Celebrating 10 Female Leaders Leading the Fintech Revolution in APAC

In ceremony of this year’s International Women’s Day connected 8 March, nan Fintech News Network is unveiling its action of 10 of nan astir influential female fintech leaders successful Asia Pacific (APAC).

These trailblazers are elevating nan industry, demonstrating resilience and activity successful nan ever-evolving fintech landscape. Their power goes beyond their ain organisations, importantly impacting nan fintech assemblage crossed nan full APAC region.

For this list, we attraction connected female leaders of fintech companies successful APAC, delving into nan careers, achievements, and accolades of 10 of nan astir salient figures successful nan region.

We research really these professionals person contributed to nan advancement of their respective companies and nan broader sector.

1. Lucy Yueting Liu, Co-Founder and President, Airwallex

Lucy Yueting Liu is nan co-founder and president of Airwallex, a world costs and financial level for businesses. At Airwallex, Liu is responsible for nan company’s branding and operations. Under her leadership, nan institution has grown rapidly, becoming a fintech unicorn successful 2019.

Prior to Airwallex, Liu worked as an finance advisor for banking patient China International Capital Corporation (CICC) successful Shanghai. She also served as nan head of Hong Stone Investment Development Limited, a Hong Kong-based finance company, and was an advisor to nan University of Melbourne’s accelerator program.

Liu has received respective entrepreneurial achievements and accolades. She was listed connected nan Forbes’ 30 nether 30 Asia 2017: Finance and Venture Capital database and connected nan SmartCompany’s Smart 30 Under 30 2019 list. She besides won nan EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Australia Southern Region grant 2018.

2. Winnie Chua, Co-Founder and CPO, PolicyStreet

Winnie Chua is nan Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of PolicyStreet, an insurtech level from Malaysia that intends to make it affordable, elemental to understand and easy to entree backstage healthcare.

The startup targets underserved markets successful nan security space, specified arsenic nan poor, students and startups. PolicyStreet besides serves millennials and nan rising mediate class. Besides Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, different footprints are successful Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.

Under her leadership, PolicyStreet was recognised arsenic nan “Top Insurtech Startup” astatine nan 2023 Fintech Frontiers Awards by Fintech News Malaysia, successful nickname of its move maturation and contributions to integer security solutions that cater to users’ bespoke needs.

Besides her domiciled astatine PolicyStreet, Chua is besides a personnel of nan Industry Advisory Council of nan Payments Network Malaysia. The assembly intends to guideline nan improvement of Malaysia’s financial marketplace infrastructures and guarantee that nan guidance of PayNet, Malaysia’s payments network, is aligned pinch marketplace and stakeholder needs.

Chua’s master profession began successful nan security assemblage wherever she held various roles astatine Allianz. Transitioning to entrepreneurship, she co-founded PolicyStreet successful 2017.

3. Caecilia Chu, Co-Founder and CEO, YouTrip

Caecilia Chu is nan Co-Founder and CEO of YouTrip, Singapore’s multi-currency mobile wallet established successful 2018 to connection users a seamless and affordable measurement to negociate aggregate currencies on-the-go.

Under Chu’s leadership, YouTrip raised US$50 cardinal successful its latest Series B fundraise, bringing its full costs raised to complete US$100 cardinal since its inception.

YouTrip plans to turn its squad pinch nan purpose to grow its location beingness successful caller markets crossed Southeast Asia including Malaysia, Indonesia, nan Philippines and Vietnam.

Her rich | inheritance successful nan finance manufacture includes overseeing maturation investments successful nan exertion and user sectors astatine Citi, advising financial institutions connected merchandise and maturation strategies astatine McKinsey, and holding important positions astatine Lufax, Chinese online wealthiness guidance platform, and QF Pay, a mobile payments institution backed by Sequoia China.

Chu’s activity has earned her world recognition, including being named to nan Top 50 Financial Technology CEOs successful 2021, ranking amongst nan Top 10 Fintech Leaders successful 2020 and 2021 by nan Monetary Authority of Singapore and Singapore Fintech Association, and receiving nan Tech Leader of nan Year grant by nan Singapore Computer Society successful 2022.

Furthermore, she serves arsenic an independent head astatine SGX-listed iFAST Corporation Ltd and has been elected arsenic chairperson of nan payments group sub-committee for nan Singapore Fintech Association.

4. Tessa Wijaya, Co-Founder and COO, Xendit

Tessa Wijaya, nan Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xendit, a costs gateway successful Indonesia, is instrumental successful simplifying payments for businesses successful Southeast Asia.

As nan COO, Tessa oversees nan company’s wide business operations, including work and support, partnerships, authorities and nationalist relations, and compliance. S

Tessa is simply a beardown advocator for diverseness and women’s activity successful nan fintech manufacture having spearheaded Xendit’s Women successful Tech Indonesia programme.

Xendit offers a scope of services from costs acceptance to payroll disbursement to reside nan fragmented costs landscape, enabling businesses to thrive successful nan integer era.

The patient first launched successful Indonesia successful 2015 and entered nan Philippines marketplace successful 2020 and past expanded to Malaysia past twelvemonth pinch an finance successful section subordinate Payex.

Having raised US$538 cardinal successful backing truthful far, Tessa is 1 of nan first female fintech startup founders to execute unicorn position successful Indonesia.

Before co-founding Xendit, Tessa had a seven-year tenure astatine various backstage equity firms, including QUVAT, Fairways, and Mizuho.

5. Martha Sazon, President and CEO, Mynt (GCash)

Martha Sazon, President and CEO of Mynt, nan holding institution of GCash, often touted arsenic nan apical finance superapp successful nan Philippines, has importantly impacted nan fintech landscape.

Appointed arsenic CEO arsenic nan COVID-19 pandemic raged on, her attraction connected customer-centricity has propelled GCash to beryllium embedded into nan lives of galore Filipinos.

Under her leadership, GCash has go nan 1 of nan 2 fintech unicorns successful nan Philippines pinch a valuation of complete US$2 billion.

GCash has now evolved beyond its halfway money transportation business and begun offering different financial services specified arsenic lending, investment, and security among others.

Additionally, nan institution has secured support from nan Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to present its financial services to overseas Filipino workers successful Europe and nan Middle East, readying to motorboat successful countries including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, nan United Arab Emirates, Germany, and Spain wrong nan year.

Before her tenure astatine GCash, Martha accrued complete 20 years of acquisition successful divers sectors including food, OTC drugs, individual care, and telecommunications. She spent 12 years astatine Globe Telecom, wherever she led groundbreaking projects and headed nan broadband business.

6. Melissa Wong, Group Chief Product Officer, bolttech

Melissa Wong holds nan position of Group Chief Product Officer astatine insurtech patient bolttech, focusing connected nan company’s merchandise invention and integer translator efforts. Thanks to her domiciled astatine bolttech, she was recognised arsenic 1 of Insurance Business Asia’s “Elite Women” successful 2022.

Previously serving arsenic nan Group Chief Digital Officer, Wong has expanded her responsibilities globally, including overseeing bolttech’s integer and merchandise guidance activities.

Her domiciled encompasses a wide spectrum of responsibilities, from nan improvement of commercialized products to managing aspects of technology, integer initiatives, pricing, and transportation processes.

Founded successful 2020, bolttech has expanded to complete 35 markets and 4 continents, serving various sectors specified arsenic travel, instrumentality protection, and financial services.

Since July 2021, bolttech has amassed US$493 cardinal from backers including Tokio Marine from Japan, world life security leader MetLife, and Malaysia’s authorities money Khazanah Nasional, among others.

Wong’s acquisition anterior to joining bolttech includes FWD Insurance, wherever she was Group Vice President of FWD Digital Ventures, Executive Director astatine DBS Bank and Head of Digital Banking astatine Standard Chartered Bank successful China.

7. Oi-Yee Choo, CEO of ADDX

Oi-Yee Choo is nan CEO of ADDX, 1 of Asia’s largest backstage marketplace exchange, pinch 20 years of acquisition successful superior raising and M&A advisory.

ADDX provides a level for tokenising assets, making it easier for investors to entree backstage equity, debt, and existent property investments. With a beardown inheritance successful finance banking, Choo has leveraged her expertise to thrust invention and maturation astatine ADDX.

To date, ADDX has listed much than 80 deals connected its level and worked pinch blue-chip names specified arsenic Hamilton Lane, Partners Group, Investcorp, Singtel, UOB, CGS-CIMB, arsenic good arsenic Temasek-owned entities Mapletree, Azalea, SeaTown and Fullerton Fund Management.

Her activity has been instrumental successful democratising finance opportunities, antecedently disposable only to organization investors, and making them accessible to individual investors.

Before her tenure astatine ADDX, Oi-Yee was pinch UBS for six years arsenic Head of Investment Banking for UBS Singapore, a position she took up aft serving arsenic Head of Singapore Investment Banking astatine Morgan Stanley.

Her profession besides includes starring nan Southeast Asia existent property finance banking franchise for Nomura Singapore, and she began her finance banking travel pinch Citigroup, focusing connected Singapore firm and existent property clients.

Between 2006 and 2008, Oi-Yee was nan Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development astatine Parkway Holdings, nan largest healthcare institution successful Asia, wherever she played a cardinal domiciled successful creating nan Parkway Life REIT.

8. Fernn Lim, Chief Operating Officer for audax

Fernn Lim serves arsenic nan Chief Operating Officer of audax, a cloud-native tech stack institution specialising successful integer banking and Banking arsenic a Service (BaaS) solutions backed by Standard Chartered.

Lim’s domiciled is cardinal to guiding audax’s strategical direction, overseeing people, trading & communications, shareholder engagements, legal/corporate secretarial, caller markets entity setup, organisational excellence, and business operations. Her expertise ensures audax’s soft description and operational occurrence crossed aggregate markets.

Before her tenure astatine Audax, Lim made important contributions to nan fintech ecosystem arsenic nan Head of Culture and Fintech Acceleration astatine The Open Vault astatine OCBC.

There, she led nan firm accelerator and directed OCBC’s fintech engagement strategies, contributing to nan team’s description successful Malaysia and securing nan title of Asian Banker’s Best Innovation Centre 2018.

Her domiciled successful advancing women successful nan fintech abstraction is notable, serving connected nan Money 20/20 RISE UP Advisory Board and nan BoardAgender cohort of nan Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) to thief beforehand female leaders to boardrooms.

A recognised leader successful fintech, Lim has earned accolades specified arsenic Top #5 Women successful Fintech (APAC), Top #15 Fintech Women (Asia), and different world recognitions for her power and contributions to nan industry.

9. Toh Su Mei, CEO of Anext Bank

Toh Su Mei leads Anext Bank arsenic its CEO, bringing a proven way grounds of enhancing customer worth and fostering highly engaged teams for business transformation.

Anext Bank, a integer wholesale slope incorporated successful Singapore, is simply a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ant International, has group retired to make financial services accessible and effortless for SMEs, particularly for micro and increasing businesses since its motorboat successful June 2022.

Her acquisition spans decades, ideally positioning her to helm ANT Group’s inaugural integer slope extracurricular of nan People’s Republic of China.

Prior to Anext Bank, she served astatine DBS Bank for complete 3 years, wherever her roles included Regional Head of SME Loan Product Management & Alternative Lending and Head of SG Channels & Distribution.

Anext Bank intends to accelerate financial inclusion done technology-driven invention to present accessible and effortless financial services for SMEs successful Singapore and crossed nan region.

10. Cynthia Wu, COO and Founding Partner astatine Matrixport Technologies

Cynthia Wu serves arsenic nan Chief Operating Officer and a Founding Partner astatine Matrixport Technologies, a integer plus ecosystem level that manages complete US$4 cardinal successful assets.

In her multifaceted role, Wu is integral to steering nan company’s strategical direction, overseeing its broad operations, and spearheading world business improvement and income initiatives.

At Matrixport, Wu has played a pivotal domiciled successful processing Cactus Custody, a qualified institutional-grade integer plus custodian, while she managed cardinal investor relations, ensuring robust and strategical communications pinch stakeholders.

Before embarking connected her travel pinch Matrixport, Wu was nan Investment Director astatine Bitmain Technologies, wherever she concentrated connected blockchain exertion investments and nan proliferation of decentralised applications, pinch a typical attraction connected enhancing financial services. This acquisition equipped her pinch a heavy knowing of nan imaginable for blockchain to revolutionise accepted financial systems.

Wu’s tenure successful nan financial assemblage is marked by a important domiciled astatine Hong Kong Exchange (HKEX), wherever she was responsible for derivatives merchandise improvement and organization income arsenic Vice President.