Singapore, October 20, 2026: PRecious Communications has released the findings of its PRecious AI Authority Index: Southeast Asia Banking 2026, revealing that 43% of AI-generated banking answers across six ASEAN markets named a different leading bank depending on the AI service used. The study, conducted between August and September 2026, compared 1,628 eligible matched service responses and found that 706 pairs produced a different first-mentioned bank when the AI platform changed.
The research, powered by the agency’s PRecious Pulse measurement platform, evaluated 2,740 response records from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, using eight languages and 11 AI and search service proxies. The index tracked 13 priority banks and three global banks, highlighting that being mentioned in an AI answer is not the same as being named first, and that visibility varies by question, service, and language.
Business banking widens competitive field
The study found that business-banking queries brought 34% more banks into AI-generated answers than consumer-banking questions, with business-banking responses naming an average of 4.73 banks compared to 3.52 for consumer banking. This demonstrates a broader competitive landscape for business banking in AI responses.
Market-specific AI visibility patterns
Across the six markets, the study identified both consistent and highly variable leaders. In Singapore and Malaysia, DBS and Maybank respectively maintained dominance in tested answers, while Vietcombank led across all question groups in Vietnam. Indonesia saw BCA achieve the highest overall answer presence at 86%, but BCA and Bank Mandiri each led 34% of first mentions, with BCA leading in personal banking (63%) and Bank Mandiri in business banking (56%).
In the Philippines, BPI led in total answer reach for consumer (73%), business (96%), and trust questions (92%), yet BDO was most frequently named first across all four tested categories, reaching up to 75% in business banking. Thailand’s results were divided, with Kasikornbank leading first mentions in consumer banking (65%) and Bangkok Bank in business banking (60%). Language differences also played a role, with English and Thai prompts producing different first-mentioned banks in 60% of eligible comparisons.
AI answers depend on public evidence
The index emphasizes that AI models rely heavily on verifiable public evidence, such as corporate websites, regulatory filings, and independent media coverage. The study does not assess bank quality, trust, safety, customer preference, or financial performance, but instead records answer order as a point-in-time snapshot.
Study scope and methodology
The research covered 13 priority banks—BCA and Bank Mandiri (Indonesia), Maybank and CIMB (Malaysia), BPI and BDO (Philippines), DBS, OCBC and UOB (Singapore), Kasikornbank and Bangkok Bank (Thailand), Vietcombank and Techcombank (Vietnam)—and three global banks (HSBC, Standard Chartered, Citibank). AI services tested included ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Search, Copilot, Meta AI, Grok, Qwen, DeepSeek, and Kimi. Eight languages were used: English, Indonesian, Malay, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese, Tamil, and Chinese.
PRecious Communications operates in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, and has received recognition at the PRCA APAC Awards 2026 and WCFA Davos Communications Awards 2026, as well as previous honors in 2025.
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