In celebration of this yr’s Worldwide Girls’s Day on 8 March, the Fintech Information Community is unveiling its number of ten of essentially the most influential feminine fintech leaders in Asia Pacific (APAC).
These trailblazers are elevating the business, demonstrating resilience and management within the ever-evolving fintech panorama. Their affect goes past their very own organisations, considerably impacting the fintech sector throughout your complete APAC area.
For this checklist, we deal with feminine leaders of fintech firms in APAC, delving into the careers, achievements, and accolades of ten of essentially the most outstanding figures within the area.
We discover how these professionals have contributed to the development of their respective firms and the broader sector.
1. Lucy Yueting Liu, Co-Founder and President, Airwallex
Lucy Yueting Liu is the co-founder and president of Airwallex, a worldwide fee and monetary platform for companies. At Airwallex, Liu is accountable for the corporate’s branding and operations. Beneath her management, the corporate has grown quickly, changing into a fintech unicorn in 2019.
Previous to Airwallex, Liu labored as an funding guide for banking agency China Worldwide Capital Company (CICC) in Shanghai. She additionally served because the director of Hong Stone Funding Improvement Restricted, a Hong Kong-based funding firm, and was an advisor to the College of Melbourne’s accelerator program.
Liu has obtained a number of entrepreneurial achievements and accolades. She was listed on the Forbes’ 30 beneath 30 Asia 2017: Finance and Enterprise Capital checklist and on the SmartCompany’s Good 30 Beneath 30 2019 checklist. She additionally received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Yr Australia Southern Area award 2018.
2. Winnie Chua, Co-Founder and CPO, PolicyStreet
Winnie Chua is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of PolicyStreet, an insurtech platform from Malaysia that goals to make it inexpensive, easy to grasp and straightforward to entry non-public healthcare.
The startup targets underserved markets within the insurance coverage house, such because the poor, college students and startups. PolicyStreet additionally serves millennials and the rising center class. In addition to Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, different footprints are in Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.
Beneath her management, PolicyStreet was recognised because the “Prime Insurtech Startup” on the 2023 Fintech Frontiers Awards by Fintech Information Malaysia, in recognition of its dynamic progress and contributions to digital insurance coverage options that cater to customers’ bespoke wants.
In addition to her function at PolicyStreet, Chua can be a member of the Trade Advisory Council of the Funds Community Malaysia. The council goals to information the event of Malaysia’s monetary market infrastructures and make sure that the path of PayNet, Malaysia’s funds community, is aligned with market and stakeholder wants.
Chua’s skilled profession started within the insurance coverage sector the place she held varied roles at Allianz. Transitioning to entrepreneurship, she co-founded PolicyStreet in 2017.
3. Caecilia Chu, Co-Founder and CEO, YouTrip
Caecilia Chu is the Co-Founder and CEO of YouTrip, Singapore’s multi-currency cell pockets established in 2018 to supply customers a seamless and inexpensive solution to handle a number of currencies on-the-go.
Beneath Chu’s management, YouTrip raised US$50 million in its newest Sequence B fundraise, bringing its whole funds raised to over US$100 million since its inception.
YouTrip plans to develop its workforce with the purpose to broaden its regional presence in new markets throughout Southeast Asia together with Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Her wealthy background within the finance business consists of overseeing progress investments within the know-how and shopper sectors at Citi, advising monetary establishments on product and progress methods at McKinsey, and holding vital positions at Lufax, Chinese language on-line wealth administration platform, and QF Pay, a cell funds firm backed by Sequoia China.
Chu’s management has earned her international recognition, together with being named to the Prime 50 Monetary Know-how CEOs in 2021, rating amongst the Prime 10 Fintech Leaders in 2020 and 2021 by the Financial Authority of Singapore and Singapore Fintech Affiliation, and receiving the Tech Chief of the Yr award by the Singapore Pc Society in 2022.
Moreover, she serves as an impartial director at SGX-listed iFAST Company Ltd and has been elected as chairperson of the funds group sub-committee for the Singapore Fintech Affiliation.
4. Tessa Wijaya, Co-Founder and COO, Xendit
Tessa Wijaya, the Co-Founder and Chief Working Officer of Xendit, a fee gateway in Indonesia, is instrumental in simplifying funds for companies in Southeast Asia.
Because the COO, Tessa oversees the corporate’s total enterprise operations, together with service and help, partnerships, authorities and public relations, and compliance. S
Tessa is a robust advocate for variety and ladies’s management within the fintech business having spearheaded Xendit’s Girls in Tech Indonesia programme.
Xendit gives a spread of providers from fee acceptance to payroll disbursement to deal with the fragmented fee panorama, enabling companies to thrive within the digital period.
The agency first launched in Indonesia in 2015 and entered the Philippines market in 2020 after which expanded to Malaysia final yr with an funding in native participant Payex.
Having raised US$538 million in funding to this point, Tessa is without doubt one of the first feminine fintech startup founders to realize unicorn standing in Indonesia.
Earlier than co-founding Xendit, Tessa had a seven-year tenure at varied non-public fairness corporations, together with QUVAT, Fairways, and Mizuho.
5. Martha Sazon, President and CEO, Mynt (GCash)
Martha Sazon, President and CEO of Mynt, the holding firm of GCash, usually touted as the highest finance superapp within the Philippines, has considerably impacted the fintech panorama.
Appointed as CEO because the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, her deal with customer-centricity has propelled GCash to be embedded into the lives of many Filipinos.
Beneath her management, GCash has change into the one of many two fintech unicorns within the Philippines with a valuation of over US$2 billion.
GCash has now advanced past its core cash switch enterprise and begun providing different monetary providers corresponding to lending, funding, and insurance coverage amongst others.
Moreover, the corporate has secured approval from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to introduce its monetary providers to abroad Filipino staff in Europe and the Center East, planning to launch in nations together with Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Spain throughout the yr.
Earlier than her tenure at GCash, Martha accrued over 20 years of expertise in various sectors together with meals, OTC medicine, private care, and telecommunications. She spent 12 years at Globe Telecom, the place she led groundbreaking initiatives and headed the broadband enterprise.
6. Melissa Wong, Group Chief Product Officer, bolttech
Melissa Wong holds the place of Group Chief Product Officer at insurtech agency bolttech, specializing in the corporate’s product innovation and digital transformation efforts. Because of her function at bolttech, she was recognised as certainly one of Insurance coverage Enterprise Asia’s “Elite Girls” in 2022.
Beforehand serving because the Group Chief Digital Officer, Wong has expanded her duties globally, together with overseeing bolttech’s digital and product administration actions.
Her function encompasses a broad spectrum of duties, from the event of business merchandise to managing features of know-how, digital initiatives, pricing, and supply processes.
Based in 2020, bolttech has expanded to over 35 markets and 4 continents, serving varied sectors corresponding to journey, system safety, and monetary providers.
Since July 2021, bolttech has amassed US$493 million from backers together with Tokio Marine from Japan, international life insurance coverage chief MetLife, and Malaysia’s state fund Khazanah Nasional, amongst others.
Wong’s expertise previous to becoming a member of bolttech consists of FWD Insurance coverage, the place she was Group Vice President of FWD Digital Ventures, Government Director at DBS Financial institution and Head of Digital Banking at Customary Chartered Financial institution in China.
7. Oi-Yee Choo, CEO of ADDX
Oi-Yee Choo is the CEO of ADDX, certainly one of Asia’s largest non-public market change, with 20 years of expertise in capital elevating and M&A advisory.
ADDX offers a platform for tokenising belongings, making it simpler for traders to entry non-public fairness, debt, and actual property investments. With a robust background in funding banking, Choo has leveraged her experience to drive innovation and progress at ADDX.
So far, ADDX has listed greater than 80 offers on its platform and labored with blue-chip names corresponding to Hamilton Lane, Companions Group, Investcorp, Singtel, UOB, CGS-CIMB, in addition to Temasek-owned entities Mapletree, Azalea, SeaTown and Fullerton Fund Administration.
Her management has been instrumental in democratising funding alternatives, beforehand obtainable solely to institutional traders, and making them accessible to particular person traders.
Earlier than her tenure at ADDX, Oi-Yee was with UBS for six years as Head of Funding Banking for UBS Singapore, a place she took up after serving as Head of Singapore Funding Banking at Morgan Stanley.
Her profession additionally consists of main the Southeast Asia actual property funding banking franchise for Nomura Singapore, and he or she started her funding banking journey with Citigroup, specializing in Singapore company and actual property shoppers.
Between 2006 and 2008, Oi-Yee was the Senior Vice President of Technique and Enterprise Improvement at Parkway Holdings, the most important healthcare firm in Asia, the place she performed a key function in creating the Parkway Life REIT.
8. Fernn Lim, Chief Working Officer for audax
Fernn Lim serves because the Chief Working Officer of audax, a cloud-native tech stack firm specialising in digital banking and Banking as a Service (BaaS) options backed by Customary Chartered.
Lim’s function is central to guiding audax’s strategic path, overseeing folks, advertising & communications, shareholder engagements, authorized/company secretarial, new markets entity setup, organisational excellence, and enterprise operations. Her experience ensures audax’s clean growth and operational success throughout a number of markets.
Earlier than her tenure at Audax, Lim made vital contributions to the fintech ecosystem because the Head of Tradition and Fintech Acceleration at The Open Vault at OCBC.
There, she led the company accelerator and directed OCBC’s fintech engagement methods, contributing to the workforce’s growth in Malaysia and securing the title of Asian Banker’s Finest Innovation Centre 2018.
Her function in advancing girls within the fintech house is notable, serving on the Cash 20/20 RISE UP Advisory Board and the BoardAgender cohort of the Singapore Council of Girls’s Organisations (SCWO) to assist advance feminine leaders to boardrooms.
A recognised chief in fintech, Lim has earned accolades corresponding to Prime #5 Girls in Fintech (APAC), Prime #15 Fintech Girls (Asia), and different international recognitions for her affect and contributions to the business.
9. Toh Su Mei, CEO of Anext Financial institution
Toh Su Mei leads Anext Financial institution as its CEO, bringing a confirmed observe document of enhancing buyer worth and fostering extremely engaged groups for enterprise transformation.
Anext Financial institution, a digital wholesale financial institution integrated in Singapore, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ant Worldwide, has got down to make monetary providers accessible and easy for SMEs, particularly for micro and rising companies since its launch in June 2022.
Her expertise spans many years, ideally positioning her to helm ANT Group’s inaugural digital financial institution exterior of the Folks’s Republic of China.
Previous to Anext Financial institution, she served at DBS Financial institution for over three years, the place her roles included Regional Head of SME Mortgage Product Administration & Different Lending and Head of SG Channels & Distribution.
Anext Financial institution goals to speed up monetary inclusion by technology-driven innovation to ship accessible and easy monetary providers for SMEs in Singapore and throughout the area.
10. Cynthia Wu, COO and Founding Companion at Matrixport Applied sciences
Cynthia Wu serves because the Chief Working Officer and a Founding Companion at Matrixport Applied sciences, a digital asset ecosystem platform that manages over US$4 billion in belongings.
In her multifaceted function, Wu is integral to steering the corporate’s strategic path, overseeing its complete operations, and spearheading international enterprise growth and gross sales initiatives.
At Matrixport, Wu has performed a pivotal function in growing Cactus Custody, a professional institutional-grade digital asset custodian, whereas she managed key investor relations, guaranteeing sturdy and strategic communications with stakeholders.
Earlier than embarking on her journey with Matrixport, Wu was the Funding Director at Bitmain Applied sciences, the place she targeting blockchain know-how investments and the proliferation of decentralised functions, with a particular deal with enhancing monetary providers. This expertise geared up her with a deep understanding of the potential for blockchain to revolutionise conventional monetary programs.
Wu’s tenure within the monetary sector is marked by a big function at Hong Kong Alternate (HKEX), the place she was accountable for derivatives product growth and institutional gross sales as Vice President.