Cover Chibo Tang, managing partner, Gobi Partners (Photo: Affa Chan)
Chibo Tang, managing partner, Gobi Partners (Photo: Affa Chan)
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Asia’s money managers are creating innovative and inclusive solutions for all
Bankers, venture capitalists, fintech leaders—the wealth builders of Asia’s Most Influential are shaping a more resilient and inclusive financial future for the region. Apart from providing resources for startups to scale, venture capitalists back disruptive technologies that evolve financial services and business models. Other fintech leaders enhance traditional services by creating user-friendly and accessible products such as digital banking, mobile payments and peer-to-peer lending. Bankers provide stability and establish trust in the financial system as they ensure new technologies comply with standards. Together, these money managers form a dynamic ecosystem that accelerates growth for countries, businesses and individuals.
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Ravi Menon, managing director, Monetary Authority of Singapore (Singapore)
Above Ravi Menon, managing director, Monetary Authority of Singapore
Ravi Menon, managing director, Monetary Authority of Singapore
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For his contributions to the global economy, Ravi Menon, the managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), received the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award from the Institute of International Finance (IIF) in 2023. In his remarks to the IIF, the financial leader, whose MAS role has been extended until 2025, touched on “a critical task” the financial industry should next undertake: climate change. For him, the sector can help the world achieve net zero by supporting energy transition, and already MAS is taking on blended finance and transition credits to help phase out the region’s coal plants and replace them with cleaner energy sources. “Green and transition finance is potentially the next big growth story. But we need to innovate, take some risk, and work real hard to realise that potential,” he said.
Franco Varona, co-founder and managing partner, Foxmont Capital Partners (Philippines)
Above Franco Varona, co-founder and managing partner, Foxmont Capital Partners
Franco Varona, co-founder and managing partner, Foxmont Capital Partners
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In an interview with Tatler, Franco Varona identified optimism as the most important quality a venture capitalist should have: “Venture capitalists must have faith in the entrepreneurs they work with. To be a VC, one must always be able to look at the bright future ahead for the companies funded and the ecosystem as a whole”. The co-founder of Foxmont Capital Partners believes in investing in Filipino-focused startups, such as the online youth platform Edukasyon.ph, cloud kitchen network Kraver’s Canteen and esports organisation Talon, to provide solutions for the country. He added, “There are many advantages to starting up in the Philippines. We have one of the youngest populations in the region...we are one of the most connected populations in the world, with 75 per cent of our population using the Internet versus 63 per cent of the rest of the world’s population.”
Read Franco Varona’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential
Brahmal Vasudevan, founder and CEO, Creador (Malaysia)
Above Brahmal Vasudevan, founder and CEO, Creador
Brahmal Vasudevan, founder and CEO, Creador
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With five funds under its belt, Brahmal Vasudevan’s Creador has helped many South and Southeast Asian businesses, such as beverage giant TeaLive, ride-sharing firm Angkas, franchiser Sapphire Foods and digital bank Uno, become world-class companies. The private equity firm continues to accelerate growth in the region, investing US$71.3 million in financial lender AsiaLink of the Philippines and US$50 million in engineering R&D services company Hinduja Tech of India in 2024. Beyond business, the founder is known for supporting education, contributing to Princeton University’s Vidya Dehejia Professorship of South Asian Art to further art research in the region, as well as establishing the Brahmal Vasudevan Institute for Sustainable Aviation of Imperial College London via a GBP25 million gift.
Read Brahmal Vasudevan’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential
Chibo Tang, managing partner, Gobi Partners (Hong Kong)
Above Chibo Tang, managing partner, Gobi Partners (Photo: Affa Chan)
Chibo Tang, managing partner, Gobi Partners (Photo: Affa Chan)
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“Every entrepreneurial journey is unique, but most entrepreneurs aspire to build companies that will reach a unicorn status—the billion-dollar milestone. It’s a long journey full of challenges to get there, and it’s a whole different one following this milestone,” said Chibo Tang, managing partner of Gobi Partners, to Tatler. Indeed, Gobi Partners has helped ten companies cross the billion-dollar valuation, with biotech firm Prenetics, gaming company Animoca, e-commerce marketplace Carsome and crypto trader Amber becoming unicorns. The Asia-focused VC firm has invested in more than 380 companies in the region, choosing “first movers in new markets and technologies”. It most recently backed Aitrasound Medical Group, the tech company that combines artificial intelligence and ultrasound to achieve radiation-free 3D medical imaging.
Jack Fu, co-founder and managing director, Draco Capital Partners (Taiwan)
Above Jack Fu, co-founder and managing director, Draco Capital Partners
Jack Fu, co-founder and managing director, Draco Capital Partners
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Responsible for planning and operations, Jack Fu is the managing director of Draco Capital Partners, the investment management firm that uses artificial intelligence to guide investment solutions for institutions, family offices and high-net-worth individuals. Bolstering its tech-powered philosophy, Fu counts Steve Chen, the co-founder of YouTube, as his partner in charge of Draco’s data centre and algorithms, which are used for investment strategies and trading. The Draco Capital Macro Quant Fund, for example, reduces downside risk with a rebalancing method that achieves stable returns. Its systematic investment approach has managed over US$220 million in funds.
Tanyapong Thanmavaranukupt, co-president, Ascend Money (Thailand)
Above Tanyapong Thanmavaranukupt, co-president, Ascend Money
Tanyapong Thanmavaranukupt, co-president, Ascend Money
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In March 2024, the Bangkok Post reported that Ascend Money is preparing for its listing on Nasdaq in the next two years. The move is a natural step for the successful startup that was founded in 2015 and then became Thailand’s first fintech unicorn with a US$1.5 billion valuation six years later. As co-president of Ascend Money, Tanyapong Thanmavaranukupt leads the company’s mission of improving the lives of the financially excluded through its e-payment and micro-lending products. This includes the TrueMoney payment platform, which gives over 50 million people across Southeast Asia access to financial services such as mobile top-ups, bill payments and international remittances. “[Ascend Money’s] easy-to-use and seamless platform has introduced low-income communities, people without regular income and young digital generation to personal financial management for the first time,” said the co-president in a statement.
Read Tanyapong Thanmavaranukupt’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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