozen to facilitate the recovery of assets.
- Cross-agency collaboration: This unified platform is delivered as a shared service, providing actionable intelligence to regulators, banks, and law enforcement, enabling coordinated and transparent investigations.
Proven results in live deployments
Both FNA and Proto’s approaches to fraud have already demonstrated measurable impact. In Malaysia, FNA’s Money Trails powers the National Fraud Portal, which has enabled investigators to increase handling capability while achieving a 60-fold increase in recovery rates compared to legacy methods.
In the Philippines, Proto’s AI complaints management system has processed over 14 million citizen interactions, significantly expanding access to fraud reporting, ensuring cases are addressed in languages familiar to consumers.
Safeguarding trust in financial inclusion
These outcomes highlight the potential of the combined system to enhance public trust in the financial and economic system, improve recovery rates, and protect investment in digital financial inclusion. Both FNA and Proto received pilot funding from the Gates Foundation to implement their technology in countries such as Indonesia, Namibia, and the Philippines, where scams disproportionately target first-time digital finance users. When these consumers lose trust in payment systems, they often disengage, cutting themselves off from financial tools that drive inclusion and economic opportunity.
The Anti-Scam Centre solution from FNA and Proto directly addresses this challenge. By bridging the gap between citizen engagement and institutional response, it offers a scalable model for countries seeking to protect consumers while strengthening the resilience of their financial systems.
Dr Kimmo Soramäki, CEO of FNA, commented: “Fraud is both a systemic and human problem. This solution bridges the gap between consumers and institutions, providing regulators with the tools they need to respond at speed and scale.”
The submission will be presented at the South African Reserve Bank’s Headquarters in Pretoria on November 10, when the winners will be announced. Finalists will showcase live prototypes, with winners earning recognition and opportunities for incubation and scale-up through global partners.
About FNA
FNA is a leading analytics and simulation firm specialising in financial network mapping, stress testing, and fraud detection. Trusted by central banks, regulators, and financial market infrastructures worldwide, FNA’s platform helps institutions visualise and analyse complex transaction networks in real time. Its flagship solutions – such as the National Fraud Portal and Money Trails – enable authorities to trace illicit fund flows, detect high-risk accounts, and respond to scams with unprecedented speed and precision.
