AGO Singapore hosts inaugural ASEANSAI Audit Innovation eXchange

Guest-of-Honour Mr Jeffrey Siow, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, with Auditor-General Mr Ng Wai Choong and speakers at the AIX Conference.

The Auditor-General's Office (AGO) hosted the inaugural ASEANSAI Audit Innovation eXchange (AIX), comprising a virtual workshop and an in-person conference on 15 and 16 October 2026 respectively. The event brought together audit professionals from 15 Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), Singapore's Public Sector Internal Audit Community and private sector organisations to exchange knowledge and experiences on innovative audit approaches and the use of emerging technologies to enhance audit effectiveness.

AIX Conference

The AIX Conference was held on 16 October 2026 at One Farrer Hotel, Singapore, bringing together about 200 participants from 11 countries. The conference provided a platform for audit professionals from international and ASEAN SAIs, Singapore public sector agencies and private sector organisations to share their experiences in adopting innovative audit approaches and leveraging technology to strengthen auditing.

Mr Jeffrey Siow, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, attended the conference as Guest-of-Honour.

In his opening address, Auditor-General Mr Ng Wai Choong, who is also Chairperson of ASEANSAI, emphasised the importance of embracing technology and audit innovation to deliver deeper, timelier and more useful audit insights, while upholding professional judgement, independence and integrity to strengthen public accountability and trust.

Auditor-General Mr Ng Wai Choong delivered the opening address at the inaugural AIX Conference.

The conference featured presentations by representatives from the SAIs of Australia, China and India, as well as those of ASEANSAI member countries, namely Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Viet Nam. Speakers shared their experiences in adopting innovative audit methodologies, applying data analytics and AI, and developing digital solutions to improve audit processes and outcomes.

The afternoon sessions featured perspectives from the private sector and Singapore public sector agencies. Representatives from DBS Bank, Ernst & Young, the Accountant-General's Department (AGD) and the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) shared insights on audit transformation, emerging fraud risks and the evolving role of auditing in an increasingly digital environment.

The conference concluded with a panel discussion involving panellists from the Australian National Audit Office, Ernst & Young, AGD and GovTech, during which they exchanged perspectives on the enduring importance of the auditor’s role, even as technology is increasingly used in audits.

Speakers from the public and private sectors exchanged perspectives on innovation and emerging technologies in auditing during the panel discussion.

Through AIX, AGO sought to foster greater knowledge sharing and collaboration among audit professionals, while encouraging the exploration of innovative approaches and emerging technologies to strengthen public sector auditing and accountability.

Virtual Workshop

As part of AIX, AGO conducted a half-day virtual workshop for 223 participants from 36 Singapore public sector agencies and 10 international SAIs on 15 October 2026. Participants gained insights into how AGO leverages digital tools to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of its audits. The workshop featured hands-on sessions on using Python and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), where participants learnt to develop basic scripts and make use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) to assist with more advanced coding tasks.

The workshop concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session on how technology could be further harnessed to strengthen public sector auditing and public accountability.

Participants explored the use of Python and VBA coding, supported by Generative AI, for audit applications during the virtual workshop.