DANA cuts gambling with real-time detection

The Indonesian fintech is sharpening enforcement as e-gaming surges.

Indonesian digital wallet platform DANA has reduced gambling-related activity on its platform by 80% through predictive fraud detection and real-time transaction alerts.

“We are no longer reactive; we are predictive,” Vince Iswara, CEO and co-founder of DANA operator PT Espay Debit Indonesia Koe, told Asian Banking & Finance in an emailed reply to questions. “We continuously update our risk parameters and typology analysis to stay ahead of illegal patterns, particularly in online gambling.”

DANA’s fraud detection system continuously adapts to patterns of suspicious behavior, allowing it to block illegal transactions more accurately. It’s supported by Smart Friction, a real-time feature that alerts users when they try to send funds to flagged accounts.

“The threat has moved beyond what conventional frameworks can handle,” Ivan Yustiavandana, head of the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit, told a seminar in Jakarta on 30 July. “We appreciate DANA’s proactive reporting and advanced fraud detection—these efforts help close systemic gaps.”

This comes amid rising pressure from regulators as the Financial Intelligence Unit projects Indonesia’s online gambling economy could reach US$73b (IDR1.2q) by year-end. Indonesia, whose laws are heavily influenced by Islamic principles, enforces a strict ban on all forms of gambling—both physical and online—under Article 303 of the Criminal Code.

DANA also runs a digital patrol initiative that has flagged more than 39,000 websites and social media accounts linked to gambling since 2020. The firm has submitted data on hundreds of thousands of suspicious users to Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) for further action.

“We don’t just wait for complaints; we proactively sweep the ecosystem and report,” Rangga Wiseno, chief of products at DANA, said in the email. “When combined with regulatory support, this creates a cleaner environment for users.”

The volume of gambling-linked transactions on DANA has dropped by 80% after closer monitoring and multi-agency data sharing, according to Alexander Sabar, director-general for digital oversight at Komdigi.

“DANA’s model sets a precedent. It shows what can happen when a digital platform commits to system-level accountability,” he said in an email.

DANA works closely with Bank Indonesia to ensure compliance with regulations and broader risk management strategies in digital finance.

“Digital financial services must go beyond usability—they must actively defend the system,” Yustiavandana said. “DANA’s initiative is one of the few that demonstrates that ethos clearly.”