New cybersecurity platform in Singapore to groom talent, run annual summit

A NEW platform in Singapore will seek to develop cybersecurity talent, build a cybersecurity ecosystem and raise awareness of the importance of cybersecurity among fintechs, financial institutions and other sectors in the city-state.

Named the @-Wise Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, it is established by the Singapore FinTech Association, AMTD Foundation, AMTD Digital, Canada's University of Waterloo as well as workforce and mobility platform iQ4.

The five parties have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the centre to be headquartered in Singapore, they said in a joint press statement on Thursday.

The knowledge adviser will be Ernst & Young Advisory, while the supporting organisations are the Hong Kong government-owned fintech hub Cyberport, AMTD Foundation and Infinity Power.

In terms of education, the upcoming platform will set up training programmes to train and certify the workforce in cybersecurity skills.

It also plans to organise an annual cybersecurity summit with Singapore as the first stop, before expanding to other locations in South-east Asia and the Greater Bay Area. It will organise seminars and roundtable discussions among industry leaders as well, and provide cyber-risk mitigation products and strategies.

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In addition, the @-Wise Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence plans to foster a startup ecosystem in the cybersecurity domain, and deepen connections across organisations and industries.

And in the area of research and development, it will enable strong collaboration on the international, regional and national levels.

The platform seeks to promote Singapore as an international hub for cybersecurity and contribute to the city-state's Smart Nation vision, according to the joint statement.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore's chief fintech officer Sopnendu Mohanty noted that the demand for cybersecurity talent is "at an unprecedented level globally" due to the surge in digitalisation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, organisations are dealing with increasingly sophisticated cyber threats during the pandemic.

"The @-Wise Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence will accelerate the development of a next-generation cybersecurity workforce, and is a laudable effort and a step in the right direction to deepen capabilities," Mr Mohanty added.