SotaTek, a provider of AI-driven workflow automation and agentic AI solutions, has released a framework and industry guidance designed to help digital banks in Southeast Asia overhaul merchant onboarding processes. The announcement, made on December 17, 2025, highlights how next-generation AI technologies can address critical challenges as digital banking adoption accelerates across the region. Onboarding millions of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) efficiently and compliantly is increasingly seen as a competitive differentiator for modern financial institutions.
Unlike traditional banks that rely on card-network partnerships or legacy merchant-acquirer pipelines, digital-first banks in Southeast Asia depend on merchant onboarding as a core revenue engine. Each transaction from onboarded merchants generates income, yet many banks still grapple with manual processes, high drop-off rates, poor user experiences, and a limited number of onboarding specialists to support merchants who may not be tech-savvy. SotaTek's framework aims to address these pain points through agentic AI, voice AI, and intelligent workflow orchestration.
According to SotaTek, the next generation of onboarding technology moves beyond scripted bots or static robotic process automation (RPA). Instead, it relies on agentic systems that can reason, guide, adapt, and self-correct across complex onboarding journeys. These systems act as a guided onboarding concierge, assisting merchants step-by-step while validating inputs and documents in real-time. They adapt explanations and instructions based on the merchant's level of digital literacy, reducing dependency on human onboarding specialists.
“Many digital banks have fewer than 100 onboarding specialists but serve millions of potential merchants,” said Meng Khong Tong, CEO of SotaTek US and Asia. “By combining agentic AI with OCR, behavioral signal detection, and intelligent workflow design, banks can deliver a personalized, human-like onboarding experience at scale. These systems don't just respond - they anticipate, guiding each merchant through a journey tailored to their readiness, needs, and digital literacy. Even non-tech-savvy merchants can get started confidently, with AI adapting to their pace and preferences.”
Banks in Malaysia and Singapore operate in some of the region's most heavily regulated environments, making auditable, explainable AI deployments critical. SotaTek emphasizes that any AI integration must fit cleanly into cloud-native stacks such as AWS and Databricks. The company continues to explore new applications of agentic AI in digital banking, working with ecosystem partners to co-design proof-of-concept solutions and accelerate time-to-market for these innovations. The full press release is available at NewMediaWire.
This framework has implications for digital banks seeking to scale rapidly while maintaining compliance and user satisfaction. By automating complex onboarding tasks and personalizing the experience, banks could potentially increase merchant acquisition rates, reduce operational costs, and improve overall customer experience. For the broader fintech ecosystem in Southeast Asia, such advancements could accelerate financial inclusion by making it easier for MSMEs to access digital banking services.
