Ranil Dissanayake, Deputy General Manager of Branch Credit, and Chaminda Senewiratne, Head of Digital Banking Channels at Seylan Bank, shared insights into the bank’s SME banking strategy for 2024. The bank’s focus on quality customer…
Saturday, 14 December 2024
Conversations and Interviews
Ronak Daya, head of product at Paxos, explained how its latest stablecoin, the Global Dollar, and the Global Dollar Network aim to drive institutional adoption by aligning incentives, enabling interoperability and building trust through…
In an exclusive interview, Kim Sung-Tae, Chairman and CEO of the Industrial Bank of Korea, shared insights into the bank’s Value Finance strategy, which focused on enhancing customer value and driving societal growth through innovation…
Mathias Imbach, co-founder and Group CEO of Sygnum, outlines the company’s mission to become the most trusted digital asset institution, and the next steps for the industry to achieve greater institutional adoption.
Cengiz Kiamil, managing director in Asia Pacific for Fenergo, a regulatory compliance solutions platform, discusses how the company leverages automation, artificial intelligence, and natural language processing to streamline compliance…
In a conversation with The Asian Banker founder Emmanuel Daniel, “Burnt Banksy”, who in 2021 set aflame a Banksy piece after tokenising it, discussed the evolution of NFTs and his XION protocol which aims to make digital ownership…
Canadia Bank, under CEO Raymond Sia, is navigating Cambodia’s evolving financial landscape with a focus on stability, digital transformation, and community-driven ESG initiatives. Amid regulatory pressures, competitive challenges,…
Rath Sophoan, chairman of the Association of Banks in Cambodia and Raymond Sia, vice chairman, discussed the priorities for Cambodia’s banking sector, including consumer protection, financial inclusion, industry consolidation, and…
Liu Tianwei, co-founder and chief executive officer of StraitsX, and Kenny Chan, head of StraitsX, discuss how the company is advancing stablecoin adoption in Southeast Asia through diverse partnerships, regulatory compliance, and…
Kalliopi Chioti, Chief ESG Officer, and Frankie Wai, Business Solutions Director at Temenos, discussed the pivotal role of technology in helping banks meet ESG challenges, streamline reporting, and prevent greenwashing. Through innovative…
Following the rebranding of Onyx to Kinexys, JP Morgan is accelerating its blockchain strategy to enhance asset tokenisation and distributed ledger technology (DLT) capabilities. Toh Wee Kee, global head of business architecture for…
Yuval Rooz, co-founder and CEO of Digital Asset, discussed the company’s innovative approach to asset tokenisation and distributed ledger technology (DLT) integration, focusing on the challenges, commercialisation, and real-world applications…
Aaron Gwak, founder and CEO of Libeara, discussed how his SC Ventures-backed platform is advancing asset tokenisation, sharing its approach to bridging traditional finance with blockchain technology, bringing real-world assets like…
In an interview at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, HSBC’s Nadeesha Senaratne and Dandelion’s Deepan Dagur, discussed their partnership’s role in reshaping cross-border payments for consumers. They shared insights on their collaborative…
Nikhil Joshi, COO of EMURGO, shares insights on how digital assets are evolving into mainstream finance, the pivotal role of asset tokenisation, and Asia’s leadership in digital asset innovation. Through strategic partnerships and…
The State Bank of India (SBI) has joined forces with Singapore’s APIX Platform, led by CEO Umang Moondra, to create the SBI Innovation Hub. This first-of-its-kind initiative aims to propel fintech collaboration, expand financial inclusion,…
At the Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, Matthew Driver, executive vice president, head of services at Mastercard Asia Pacific, highlighted that as account-to-account payments expand, fraud—especially authorised push payment—is rising…
As AI regulation intensifies globally, GitHub’s chief legal officer, Shelley McKinley, shares her insights on balancing innovation with regulatory frameworks. Speaking at the Singapore Fintech Festival, McKinley delves into GitHub's…
Rehan Ahmed, CEO of Marketnode, shares insights into Euroclear’s strategic investment, MAS’s support for asset tokenisation, and how Marketnode’s partnerships are advancing cross-border digital asset capabilities.
In an exclusive interview, ANEXT Bank CEO Toh Su Mei discussed the bank's mission to reshape financial services for MSMEs in Singapore and beyond. From digital onboarding to sustainable finance, Toh believes ANEXT is setting new standards…
The Global Finance & Technology Network was unveiled by chairman Ravi Menon at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2024. The network promotes collaboration amongst financial institutions, fintechs, and regulatory bodies to drive financial…
In a conversation with Emmanuel Daniel, Moorad Choudhry stressed the need to simplify global banking regulations, particularly those from Basel, to better align with modern liquidity management and faster financial transactions.
Rehan Ahmed, CEO of Marketnode, is driving the transformation of capital markets using blockchain technology, with a focus on overcoming regulatory challenges, streamlining cross-border payments, and unlocking new investment opportunities…
Soe Sandar Aung, head of core and digital banking at CHID Bank, discussed how the bank is updating its operations to meet new regulatory demands, focusing on digital transformation to improve efficiency and customer service.
Jennifer Barker, global head of treasury services and depositary receipts at BNY, discussed the rapid evolution of cross-border payments in Asia Pacific, the impact of blockchain on FX transactions, and the pressing challenges in payment…
Barani Sundaram, CTO of East West Bank, explained how the bank is modernising its core systems to improve customer service and operational efficiency, with the goal of becoming a leading consumer bank in the Philippines.
Walter de Oude, founder of Singlife, has launched Chocolate Finance, a platform aimed at optimising spare cash with competitive returns, user-friendly technology, simplicity, and security
Lawrence Chan, Group CEO of NETS discussed the company's new merchant solutions such as Soft Point-of-Sale (SoftPOS) and outlined key initiatives planned for the next 12 to 18 months to drive growth in cross-border digital payments…
Caltech professor Yaser Abu-Mostafa shared his vision of artificial intelligence unlocking the secrets of DNA and transforming healthcare with Emmanuel Daniel, founder of The Asian Banker
Lichen Hung, O-Bank’s CIO, shared insights into the journey and motivations behind transforming a traditional banking institution into a leading digital-first bank.
Alvin Lee, CEO of Maybank Singapore, discussed the bank’s strategic initiatives, its role as a regional hub, and the importance of a value-driven approach to wealth management.
As Southeast Asia’s economic clout continues its inexorable rise, Cathay United Bank (CUB) is turbocharging its Singapore operations, establishing the city-state as a strategic regional nexus to capture burgeoning growth opportunities…
Trinh Vinh Hien, chief technology and digital officer of Vietnam’s PVcomBank, and Ramki Ramakrishnan, managing director for Asia Pacific at Temenos, shared insights into the bank’s digital transformation.
Baiduri Bank is modernising its core banking capabilities by implementing Temenos Transact, paving the way for enhanced digital services, streamlined operations, and a superior customer experience.
MB Bank's long-standing partnership with Temenos has enabled its digital transformation, recently upgrading to the Java-based Tab J framework and scaling up to 15 million transactions per day.
One of Vietnam‘s leading commercial banks, Saigon-Hanoi Bank, accelerates its digital evolution with cutting-edge banking solutions.
HSBC Singapore is intensifying its focus on international wealth management, aiming to attract more affluent and ultra-high-net-worth clients. The bank has made significant investments in technology, and acquisitions to enhance its…
Expanding beyond Taiwan, the bank will focus on ASEAN markets to bolster global supply chain resilience and regional economic integration, according to Benny Miao, Executive Vice President (Head of Southeast Asia Region) of Cathay…
GXBank is the frontrunner in inclusive, technology-driven financial services in Malaysia. Its CEO Lai Pei Si discussed the bank’s journey since its launch in September 2023, and the road to ‘graduation’.
As Malaysia embraces digital finance, AEON Bank's Raja Teh Maimunah, discusses the heritage and strategies shaping the nation’s first Shariah-compliant digital bank, one of five licensed by Bank Negara.
Dennis Tan, CEO of Prudential Singapore, discussed the shifting concerns of customers post-pandemic towards personal well-being and financial security. He applies his extensive experience in financial services to advance customer-centric…
Banking innovator Sean Kiernan from Greengage discussed how they use crypto-collateralised loans to help SMEs, stressing the importance of partnerships, blockchain, and tokenisation for industry transformation.
The financial services industry (FSI) is a cornerstone of ASEAN’s economy and in this FSI Leadership Conversation Series, we speak to the region’s industry leaders for insights on technology and its impact on driving innovations…
NetXD chairman Ramamurthi discussed the evolving landscape of financial technology, focusing on the integration of AI, blockchain, and programmable ledgers to secure financial transactions globally
In this interview, Avinash Raghvendra, president and CIO at Axis Bank shares key strategic and technology imperatives of the bank, its recent initiatives and how it is rearchitecting its technology foundation to prepare for a cloud…
Under chairman Cho Yong-byoung, the Korea Federation of Banks will focus on enhancing industry ethics and innovation, aiming to combat misrepresentation while fostering trust and transparency
Ivan Chang, head of institutional at Saxo emphasises digitalisation's growing importance, shifting client demographics, fintechs' impact on wealth management democratisation, and the industry's move toward an integrated digital financial…
SBI Singapore’s CIO discusses YONO’s global expansion in US and Singapore, and its integrated super app that caters to over 60 million registered users and wielding significant impact
Mike Dickinson, COO and CPO of Brankas, emphasised the critical importance of consent and authentication in secure data exchange, highlighting the company's dedication to establishing open-finance security standards and growing its…
Mastercard’s Karthik Ramanathan, senior vice president for cyber and intelligence solutions in Asia Pacific, said that the company’s focus is on forming partnerships for enhanced cybersecurity and threat intelligence.
Pedro Sousa Cardoso, Chief Digital Officer, outlines the bank's ambitious journey - from revamping its core infrastructure to cloud-native solutions and innovative apps like Liv - solidifying its leadership in the MENA region and beyond.
Senior executives of the bank discussed their advancements in the Philippines in line with their goal of providing a comprehensive financial services platform for 30 to 40 million customers
Eli Shoshani, head for Asia Pacific at Bottomline Technologies, emphasised the rapid advancements and innovations in artificial intelligence and other technologies reshaping the payment industry, particularly in Asia.
Cloud-based payments outperform legacy processors in terms of agility, enabling customers to launch new products in weeks. Paymentology co-founder Abe Smith discusses the company’s impact in Asia Pacific, including how it supports…
James Pereira-Stubbs, chief client officer at Oxford Risk, discussed the impact of behavioural finance, a domain where technology, psychology and finance intersect on investment advisory
Yam Ki Chan, vice president of strategy and policy at Circle, discussed the stablecoin landscape, and how Singapore is taking the lead on the fintech stage in Asia Pacific and the world. Chan served as director for global and Asia…
The bank achieved profitability in less than five years, with co-founder and CEO Coen Jonker highlighting the company’s success in South Africa and the Philippines while outlining its expansion strategy in Vietnam and Indonesia
James Winter, senior vice president, Europe for global payments provider Thunes, talks about the company’s partnership with banks through a cloud-based API platform to solve the pain points of cross-border payments
OCBC's Head of Group Data Office, Donald MacDonald, reveals the bank's transformative journey integrating generative AI, exemplifying an inclusive approach, innovative tools like 'Buddy' and 'Wingman,' and a pragmatic focus on tangible…
Priyanka Gargav of Adyen and Anshul Gupta from TabSquare discussed how the latter uses Adyen’s platform for an all-in-one payment solution tailored for quick-service restaurants
GXS Bank, backed by Grab Holdings and Singtel, operates in Singapore and Malaysia. Group CEO Muthukrishnan Ramaswami discussed how the digital bank model can promote financial inclusion through competitive deposit products and accessible…
Nium co-founder and COO Pratik Gandhi discussed the company’s global real-time payments expansion. Since acquiring its Australian licence seven years ago, Nium has expanded to 11 licences and operates as a worldwide infrastructure…
At Hong Kong FinTech Week 2023, Anna Liu, general manager of tokenisation at HashKey Group, and Leo Li, CEO of the subsidiary HashQuark, talked about HashKey’s business model and network infrastructure
Shobhit Maini, co-head of digital assets for global markets at Citigroup, unveils a groundbreaking FX trading app that uses blockchain to execute real-time USD-SGD trades. Maini emphasises its transformative potential, signaling a…
The bank’s CEO shared insights into its investment in talent, innovation, and sustainability, emphasising his commitment to organisational resilience and forward-thinking teams
Betty Sun-Lucas of Austrade and Shadab Taiyabi of the Singapore FinTech Association delved into Project Lorikeet, explaining how this collaborative initiative intends to boost fintech trade and investment between the two countries.…
Damien Dugauquier, co-founder and CEO of iPiD, and Alain Raes, founding partner and chief commercial officer, explained iPiD's pioneering role in scaling global payment pre-validation, as the payment industry transitions to faster,…
Alex Manson and Kelvin Tan of audax discuss how the company enables banks to efficiently modernise technology infrastructure through a core banking agnostic system that can be implemented in less than a year.
CEO Jens Lottner shared Techcombank’s innovative approach and vision following the opening of its headquarters in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam
Cloud-based infrastructure plays a crucial role in enabling digital cross-border instant payment systems between Singapore and India
Signature Bank’s collapse highlights the need for reforms to address liquidity, regulate cryptocurrencies, and protect depositor interests
Author Emmanuel Daniel, founder of The Asian Banker, ignited a lively discussion with former US congressman Barney Frank and SC Ventures head Alex Manson during the Singapore launch of his book, The Great Transition: The Personalization…
Simon Beitz, CEO of Alex Bank, discusses how the bank is disrupting the traditional banking industry with a lending-led and low operating cost business model, leveraging technology to deliver innovative and customer-centric financial…
Iswaraan Suppiah, AmBank’s group chief operating officer and Aaron Loo, managing director of retail banking, share how the bank’s centre of excellence supports uninterrupted operation and optimisation of RPA
Iswaraan Suppiah, AmBank’s group chief operating officer and Aaron Loo, managing director of retail banking, discuss the bank’s AmAccess Biz digital account that enables the seamless onboarding of MSME customers who face challenges…
Kelvin Tan of Standard Chartered Bank and Peter Murray of Amazon Web Services discussed the launch of BukaTabungan, the digital bank partnership with Indonesia’s leading e-commerce platform, Bukalapak
Edwin Bautista, president and CEO of UnionBank, described how technology, culture and people play important roles in the bank’s digital transformation, and showcased the data centre network and Smart Innovation Campus deployed with…
Arvind Vohra, country head of retail branch banking at HDFC Bank explained how the bank’s service-first culture and analytics-led value proposition is driving growth.
Red Hat's Arvind Swami, and Richard Harmon discussed how payment transactions have grown significantly during the pandemic and how cloud technology gain traction among financial institutions.
Radha Pillay, regional head for Asia Pacific at Smartsream, cautions against being too reliant on a single provider or technology, particularly for cloud solutions where very few platforms dominate the entire market.
Enno Burghard Weitzel, senior vice president of strategy and business development, Surecomp highlighted the importance of collaboration, and exploring multiple ideas and solutions before deciding.
Mick Fennell, business line director for payments at Temenos discussed how they grow and address issues in the payments business and how the pandemic accelerate the movement towards contactless processing.
With the digitisation…
Faisal Ameen, Managing Director, Head, Asia Pacific and Japan, Global Transaction Services, Bank of America Merill Lynch, shares the challenges and opportunities in trade, and the role adaptive technology will play in the future.
Georg Schneider, head of financial engineering at Digital Asset, spoke about the difficulties in creating and digitising assets into tokens, and how Digital Asset is able to make this process easier for their clients.
Hari Janakiraman, head of industry and innovation, transaction banking at ANZ talked about three distinct but interlinked areas that are needed to futureproof the bank. He discussed how emerging payment technologies can create platforms…
Kai Fehr, global head of trade and working capital, Standard Chartered Bank talked about trade platforms and how marketplaces are transforming supply chain finance for clients and partners.
He shared that channelling financing…
Barry Rodrigues, Finastra discusses how consumers’ and corporates’ access to financial services through multiple channels in addition to banks’ own channels is driving evolution in Banking as a Service.
“Capitalising on the digital…
Philip Panaino, global head of cash management of Standard Chartered talked about the opportunities in the banking industry in this digital world. In a post-COVID era, he felt excited about the use of technology and working within…
Travers Clarke-Walker, chief marketing officer of Thought Machine, talks about the company's involvement in the growth of digital banks in the region and how these institutions can take advantages of new technology to diversify product…
Parv Aggarwal, head of partnerships at WadzPay, talks about the company's mission to integrate payments between the physical currency world and the metaverse via cryptocurrencies, digital tokens, and CBDCs on its distributed ledger…
Vinay Mendonca, Global Head of Product at HSBC, talks about the progress made by the bank in the digitisation of its trade finance and the improvements in speed of financing and quality of service.
Silvia Mensdorff-Pouilly, senior vice president in banking & payments at FIS talks about the importance of industry collaboration and adoption of new technologies in reducing payments friction.
Winnie Chen, head of treasury services in Asia Pacific at US-based BNY Mellon, discusses how the company is strengthening its teams in the region to tailor fit services in a rapidly-changing environment.
Samir Pandiri, president at Broadridge International, discusses the opportunities around innovation and platform integration as clients seek to digitise their ecosystems.
Nicolas Cailly, Head of Payments and Cash management of Societe Generale discussed the challenges such as high interest rate, and inflation worldwide and their impact on cash management and payments business. The bank supports the…
Ti Eng Hui, CEO of Brunei-based Baiduri Bank Group described how its new core banking system will position it for the future by simplifying IT operations, removing complexity and reducing costs. It will consolidate many obsolescent…
Alex Manson, head of the fintech investment and venture arm of Standard Chartered Bank, talked about how SC Ventures is out to transform the role of banks in the innovation space and how the future of finance is more collaborative…
Radek Jezbera, co-CEO of alternative investment platform Kilde discussed the performance of private debt instruments against publicly traded assets and in times of stress, the prospects for non-bank consumer and SME lending in Asia…
Patrick Cao, president of GoTo Group, the largest technology player in Indonesia, talked about the company’s strategy to improve its bottomline following its successful market debut and how it copes with challenges brought about by…
Samson Mow, CEO of JAN3 and Pixelmatic, caught the attention of El Salvador president Bukele with his idea of a country issuing bitcoin bonds and started positioning himself as an advisor to nation states on making Bitcoin part of…
Alejandro McCormack, COO and executive director of N1CO discussed with Emmanuel Daniel how N1CO, a digital bank in El Salvador is leading the financial revolution in Central America by digitising payments service.
Gabby Dizon, co-founder of Yield Guild Games (YGG), spoke with Emmanuel Daniel about how YGG and the gaming industry adopted blockchain technology and how it helps people make a living. With over 2.8 billion gamers around the world,…
Andi Taufan and Aria Widyanto of Amartha shared how their fintech social enterprise is supporting women entrepreneurs in Indonesia to expand their microenterprises. Founded as a microfinance cooperative in 2010, Amartha transformed…
Jakob Rost, CEO and co-founder of Ayoconnect, one the largest open finance platforms in Southeast Asia discussed the use of common APIs, the potential to forge industry collaboration and accelerate the digitalisation of Indonesia’s…
Diane Karusisi, CEO of Bank of Kigali discussed with Emmanuel Daniel, Rwanda's current economic boom and its development path over the last 20 years. With the changes happening in this east African country, it shows that Rwandans manage…
Lian Ping is chief economist of Zhixin Investment, president of Zhixin Investment Research Institute and president of the China Chief Economist Forum, in Shanghai. Before joining Zhixin Investment Research Institute, he was chief economist…
Nicolas Louvet, CEO, Coinhouse explores the idea of a crypto bank, discusses the steps the company is taking to apply for a banking licence in France and Luxembourg, and argues that while a cryptocurrency bank is feasible, they can…
Ukraine’s ambassador Zelenko: “Financial services community can contribute to stopping Russia's war”
Ukrainian ambassador Kateryna Zelenko, in an exclusive conversation with The Asian Banker's Emmanuel Daniel and Mathew Welch discussed the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war on the financial services industry.
Lars Holst, founder and CEO of GCEX, and Dusan Stojanovic, founding partner of TGV, discussed with Emmanuel Daniel the business model of the UK based FCA regulated digital brokerage, how it works with institutional and professional…
Simon Loong, founder and group CEO of WeLab discussed the company’s plans to build a pan Asian digital banking business, the path to profitability of its first digital bank in Hong Kong and how it is working with lead investor, German…
In this Leadership Perspective Series, Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso, president of Philippine National Bank (PNB) discussed digital transformation, IT security, and the bank’s participation in BSP’s initiatives to provide key payment…
Eric Barbier, founder and CEO, TripleA, speaks with Emmanuel Daniel, founder, about receiving the first crypto payments licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) under the new Payment Services Act.
He Cong, founder of Probe Group and a leader in China's blockchain industry, met with Emmanuel Daniel, founder, in Beijing to discuss the challenges and opportunities confronting the industry and Probe’s own technology.
In this Leadership Perspectives Series, Marek Hovorka, head of Ubank discussed the establishment of the bank, how it was positioned among the subsidiaries of parent company, VPBank and collaboration with sister company FE Credit. He…
In this Leadership Perspective Series, Samir Gupta, CEO, consumer banking at CIMB Group, discussed the strategy and opportunities that drive digital transformation. He tackled the bank’s strong performance and resiliency as shown by…
Radha Pillay, regional sales director for Asia Pacific at SmartStream, shared his views on the evolving technology requirement of financial institutions. He discussed the growing shift towards cloud, the ability to monetise data and…
Dennis Khoo, author and former UOB TMRW head, in this wide-ranging interview discussed the lessons from setting up one of the first digital banks in Southeast Asia, the imperative for incumbents to start a digital-only bank experiment…
David Whiteing, chief operating officer at Standard Chartered, discusses the bank’s digital transformation, its various digital platforms and partnerships to expand the financial ecosystem, and the technologies that are enabling sustainable…
Tan Su Shan, group head of institutional banking at DBS, discusses DBS’ digital transformation story, the evolution of its financial ecosystem to address issues confronting the industry today and its role as a technology enabler for…
In this conversation, David Moser, author of “A Billion Voices: China’s search for a common language”, talked about the political and cultural backdrop behind the adoption of Putonghua as the lingua franca of China.
