Key facts
- The IMF and World Bank launched the Bangkok Blueprint framework to combat cyber-enabled fraud.
- The framework is aimed at assisting policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions.
- Global digital fraud costs the world economy approximately $1 trillion annually, or 3% of GDP.
- Asia accounted for 67% of global fraud losses in 2024.
- In Asia Pacific alone, scam gangs defrauded residents of at least $88 billion in 2025.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank have introduced the Bangkok Blueprint, a new framework designed to help combat the escalating problem of cyber-enabled fraud. The announcement was made during the annual IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok.
Thai Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas highlighted the significant economic impact of online scams, stating that they cost the global economy around $1 trillion annually, representing 3% of GDP. The framework, officially named the Bangkok Blueprint for Fraud-Resilient Financial Services, is intended to guide policymakers, regulators, and financial institutions, though it is not formal IMF-World Bank policy guidance.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, scam gangs defrauded residents in the Asia Pacific region of at least $88 billion in 2025. Transnational crime groups are reportedly evolving their tactics rapidly to evade law enforcement.
Bank of Thailand Governor Vitai Ratanakorn noted that Asia was responsible for 67% of global fraud losses in 2024, emphasizing the region's accumulated experience in combating this threat. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva expressed concern that the expansion of cyber fraud could undermine the progress made in digital finance, which has provided access to financial services for previously unbanked populations.