These innovative fintech leaders are democratising wealth in Asia

“If in ten years, Airwallex becomes one of the largest financial platforms in the world and is impacting millions of businesses globally and empowering them to expand, I’d be really proud,” said CEO Jack Zhang to Tatler. “We aren’t there yet and I’d be excited to take our company there.” Indeed, Airwallex finds itself at the forefront of the digital revolution, allowing businesses to flourish beyond their borders with its suite of financial services. Its payment acceptance service supports 100,000 businesses in 35 countries, which now include locations in North America. In April 2024, the unicorn company, with a valuation of US$5.5 billion, launched its services in the US, allowing US-based merchants to accept payments from domestic and international customers.

Read Jack Zhang’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Foong Chee Mun has led the digital banking revolution through two financial platforms: in 2013, he co-founded MoneyLion, which, through the years, evolved into a full-service digital platform that offers mobile banking, investment and personalised solutions. It listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2021, becoming the first Malaysian fintech firm to list on the bourse and making Foong Chee Mun the first Malaysian fintech founder on the NYSE. Though the fintech pioneer exited MoneyLion in 2023, he continues to push banking into the future, joining YTL-Sea Digital Bank in February 2024. For the venture between giants YTL Corporation and Sea Limited, he acts as chief product officer and leads the YTL AI Labs. 

Read Foong Chee Mun’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Robin Ang is co-founder of Finology, the Kuala Lumpur-based firm that gives people better access to financial products through embedded finance. For companies, Finology offers the tech-powered Loanplus, which accelerates loan approvals, and Coverplus, which distributes digital insurance. Meanwhile, Loanstreet provides the everyman with a wealth of financial information, which can help in making sound decisions about loans, credit cards and car and motorcycle insurance. In 2024, Finology, which operates in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Nepal and Pakistan, partnered with IFCA Software to integrate its Loanplus Home into the PropertyX platform. By allowing access to real-time mortgage pre-approvals from banks, the collaboration offers developers and home buyers a better experience. “This simplifies what was typically a drawn-out process susceptible to slowing transactions,” said Ang in a statement. 

Read Robin Ang’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

To empower businesses through financial connectivity, Daren Guo co-founded Reap, the payment technology platform that bridges traditional finances with digital assets. In 2024, Reap ramped up the security of its transactions, adopting Chainalysis’ advanced transaction monitoring and illicit activity detection capabilities for the blockchain. The company also combines spend management software with payment products to streamline day-to-day processes. Reap Card, for example, is a corporate credit card that allows digital access to capital and simplifies employee reimbursements, while Reap Invoice is a one-stop payment management tool that generates commercial invoices for free.

Read Daren Guo’s full profile on Gen.T

Andre Soelistyo has been instrumental in the growth of GoTo, Indonesia’s tech ecosystem that operates household names such as Gojek, Tokopedia and GoTo Financial. The former CEO of Gojek led the tech platform’s transformation into Indonesia’s first homegrown unicorn. In 2021, he presided over the merger of Gojek and e-commerce firm Tokopedia into GoTo, becoming its group CEO. And in 2022, he guided the business through its IPO on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. Soelistyo was also the CEO of GoTo Financial, the fintech firm that accelerates financial inclusion through the digital wallet and financial services platforms GoPay and GoPayLater. In 2023, the tech pioneer stepped down as CEO of GoTo Group, taking on the role of deputy chairman. 

Read Andre Soelistyo’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Tatler Asia’s Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia’s Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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