Study: Philippines, Indonesia lead mobile payments among Android users

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is tied with Indonesia for the highest number of Android smartphone users that use their gadgets for mobile payments, according to a global research on digital payments conducted by multinational cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

The study found that four in five or 82 percent of digital payment adopters in the Philippines as well as Indonesia used Android devices for mobile transactions.

Kaspersky said that in Malaysia, the figure was 76 percent; in Thailand, 73 percent; Vietnam, 67 percent, and 54 percent in Singapore.

The firm said the figures tracked other studies that found Southeast Asia to be the fastest-growing mobile wallet market, especially after the pandemic triggered a boom in the local adoption of online banking and e-wallet usage.

It cited the Mobile Economy Asia Pacific 2022 report of the GSM Association, which had noted that telco-based mobile payments providers were leading the growth in the number of mobile payment transactions in the Southeast Asian region, with as much as 86 live mobile money service providers in the region.

However, Kaspersky stressed this does not bode well, especially with their other studies which showed a low number of Android gadget users not having security tools to protect them from mobile malware attacks.

In 2022, Kaspersky blocked a total of 1,083 mobile banking Trojans that almost infected its users in SEA as well as 207,506 mobile malware incidents.

“Compared to threats like phishing and ransomware, mobile banking Trojan detections are still relatively low in volume, mostly because the basic hygiene of putting security solutions on mobile devices is still a work in progress in Southeast Asia,” Kaspersky managing director for Asia Pacific Adrian Hia said.

“Our money, bank accounts, mobile e-wallets and even our investments are literally in our smartphones now – may it be an Android or an iOS device. It’s time to protect them with a robust security solution against financially motivated cybercriminals,” Hia pointed out.

Beyond mobile banking and personal money payment transactions, mobile phones have been known to be used for accessing company mail and assets, Kaspersky noted. “The danger with Bring Your Own Device lies in the fact that 96 percent of smartphones that can connect and access corporate networks are non-work issued, meaning, they are intended for personal use,” the firm added.

Kaspersky’s researchers, through the years, have seen cases of advanced persistent threats (APTs) that enter a company’s systems through an infected mobile device.

Mobile malware APTs like Pegasus and Chrysor are spywares deployed through Android or iOS exploits installed on victims’ smartphones. Kaspersky, in 2022, has also detected 10,543 mobile ransomware Trojan installers globally.

“Our mobile devices are treasure troves of the social media and messaging apps that we use. In each of them, we have conversations, photos and private information that we want to keep away from the wrong hands. The other side of the coin is that cybercriminals are also lurking on these platforms, waiting for prey to fall into their traps. A safety net is necessary if we want to enjoy the powers of our mobile phones and to secure our digital reputation and identity,” Hia concluded.