Malaysia’s Zetrix bets on AI Anwar and Web3 to go global

Blockchain and AI avatars. That’s what Malaysian e-government and digital services company Zetrix AI is betting on as it bids to become the next Southeast Asian tech firm listed on the Nasdaq.

This year, the Bursa-listed company is aiming to launch two major projects. First is an AI double of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The avatar is a project of Anwar’s political party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, and is expected to be a digital version of the leader that’s accessible to Malaysian citizens.

Second is a Web3 project in the Philippines. The company has inked a deal with the Philippine government for its public blockchain protocol to become the foundation of the administration’s future blockchain projects.

Zetrix AI Managing Director Wong Thean Soon / Photo credit: Zetrix AI

Zetrix managing director Wong Thean Soon, better known as TS Wong in corporate circles, sees these projects as part of a broader strategy to turn the company into a global tech player. He’s already looking to list the firm’s AI arm on the Nasdaq by the end of the year.

“They are just parts of the same puzzle. AI agents need two things – identity and the ability to make payments. Blockchain provides trusted digital identities and payment rails through stablecoins,” Wong tells The Business Times.

The company capped a record year in 2025, with revenue up 31% to 1.3 billion ringgit (US$320.4 million) and net profit rising 23% to 870.7 million ringgit (US$208.6 million), driven by Web3 fees and sales of Zetrix tokens and blockchain nodes.

Anwar as an AI avatar

Founded in 2000, Zetrix was initially known as MY EG Services and made a name as an electronic service provider of Malaysian government services covering road transport, immigration, and foreign workers.

The company was renamed Zetrix AI in July 2025 to reflect its move beyond e-government services into blockchain, digital identity, and AI.

As part of that shift, it’s launching PMX AI, an AI double of Malaysian leader Anwar.

The avatar has been trained on the minister’s public speeches and writings, as well as on the policy record of his administration. It is designed to look and sound like him, and it is able to respond in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and local dialects.

Anwar is not the only Asian politician making use of AI. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has used AI dubbing for multilingual speeches, while former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol deployed an AI avatar during his 2022 campaign.

Wong believes the earliest adopters of AI avatars will be politicians, given the demands of their jobs. “Politicians interact with enormous numbers of people and cannot personally speak to everyone. AI avatars allow them to conduct one-to-one conversations with voters simultaneously,” he points out.

PMX AI aims to help the Anwar administration get the pulse of the public in real time. For instance, a citizen who has lost their job could speak “directly” to the prime minister’s avatar to receive tailored advice, learn about government aid, and register for reskilling courses.

Philippine expansion