Cybersecurity firm Group-IB opens global HQ in Singapore

GROUP-IB, an international company specialising in investigating and preventing cybercrime, has officially opened its global headquarters in Singapore. It was previously based in Moscow, Russia.

The firm's headquarters located in the Fragrance Empire Building now houses a team of employees from each of the company's key business units. The team includes leading experts from the digital forensic lab, cyber investigations and threat intelligence departments.

Key hires from Singapore include Shafique Dawood, who assumes the role of Group-IB's Asia-Pacific business development director, and Shawn Tay, who is now a threat intelligence analyst at the firm. Mr Dawood has over 15 years of experience working with firms providing forensics investigations, threat intelligence and client-side anti-fraud in the A-Pac region. Mr Tay has been working on incident response and threat intelligence in Singapore cybersecurity companies, handling a wide range of clients from various sectors, said Group-IB.

The company is in the processes of grooming local talent by working closely with local universities. It recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) and is working on a cybersecurity programme there.

Ilya Sachkov, chief executive and founder of Group-IB, said Singapore is a priority for the group's business development - 29 per cent of international revenue comes from the A-Pac region.

"Singapore was also chosen due to its favourable location and conditions for business development. The Singaporean government aims to create a safe and secure ecosystem for everyone - the people and public and private companies," said Mr Sachkov. "Most importantly, unlike any other country in the world, Singapore understands the importance of staying up to date with the latest cybersecurity technologies and trends, which is exactly what we are bringing to Singapore."

The firm told BT in October last year that its clients include major Thai banks, three of the 10 largest banks in Singapore as well as two departments within Singapore government institutions. It declined to reveal other clients because of strict non-disclosure agreements.

Group-IB has signed a data-sharing agreement with Interpol for both parties to supply each other with threat intelligence. It also became a partner of Europol in 2015, and is a permanent member of the World Economic Forum.