MarCoPay taps Sumsub as AI fraud threatens seafarer funds

MarCoPay taps Sumsub as AI fraud threatens seafarer funds
October 28, 2026 https://fintech.global/2026/10/28/marcopay-taps-sumsub-as-ai-fraud-threa...

MarCoPay, a Philippines-based electronic payments platform built for seafarers and their families, has turned to identity verification specialist Sumsub to harden its defences against fraud and meet the demands of the Philippines’ Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act.

Under the partnership, Sumsub will support MarCoPay across customer onboarding, ongoing compliance checks and transaction monitoring. The aim is to give MarCoPay a unified picture of fraud signals as they emerge in real time at every stage of the customer journey, allowing the platform to run continuous risk management rather than isolated checks.

The pressure to act is mounting. The Philippines continues to supply more seafarers than any other nation, creating a large, globally mobile workforce whose earnings and families depend on secure financial services. Sumsub’s Identity Fraud Report 2025-26 found that deepfake attacks in the Philippines climbed 61% year-on-year in 2025, placing the country among the fastest-growing markets for such attacks in Asia-Pacific.

Globally, complex multi-step coordinated fraud jumped 180% over the same period, underlining the threat posed by AI-powered schemes. AFASA’s tougher fraud-management rules, in force since June 2026, now require financial institutions to strengthen real-time monitoring and fund-recovery capabilities.

To onboard customers securely, MarCoPay is deploying Sumsub’s document-based identity verification, Liveness Detection and AML Screening. Sumsub can check more than 14,000 identity document types issued across over 220 countries and territories, giving seafarers who routinely cross borders the coverage they need.

Its proprietary Liveness Detection confirms genuine users within seconds and flags spoofing and deepfake attempts. The system builds a 3D FaceMap to prove a person is physically present during verification, then relies on that map to authorise later actions such as logins and payments.

AML Screening allows MarCoPay to run sanctions, politically exposed person (PEP), watchlist and adverse media checks within one workflow, drawing on over 50,000 data sources spanning more than 240 countries and territories.

Sumsub’s AFASA Fraud Management Bundle adds transaction monitoring through rule-based detection and dynamic risk scoring, helping MarCoPay spot suspicious activity quickly and act on it, including through fund-recovery procedures.

MarCoPay gives seafarers a digital ecosystem to manage, access and move their money quickly and reliably. The company pairs accessible payment services with compliance and fraud controls as part of its focus on financial security and consumer protection.

MarCoPay CEO Hayato Kiyohara said, “This partnership strengthens our ability to deliver safe and secure services. With enhanced security, we aim to better serve Filipino seafarers and our business partners.”

Sumsub vice president, APAC Penny Chai said, “AFASA is reshaping how financial institutions in the Philippines approach fraud prevention, placing greater focus on connected controls across the customer lifecycle. This makes an operational layer that unifies verification, fraud prevention, transaction monitoring, and risk workflows increasingly critical.

“Our partnership with MarCoPay reflects Sumsub’s commitment to supporting Philippine businesses as the compliance landscape evolves. By providing that trust infrastructure needed to build multi-layered defences against AI-enabled fraud, we help businesses build a more resilient response to emerging fraud risks.”