Jerry Ng’s billion-dollar eureka moment didn’t happen in the boardroom. It came to him while sharing an Uber taxi in the USA.

Last year, the veteran banker—with managerial experience at Bank Danamon Indonesia, Bank Central Asia and Bank BTPN—became one of Indonesia’s 50 richest with a net worth of US$600 million. Just months later, Ng surged to top five after his total assets reached US$4.7 billion. While you scratch your head wondering how that happened, let’s revisit that fateful Uber taxi ride.

The 15-minute trip from his hotel to work made him realise how he has become part of the global digitalisation. As a banker, Ng naturally thought of applying the idea to banks. Which is exactly what he did, starting in 2019 when he acquired a 51 per cent stake at Bank Artos.

It was re-branded as Bank Jago the following year while transitioning to digital. The subsequent months played out like a dream, with Bank Jago’s phenomenal stock performance ushering Ng into the billionaire’s club.