Ant International and NTU Singapore partner to advance digital trust in Asia Pacific

Ant International and Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) have joined forces to spearhead advancements in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs). 

The partnership harnesses Ant International's extensive practical experience in the industry and NTU Singapore's renowned research capabilities, aiming to accelerate the development of cutting-edge solutions that safeguard individual privacy in the digital age over the next five years. 

Jerry Yin, Chief Technology Officer of Ant International, expressed enthusiasm for the expanded collaboration:

“Ant International is pleased to expand our collaboration with NTU, through this longer-term partnership. As a global digital payment and financial technology provider, data privacy is a core part of our business as we aim to provide merchants with secure, reliable and seamless solutions.

“By leveraging NTU’s academic expertise and Ant International’s industry experience, we look forward to advancing the development of privacy-enhancing technologies with new innovations that address real business needs.”

On 16 July, during Singapore's Personal Data Protection Week, the Master Research Collaboration Agreement was signed. 

The agreement was witnessed by Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How from the Ministry of Digital Development and Information. Signing the agreement were Jerry Yin, Chief Technology Officer of Ant International, and Professor Lam Khin Yong, Vice President (Industry) at NTU Singapore.

Goals and Financial Commitment

Under the MRCA, Ant International will work with NTU Singapore’s Digital Trust Centre to develop PETs aimed at helping businesses derive more value from their data while enhancing digital trust and security. The focus will be on PETs for Artificial Intelligence (AI), which will help make AI applications more reliable by ensuring data privacy.

Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How emphasised the importance of data protection for Singapore’s digital economy:

“Robust data protection is important for Singapore’s digital economy. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information has taken steps to strengthen our data ecosystem, including by encouraging the use of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs).

“I am glad to see companies collaborating with our Institutes of Higher Learning to develop PETs and nurture data protection talent. Such partnerships help us advance the development and adoption of data protection tools in Singapore and the region.”

Ant International will contribute up to S$20 million over five years to support research in PETs. This includes S$5 million specifically for the MRCA partnership until July 2029 and an additional S$15 million to bolster Ant International’s research capacity and expertise in PETs.

The collaboration, based at NTU Singapore, will give researchers access to real-life use cases from Ant International. The projects will focus on advancing industry tools for machine learning and secure data sharing between businesses using technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and federated learning. The aim is to develop specialised talent in PETs through these projects.

The partnership will also explore topics related to large language models (LLMs) that preserve user privacy during training and querying. 

A joint research committee, co-chaired by Dr. Duan Pu from Ant International and Professor Lam Kwok Yan from NTU Singapore, will oversee the projects under the agreement.

This MRCA builds on a previous collaboration between NTU Singapore and Ant Group, which developed a Private Set Intersection (PSI) protocol. This protocol allows businesses to conduct joint database analysis while maintaining data privacy.

Professor Lam Khin Yong, Vice President (Industry) of NTU Singapore, highlighted the university’s commitment to practical applications of research:

“Through its Digital Trust Centre, NTU Singapore has built upon and fostered expertise and talent in Trust Technologies. The collaboration between NTU Singapore and Ant International, a leader in global digital payments and fintech, underscores NTU’s commitment to translating research innovation in the area of Privacy Enhancing Technologies into practical applications.

“Together, both parties will aim to pioneer innovative solutions that strengthen digital trust and security, empowering businesses to responsibly leverage data for transformative outcomes.”