As cyber threats continue to evolve at an unprecedented pace, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) is taking a proactive stance by reinforcing its fraud detection capabilities through artificial intelligence (AI) and behavioral analytics.
Carlos Tengkiat, chief information security officer of RCBC, said that RCBC is enhancing its ability to detect and prevent cybercrime before it happens, ensuring a safer digital banking experience for its customers.
“The actual biggest cybersecurity threat is not the type of technology, it’s the rapid speed of how technology changes. As banks, we have to offer this technology, we should utilize them, but we should utilize them and provide a safe usage environment,” Tengkiat said during the recently held Asian Banking and Finance Summit 2025.
RCBC uses a multi-pronged method of warning customers not to click links from doubtful SMS with reminders sent through SMS notifications and In-app announcements, while also conducting security awareness events to protect clients from being victimized. There are also fraud detection systems that flag transactions that appear to be fraudulent so that customers can act swiftly to avert potential fraud issues.
“Now, [regarding] tools and security solutions, you have to think about them in two different ways. One is how strong the security is, but the other side is how frictionless it is for the consumer,” Tengkiat explained. “For a long time, SMS OTP was used because it was simple, but it was too simple, and people could be defrauded by giving away their OTP. It’s now time to evolve from that.”
“In RCBC, we keep abreast of cybersecurity and fraud trends and deploy applicable controls using advanced technology and industry best practices to prevent these from happening,” Tengkiat explained. “At the same time, it is RCBC’s goal, with its cybersecurity and fraud awareness campaigns, to empower clients with knowledge so they can do their part in protecting their own accounts.
Tengkiat added that beyond technology, cybersecurity is a shared responsibility between the government and private financial institutions, such as banks. With this, Tengkiat said that RCBC is committed to do their part in battling online fraud by spreading cybersecurity awareness and implementing fraud control measures to better protect their customers.
