Instead of waiting for credit card technology to improve, Maya Bank has to be credited for investing in sustainable innovation.
Traditional credit card security expects users to rely heavily on hotline-driven, reactive fraud defense processes, limiting user agency and contributing to lower trust in credit products. In the Philippines, only 15% of adults owned at least one credit card as of 2024, according to TransUnion Philippines. There, the fear of fraud has long been a barrier to credit card acceptance and usage.
On 26 September 2025, to address persistent challenges in Philippine banking’s credit card fraud management, a fintech-linked bank in the country announced a credit card security system that aims to empower and attract more customers to leverage integrated security controls within its digital banking platform.
To gain more trust, Maya Bank’s solution takes back the heavy responsibility, merging enterprise-grade technology defenses with real-time customer-facing controls embedded directly in its card-management app.
Key technological elements deployed include:
- A numberless credit card design that eliminates static embossed numbers, reducing physical data exposure
- A dynamic Card Verification Value (CVV) that refreshes with every transaction, mitigating risks of static CVV theft and replay attacks.
- An in-app Security Center allowing users to instantly freeze or unfreeze cards, block specific transactions, and set spending limits without customer service intervention.
- Biometric authentication (face and fingerprint) to secure app access and validate cardholder identity.
- One-Time Passwords (OTP) integrated for transaction confirmation to add a layer of multi-factor authentication
- AI-driven fraud monitoring systems continuously analyzing transaction patterns and automatically blocking suspicious activities before completion
- Compliance with global security standards including PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and ISO 27701, ensuring data privacy and information security management are robustly maintained
While parts of the innovations listed are available in some credit card systems in fragmented ways, the Maya approach demonstrates a paradigm where visible, flexible customer-driven security features are integrated and accessible in real time from a single dashboard. This is essential for financial inclusion and sustaining trust in digital financial services in emerging markets.
The user-accessible, real-time model aligns security infrastructure with evolving user needs and regulatory requirements to ensure more effective management of growing cyber fraud sophistication effectively.
Improving credit card security standards NOW
According to the bank’s Group President and co-founder, Shailesh Baidwan: “We are giving customers simple, powerful tools to protect themselves in real-time. When people know they are in control, they are more confident to use credit and grow with it.”
The system thereby shifts security from invisible back-end protocols to transparent, user-centric features that build trust and encourage credit adoption. This is a good case study of how banks, which are vulnerable to weaknesses in credit card security and ongoing advances in AI-enhanced phishing and social engineering scams, can sometimes take the lead in leverage or integrate new features in that technology, and making them more accessible to end users. This can earn more customer trust and ensure their safety.
With sufficient financial resources and corporate will, such banks and entities (that are vulnerable to tech infrastructure challenges) can invest in innovation and self-disruption — not only to benefit their own clientele, but also possibly inspire change and innovation at the global industry level.
