Fintech in Asean 2022
Fintech in Asean 2022
SGD
BNPL
Policies
Contents
Foreword 1
Executive summary 2
Country insights 34
References 40
Foreword
Investments in ASEAN’s FinTech firms tracked last year’s bumper funding,
clocking in US$4.3 billion in the first nine months of 2022 – higher than the
combined sum from 2018 to 2020. While the global economy is in challenging
times, the numbers so far signal a vote of confidence in ASEAN’s FinTech
Janet Young
industry, due to its open regulatory and business environment.
Managing Director and Group Head,
Channels and Digitalisation,
As digital services continue to proliferate in the region, more companies are Strategic Communications and Brand,
finding ways to embed financial services within their apps. A travel app today UOB
may not just provide location reviews and itineraries, but also allow users to
book and pay for their flights and accommodation, split those payments into
instalments, buy travel insurance, and more. Apart from providing personalised
services and convenience to users, the move to become a FinTech-enabled app
can generate additional income streams as well as enriched customer data for
Wanyi Wong
the business.
FinTech Leader,
PwC Singapore
This is the power of embedded finance, and despite marked development in
various embedded categories like consumer payments and buy now, pay later
(BNPL), its growth potential remains high.
For this year’s FinTech in ASEAN report, the team surveyed more than 4,000
respondents and spoke with industry leaders to find out how consumers are
warming up to embedded finance, and how companies and FinTechs can tap
Shadab Taiyabi
into this promising sector.
President,
Singapore FinTech Association
We have named this edition Finance, reimagined as we have reached an
inflection point for the industry – one where key drivers like embedded finance
are contributing to the creation of accessible, user-focused digital ecosystems.
$
Fundraising remains resolute
in the face of winter
18% 23%
ASEAN VN
In last year’s FinTech in ASEAN 2021: Digital takes flight report, we saw how a prolonged
pandemic still led to record FinTech funding1 in ASEAN, along with a heightened adoption
of FinTech solutions such as e-wallets, cryptocurrencies and online investment platforms.
Introduction This year, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and interest rate hikes to combat rising
inflation have spooked markets, increasing expectations of an impending recession.
These factors have also affected private investments globally as investors pull back from
2021 highs.
In this report, we review FinTech investments into six of the biggest ASEAN economies:
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – also referred to
as ‘ASEAN-6’.
The four other ASEAN nations—Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar—have
not been included in the funding analysis.
Global FinTech funding reached US$63.5 billion up until September this ASEAN’s FinTech sector2 remained an attractive proposition amid
year (YTD 2022), crossing the halfway mark of 2021’s bumper funding. external pressures. Investments in the region now stand at 7 per cent,
up from 2 per cent in 2018.
North America, which has led in global FinTech funding for the past
three years, saw a drop of 57 per cent over its 2021 haul.
Global
FinTech
US$49B US$45B US$42B US$122B US$64B
funding
60%
Ant Financial’s US$14B Series C
funding contributed to this spike
50%
North America
Europe
US$24.5B 40%
US$20.0B
APAC
(excluding ASEAN)
30%
US$9.0B
ASEAN 20%
US$4.3B
10% ASEAN’s share of
global funding is now
7% from 2% in 2018
0%
2018 2019 2020 2021 YTD 2022
Rest of world
US$5.7B
Figure 1 | Global FinTech funding trends, YTD 2022 Figure 2 | Global FinTech funding split by region, 2018 - YTD 2022
Source: Tracxn, as at 30 September 2022, accessed on 3 October 2022 Source: Tracxn, as at 30 September 2022, accessed on 3 October 2022
1% US$1.1B
While funding activity remained vibrant in 1H 2022, 3Q 2022 Pre-Series : Angel and Seed rounds
54%
Early Stage : Series A and B
funding fell to a quarterly low since 2Q 2021. Late Stage : Series C and beyond
US$0.9B
49%
31%
54%
Although the number of deals are lower (163 vs 194 35%
9% 6% 3%
5% 6%
Funding into late-stage FinTechs made up 54 per cent of the 2018 2019 2020 2021 YTD 2022
YTD total, up from 43 per cent, as investors back mature
startups with a larger and more established customer base. Figure 3 | ASEAN-6 FinTech funding trends, 2018 - YTD 2022
78
67
60
56
53 54
US$ B
$2.5B 42
2.5
$2.3B
2.0
$1.4B
1.5
$1.2B $1.2B
0.5
FinTech funding in
ASEAN-6 (2018–2022) 0
1Q21 2Q21 3Q21 4Q21 1Q22 2Q22 3Q22
4% 5%
Thailand Malaysia
Singapore Singapore
Singapore and Indonesia accounted for more than 6%
12% Thailand
three-quarters of ASEAN’s total funding – Indonesia with Vietnam
a substantial 11 percentage point gain over last year. 22% 14% 33%
8%
The Philippines
Indonesia
The Philippines Indonesia
The Philippines and Vietnam saw a reduction in their share
of the pie as the number of mega deals from both countries 2021 YTD 2022
decreased significantly in YTD 2022.
US$6.0B US$4.3B
Of the 163 funding deals that took place, more than half
(55 per cent) went to Singapore-based FinTech firms. Figure 5 | Share of funding amount by country, 2021 vs YTD 2022
3%
3% Thailand
Thailand
52% 5%
55%
5%
Vietnam
Singapore The
5%
Philippines
Singapore The
8% Philippines
23%
Malaysia
7%
Indonesia 9%
Vietnam
25% Malaysia
Indonesia
7% 43%
77%
Apart from Vietnam, the payments category received the highest funding at 7%
US$1.9 billion across ASEAN-6. 12%
1%
4% 1%
5%
13% 22%
Alternative lending stayed in second spot (US$506 million), while the cryptocurrencies
category unseated investment tech to take third place at US$461 million.
Indonesia Malaysia
US$1,421M US$234M
6%
71% 11%
40%
11% 6%
10% 2%
45% 45%
7% 2%
7% 6%
19% 3% 16% 8%
24% 4%
3%
7%
5%
11% 1%
8% 2% The Philippines Singapore
US$337M US$1,847M
4% 4% 12%
1%
US$6.0B US$4.3B 2%
8%
15%
25%
13%
15%
14% 25%
27%
14% 11% 1%
15% 2% 1%
7%
3%
6%
10% 13%
19% 8% 17%
The Philippines Singapore
4%
13% 8 89
9%
11%
ASEAN-6 Total ASEAN-6 Total 20%
2021 YTD 2022 11%
247 163
20%
40% 11% 44%
1
20% 11%
11%
Payments Banking Tech Blockchain in Financial Services
Alternative Lending Investment Tech InsurTech
Thailand Vietnam
RegTech Cryptocurrencies Finance and Accounting Tech
5 9
While the top five funded FinTechs are from Xendit Series D Payments 300
the payments category, two companies on DANA Series D Payments 250
this year’s leaderboard stand out.
Voyager Innovations (PayMaya) Series F Payments 210
content—and Vietnam’s Sky Mavis—which Funding Societies Series C Alternative Lending 144
1036 289
285
260
Compared with the last bull market, maybe it's 243 612
600
called winter, right? But if you compare (funding 208
now) to pre-pandemic, it’s still summer. 523
475
418
Liu Gen Ping Total number
Partner, Vertex Ventures of FinTech 944 993
691 757
firms operating 583
by country
€ SGD
Businesses try on FinTech
Research methodology
4,313 8 9 3 Analysis of
respondents venture firms with an regional embedded
across capital embedded FinTech finance across
ASEAN-6* firms finance angle associations ASEAN-6
*An electronic survey was conducted between Jun-Jul 2022 across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam, while a supplementary survey ran in the Philippines from Jul-Aug 2022.
$ 2 $100
4
What we see across our investments is that the rise of
embedded finance in the region is driven by the demand for
3
more holistic digital user experiences. Financial services are
not just for payments anymore; it has become a fundamental
Figure 10 | Participants in the embedded finance value
part of one’s digital identity and overall digital experience.
chain may have overlapping roles
Moving forward, nearly every tech company will have some
level of embedded finance in their product or service.
These roles may overlap depending on the capabilities of each entity (see Figure 10):
1 Typically, the enabler links the provider to the embedder via APIs. Tan Yinglan
2 Certain enablers could also provide financial services directly to the embedder. Founding Managing Partner, Insignia Ventures Partners
3 Providers may work with embedders directly via APIs.
4 As capabilities deepen, embedders can also provide their own financial service.
Are consumers aware of embedded finance apps? Have they used such an app?
More than four in five survey respondents (81 per cent) were An average 70 per cent of respondents reported using such apps.
aware of embedded financial services.
Usage in Thailand and Vietnam is highest at 83 per cent.
Respondents in the Philippines and Vietnam held a resounding
lead in this regard at 91 per cent and 90 per cent respectively. Singapore’s lower usage may be due to a more mature financial
ecosystem and the high penetration of credit cards.
Yes No Yes No
Figure 11 | Awareness of embedded finance apps across ASEAN-6 Figure 12 | Usage of embedded finance apps across ASEAN-6
Question:
Are you aware of apps that have built-in financial and banking Question:
services that allow consumers to pay for various services that they use? Have you used an app like this?
Base: All. Total: 4,313 / ID: 652 / MY: 674 / PH: 559 / SG: 1,013 / TH: 665 / VN: 750 Base: All. Total: 4,313 / ID: 652 / MY: 674 / PH: 559 / SG: 1,013 / TH: 665 / VN: 750
74 per cent of consumers who use apps with embedded Payment convenience is the main reason driving usage across
finance use them at least once a week – with the highest ASEAN, except in Singapore, where users favour rewards points
in Vietnam at 85 per cent. and discounts.
26% 50% 9% 7%
Integrated insurance services 20%
Every day Several times a week Once a week Once in two weeks
Point-of-service lending 14%
Once a month Do not use regularly Never
Figure 13 | Frequency of usage of embedded finance apps across ASEAN-6 Figure 14 | Reasons for using embedded finance apps across ASEAN-6
Question: Question:
How often do you use such an app? For what purpose do you use integrated apps that have built-in financial services?
Base: Respondents who have used apps with built-in financial services. Base: Respondents who have used apps with built-in financial services.
Total: 3,031 / ID: 396 / MY: 514 / PH: 391 / SG: 554 / TH: 551 / VN: 625 Total: 3,031 / ID: 396 / MY: 514 / PH: 391 / SG: 554 / TH: 551 / VN: 625
Payments Banking
Embedded payments integrates Embedded banking refers to non-financial
financing and digital payment processing companies offering their users banking products
Embedded
seamlessly into the retail journey. like a savings account or a branded card.
finance
E-wallets Rewards Cryptocurrencies Linked accounts Debit / Credit cards
Investing Insurance
Embedded investing offers various platforms Embedded insurance provides relevant and
a springboard to seamlessly integrate personalised insurance to customers at a time
investing into their vertical offerings. when they need it most.
100%
90%
89
80%
70% 74
67 67 67 Cash
66
60% 64 64 63 63 63
62
59
E-commerce payment platforms
57 57
54
57 (e.g. ShopeePay, Lazada wallet)
50% 52 52 52 52 52
51 51
49
47 47 48 Mobile card payments
45
40% 42 43 (e.g. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay)
38 38 37 37
35 QR code payments
30% 32
(e.g. GrabPay, FavePay)
26
20% 22 Peer-to-peer payment services
21
(e.g. PayNow, PromptPay)
15 15
10%
Physical credit/debit cards
0%
ASEAN-6 Indonesia Malaysia The Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam
Question:
People are increasingly turning to new payment and transaction services. Which of the following have you used in the last six months?
Base: All. Total: 4,313 / ID: 652 / MY: 674 / PH: 559 / SG: 1,013 / TH: 665 / VN: 750
Setel by Petronas is Malaysia’s first fuel e-payment application that The Kris+ app, powered by Singapore Airlines (SIA), allows users to enjoy
works on smartphones and the Apple Watch. Using Setel, consumers exclusive deals, lifestyle privileges and bonus miles online and at retail
can pay for fuel from inside their car, earn Mesra rewards points when partner outlets in Singapore and overseas.
paying at a variety of retail partners, track their monthly fuel spending
and download receipts for easier claims. Kris+ started out as KrisPay, a mobile wallet developed by the SIA group
to extend customer loyalty beyond flying. Back then, users were required
Setel users can also pay for street parking via the app, or opt for to pay and accrue KrisPay miles via several steps that involved getting in
automated parking payments at selected parking lots. For electric and out of the app – a cumbersome customer experience. To solve this,
vehicle drivers, Setel can help locate the nearest EV charging station the team redeveloped the app as Kris+, a lifestyle rewards digital
and pay for the charge. platform with embedded Apple/Google Pay functionality in 2021.
In addition, customers can get instant quotations and purchase With Kris+, customers can now pay and accrue miles in one seamless
customised motor insurance right from the Setel app. process. Users can even make partial payments with their accrued miles,
a benefit that was non-existent previously.
Featuring its partner merchants, the app also allows users to book hotels
and make restaurant reservations.
We started by observing customers’ behaviour pain points at the
petrol station and introduced an enhanced refuelling experience.
Through continuous engagement with our customers, we also look
for new ways to elevate their experience with us that extends
beyond fuelling. Setel has and will continue to expand the mobility When we first started, we were looking for solutions to extend the
ecosystem through introduction of new services that complements KrisFlyer loyalty programme outside of flying and into customers’
our customers’ journey of ownership and maintaining their daily lives. We were also looking at how we could enhance our
vehicles. Embedded finance is a natural default to enable a seamless digital capabilities and be more innovative in the non-air, lifestyle
transaction with us. spaces. That was how Kris+, SIA's very own lifestyle digital
platform, was born.
Mazlin Erawati
CEO, Setel Jeanette Lee
General Manager of the SIA Lifestyle Ecosystem and Head, Kris+
Our research found that while traditional credit card instalment Figure 16 | Preferred pay later methods across ASEAN-6
plans are favoured by 42 per cent of respondents across
ASEAN-6, BNPL has room to grow especially in Indonesia, where
42 per cent say they have used or intend to use BNPL services Question:
Some retailers offer the option of pay later plans for purchases (electronics,
(see Figure 16). As roughly half the population in Indonesia are fashion items, etc). Which pay later methods have you used or intend to use?
unbanked5, with limited access to traditional financial products
Base: All. Total: 4,313 / ID: 652 / MY: 674 / PH: 559 / SG: 1,013 / TH: 665 / VN: 750
like credit cards, BNPL platforms offer users a way to better
manage their monthly cash flow.
Given the increased interest in the BNPL market, it is expected that Leading BNPL player Atome was first launched in Singapore in 2019 and
digital banks will try to capitalise on the embedded finance trends now operates in 10 markets across Southeast Asia, Greater China and
through their own apps, and on partner platforms. Enter TMRW by Japan. The company aims to empower shoppers by giving them time
UOB, a digital bank which aims to optimise the customer experience flexibility in terms of payments.
through AI-driven insights and a smart savings tool.
On the other hand, merchants who partner Atome can use their model
TMRW’s strategy to adapt their BNPL payment scheme to the rise of of flexible payments to drive sales from new customers in the market.
e-commerce activities is best exemplified through TMRW Pay. With Currently, the company has over 15,000 partnerships with leading online
TMRW Pay, customers can enjoy deferred payment services with zero and offline retailers across the beauty, fashion, fitness, lifestyle and
interest and fees for the first 90 days, instant credit approval, a TMRW homeware industries.
digital bank account and debit card.
To enter new markets, Atome leverages partnerships with existing
In Indonesia, TMRW has worked with partner platforms like Garuda and ecosystems by embedding themselves into them, as well as going directly
Dinomarket to offer TMRW Pay to the platforms' users. This strategy has into the market and serving customers. The former strategy has helped it
allowed TMRW to attract 3-4x more young professionals to their app, overcome market entry hurdles such as language barriers, cultural
while keeping them digitally engaged. preferences, and legal and regulatory framework issues.
We see more industries converging, where banks are orchestrating Verticals and channels are going to see digitalisation and that is
embedded finance plays across ecosystems, be it payments, where embedded finance is going to play a key role. Atome is
lending, or even insurance. As a result, things become more industry agnostic, and we are excited about the prospects of
intuitive relative to the customer's experience. proliferation across all industries, from healthcare to retail to F&B
and travel/hospitality.
Arvid Swartsenburg Umair Javed
Head of Digital Strategy, UOB TMRW Digital Group Head of M&A and Corporate Development,
Advance Intelligence Group
Paywatch is a South Korean and Malaysian-based EWA startup that Philippines-based SAVii aims to provide holistic financial assistance to
lets workers withdraw part of their wages before payday and receive salaried borrowers. The company works with over 100 corporate partners
the remaining amount on the actual day. and supports over 400,000 employees by providing the latter with safe,
convenient, and affordable loans and advances on salaries, useful for
It partners with banks that are willing to provide low-cost financing. personal and emergency financial necessities.
When employees withdraw their earnings before payday, bank
partners will provide financing based on how much work has been Such EWA options not only help employees with no prior access to formal
completed to date. credit, but also lets them avoid unlicensed money lenders. The company
believes that in emerging markets where there is a large unbanked or
While Paywatch first tested and incepted the EWA concept in South underbanked population, salary-linked finance is the safest path to
Korea, the company found that ASEAN offered a much stronger product financial inclusion.
market fit. Their clients (usually larger corporations) use EWA to show
care for the wellbeing of their employees. The tailor-made approach SAVii also provides other related services such as mental health support,
has also helped clients ease their retention problems. These valuable on-demand financial education, and insurance products.
features are expected to be applied to Hong Kong and new markets.
EWA is about improving the financial wellbeing of employees. The key to embedded finances is being able to do something
We never allow users to access more than 50 per cent of their different than what you can do on the open market. In this
earned wages at any given time. In Malaysia, employers regard, what we do is work with corporations to embed
usually opt for employees to access between 25–35 per cent of ourselves within those organisations to provide better financial
their earned wages. products to their employees.
Alex Kim Liam Grealish
Co-founder, Paywatch Co-founder and CEO, SAVii
Embedded investing is changing the way companies engage Digital investing is a sizeable market: In our survey, two in three
and work with traditional investment firms. It offers embedders respondents have used digital platforms to invest. Around one
a springboard to seamlessly integrate investing into their in five people have used robo-advisors and/or micro-savings
vertical offerings. Retail investors can then conveniently invest platforms, with Malaysia and Vietnam registering the highest
in a range of products without leaving their favourite social usage for micro-savings platforms at 28 per cent. As financial
media, payments, or lifestyle platform. Robo-advisors and literacy and digital penetration continue to grow, usage of
micro-savings enablers – which we will cover in our case such investment platforms is expected to rise.
studies – are viable starting points as they have a relatively
low barrier to entry.
Question:
Have you invested using digital trading and wealth management platforms?
If yes, which are the type of platforms that you have invested your funds in?
Base: All (excluding the Philippines). Total: 3,754 / ID: 652 / MY: 674 / SG: 1,013 / TH: 665 / VN: 750
Australia-based Raiz, with its micro-investing app of the same name, UOBAM Robo-Invest is Singapore’s first robo-advisory service on a
is attracting users who wish to invest through round-ups, recurring mobile wallet (Singtel Dash). It is designed to help customers invest in
investments and lump sum deposits. portfolios with a focus on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
factors, based on risk appetite and a view for the long-term.
Having expanded its operations to Malaysia and Indonesia, Raiz
enables users to invest the rounded-up amounts of daily purchases UOBAM’s partnership with Dash is part of the firm’s strategy to be
into a diversified portfolio of exchange traded funds (ETFs), helped by present in popular platforms to reach out to a wider audience. From
its ability to track credit and debit cards, as well as bank accounts. UOBAM’s experience, an embedded experience is only successful when
a seamless user journey ensues. This can only be achieved when API
Users can even pair this micro-investing strategy with a recurring connectivity is obtained and ready for partners to adopt.
investment plan or if there is additional cash, to consider a lump
sum investment. Being API-ready allows UOBAM to achieve greater reach and flexibility
when it comes to working with partners and their platforms – thus
increasing its pool of potential partnerships.
Once enablers and embedders are digitally ready, then positioning for
regulatory requirements and delivering on services can follow.
Raiz has helped kick-start the investment journey and savings
habit of many users. Through its micro-investing platform and
automated round-up feature, the technology makes it easy for
anyone to start investing in small amounts, even if it is just your
spare change.
We want to be present in the places and platforms where
Aidi Izham people are converging. We want to be where consumers are
Chief Executive/Executive Director, Raiz
and look at opportunities from that angle.
Rachel Ong
Deputy CMO, Head of Digital Business,
UOB Asset Management
Embedded insurance is the offering of relevant and tailored From our research, there has been a 7 percentage point increase in the
insurance to customers whenever they need it most. average number of people purchasing insurance online across ASEAN-6,
with insurance provider sites and apps coming out tops as the preferred
By integrating insurance within consumer platforms, consumers platform (58 per cent).
can enjoy the convenience of context-specific coverage along
their purchase journey. For insurers and businesses, this presents However, embedded insurance platforms such as e-commerce apps and
a strong value proposition for customers, besides enabling travel sites are showing promising signs in five out of six countries (Malaysia,
significant opportunities for brand building, increased revenue Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines), where respondents
and forging customer loyalty over the long-term. appear to be more receptive to purchasing insurance through them.
ASEAN-6
Insurance provider sites/apps 58% 69% 47% 57% 49% 66% 51%
Insurance comparison sites 26% 21% 24% 25% 30% 27% 31%
Question:
Which platform(s) did you purchase the online insurance from?
Base: Those who have purchased insurance online. Total: 2,223 / ID: 260 / MY: 365 / PH: 201 / SG: 547 / TH: 391 / VN: 459
Looking ahead: Southeast Asia is still emerging. There are still many industries –
education, healthcare, logistics – that need to be digitised. FinTech
What’s next for (in these verticals) is the most glaringly obvious right now, which is
why there's so much focus on that and so much capital pouring in.
embedded finance?
Justin Hall
Partner, Golden Gate Ventures
Quick Facts
Opportunities in FinTech continue to abound, albeit
having a lower adoption rate in the country Population size (2022) : 276 million
Median age (2022) : 31.1 years
e-Wallets have become increasingly popular for both online and Internet penetration rate (2020) : 54%
offline transactions. More offline merchants have started to Smartphone penetration rate (2020) : 77% (2025 est. 88%)
apply a “no-cash” policy, accepting only cashless payment
methods from their customers.
FinTech Regulators
In January 2022, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) completed
the licensing process for all peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms, Bank of Indonesia (Payments)
a major achievement given the large number of P2P lending Otoritas Jasa Keuangan (Financial Services Authority)
platforms established. As of 3 March 2022, there were 102
licensed P2P lending platforms.
Regulatory Sandbox
Both SEA Group and GXS Bank also made BNM’s pick after having secured
Singapore’s digital bank licence. FinTech Regulators
Both consortia led by AEON and KAF Investment Bank respectively are Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)
licensed under the Islamic Financial Services Act. Securities Commission Malaysia (SC)
The BNM also laid out major developmental and regulatory priorities for the FinTech Associations
next five years (2022-2026) in a new financial sector roadmap (Blueprint 3.0).
Some of these goals will include supporting technology and data-driven
FinTech Association of Malaysia
innovation, improving the financial sector’s competitiveness as well as ensuring
financial intermediation stays effective to meet the economy’s future demands.
To promote the P2P financing and equity crowd-funding (ECF) markets, authori-
ties also play a part by increasing their investment through the Malaysia
Co-Investment Fund (“MyCIF”) – allocating MYR50 million and MYR30 million in
matching grants for P2P financing and ECF respectively.
Amid firmly established local banks with Islamic financial offerings, Malaysia's
FinTechs are making gradual progress in a vibrant Islamic finance market.
FinTech Associations
Opportunities for FinTech growth as developments have been slow
but steady FinTech Philippines Association
FinTech Alliance.PH
To date, some 66 per cent of Filipinos remain unbanked, catapulting the Philippines
to fourth place among the world’s most unbanked countries. This environment is
highly conducive for FinTech platforms to flourish and address the financial divide.
FinTech firms that provide micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)
solutions and / or enablement, such as NextPay, will also be highly relevant.
With over 99 per cent of business enterprises in the Philippines classified as
MSMEs, MSME survival is critical to the national economy.
The Financial Services and Markets Bill 2022 was introduced to tighten
cryptocurrency regulation on companies that have a local presence in the market
but offer digital token services outside of Singapore.
Published guidelines on 17 January 2022 instruct the market to halt the advertising
of offerings to retail investors in public spaces, citing concerns about the “risky”
nature of such investments. Operators of crypto ATMs were forced to shut down
their machines after the MAS outlawed cash-to-crypto terminals.
Public trials for the BOT retail central bank digital currency to commence in
FinTech Regulators
late 2022.
Initiatives by the BOT to develop its policies and direction for repositioning FinTech Associations
the Thai financial sector in the new landscape
Thai FinTech Association
Open competition expands the business scope and provides more flexibility to
the financial sector as well as new entrants to the market, open infrastructure
allows more financial service providers to access key infrastructure at fair
and reasonable costs, open data enables better utilisation of data to support
the development of better financial services while ensuring appropriate
data governance.
Around THB 2.5 billion is set aside for digital development projects, subject to
be financed by the Digital Economy and Society Development Fund, in the
2022 fiscal year.
On 2 February 2022, eight digital projects worth a combined THB 1 billion were
approved, which will be pursued by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency.
E-wallets and online payments are the leaders, followed by P2P lending
and blockchain entities. FinTech Regulators
Over 2022, the e-wallet market will be fiercely competitive, possibly State Bank of Vietnam (Finance matters)
promoting e-wallet providers to merge into a few top superapps in order
Ministry of Public Security (Data privacy and cybersecurity)
to dominate the market.
Previously, Vietnam had a “wait and see” approach where regulators Vietnam FinTech Club
played an observant role. In 2022, the State Bank of Vietnam announced
plans to develop a regulatory sandbox for FinTech companies as it looks to
gather feedback on draft regulations for the sector.
Golden Gate Ventures is a venture capital fund in Paywatch is the only earned wage access
Southeast Asia founded by Silicon Valley natives. provider in Asia partnered with major
Since 2011, the firm has launched four funds, banks and recognised by the UN for its
managing a portfolio of US$250M AUM across commitment to promoting financial inclusion.
Umair Javed more than 60 companies. Our mission is to
Head of M&A and Corporate empower the audacious: we believe in
Development, Advance Intelligence Group empowering founders who are risk-takers, who
(Parent company of Atome) dare to challenge the norms, and who leverage
technology to change the way the world works.
Founded in 2016, Advance Intelligence
Weisheng Neo
Group is one of the largest
Partner, Qualgro
independent technology startups
headquartered in Singapore and
Qualgro is a leading tech venture capital
leverages innovative technology and
Ben Cheah firm in Southeast Asia, in areas such as
partnerships to build an ecosystem of
Partner, InnoVen Capital Data, AI, and Software. We invest across
products and services serving
Southeast Asia, mainly at Series A and B.
consumers, enterprises and merchants.
InnoVen Capital is Asia’s leading venture debt
platform providing debt capital to high-growth
venture-backed startups with a portfolio of over
300 market leaders from a range of industry
verticals in Asia.
James Tan
Managing Partner, Quest Ventures
Joolin Chuah
Chief of Staff, Carro Quest Ventures is a top venture capital
Tan Yinglan firm in Asia. Its portfolio of 100+
CARRO is SEA’s #1 online car marketplace venture-backed companies operate in
Founding Managing Partner,
providing innovative, full-stack car more than 150 cities across Asia, creating
Insignia Ventures Partners
ownership services. Genie Financial employment and advancement
Services is a subsidiary that provides Insignia Ventures Partners is an early-stage opportunities for more than 4,400
competitive auto financing options. technology venture capital firm founded in 2017 employees, while its Enterprise and ESG
investing in Southeast Asia's most influential efforts directly impact thousands more.
technology companies, including unicorns Carro,
Ajaib, and GoTo and category leaders Payfazz,
tonik, and Flip.
Appendix 2
The countries included in ASEAN’s FinTech funding
count here are Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia,
usually in the shape of NFTs that are minted by game
developers. The virtual items can be earned or
Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and purchased by players and can be traded for fiat
Vietnam. Brunei Darussalam and Laos were not money.
included as there were no funding rounds recorded
7
between 2018–YTD 2022, based on Tracxn data. According to NonFungible.com's Yearly Yearly Trends
Trends
Report 2021, Axie Infinity led the blockchain gaming
3
The number of FinTech firms set up and in operation space with US$3.5 billion in NFT transactions – four
in this year’s report differs from last year due to a times more than second-placed NBA Top Shot
significant recategorisation of some companies into (US$827 million). Despite the bearish outlook for
the FinTech vertical on data platform Tracxn. As more cryptocurrencies this year, Web3 games and
companies expand their services into different areas metaverse projects are still attracting large investments,
of FinTech (for example, NFT firms), these companies including US$150 million in funding for Sky Mavis.
will be retrospectively added to the tally.
8
The role of a financial institution or provider as a
'sponsor' of the embedded partnership is described in
a report by Goldman Sachs, titled The embedded
embedded
finance journey:
finance journey: Innovation
Innovation that
that differentiates
differentiates the
the
customer experience
experience. The report briefly mentions the
current regulatory environment for participants within
an embedded finance relationship.
Vietnam Indonesia
Survey Singapore
Singapore Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur
59%
respondents
100%
Johor
21%
The
Penang
Philippines Thailand
20%
ASEAN-6 20.8% 30.2% 18.8% 18.9% 11.3% 49.5% 50.4% 57.5% 33.3% 9.2%
27.8% 33.1% 14.9% 18.6% 5.7% 46.0% 54.0% 31.9% 52.1% 16.0%
24.8% 36.8% 21.8% 11.1% 5.5% 51.3% 48.7% 55.5% 39.8% 4.7%
13.7% 27.0% 25.8% 22.8% 10.7% 48.9% 50.8% 71.5% 18.6% 10.0%
8.7% 17.3% 16.5% 31.1% 26.3% 47.2% 52.8% 52.9% 32.8% 14.3%
32.7% 44.4% 11.9% 8.0% 3.1% 54.8% 45.2% 80.8% 18.7% 0.5%
18-25 years 26-35 years 36-45 years 46-55 years 56-65 years Male Female Mass Mass Affluent Affluent
Tracxn Tracxn
Categories Focus Categories Focus
classification classification
Online lending platforms (including balance Companies offering platforms for retail and
Alternative sheet lenders, marketplaces, P2P lenders as institutional investors to research and invest in
Investment
Alternative Lending well as lead generators) and companies that multiple financial assets. Also includes companies
Tech
Lending enable online lending. offering solutions to financial institutions providing
investment related services.
Online platforms where people, organisations
Investment
Crowdfunding raise money from the masses, for various Companies that provide automated investment
Tech
projects and causes. and advisory services with little or minimal human
RoboAdvisors
intervention. Also includes companies that provide
Companies which provide Tech solutions primarily white label robo advisory platforms/software.
Banking Tech Banking Tech for banking industry including software, innovative
hardware, and Tech-enabled services. Wealth
Management Companies providing wealth management platforms.
Companies which leverage the blockchain Platforms
Blockchain
Blockchain in technology to cater to the financial sector. Also
in Financial Companies providing cross-border money transfer
Financial Services includes companies providing financial services Remittance
Services solutions and services to consumers and enterprises.
related to NFTs.
Companies which provide tech solutions, including
All companies that provide bitcoin and other
Cryptocurrencies Cryptocurrencies Forex Tech internet-first platforms and software for forex market
digital currency products and services.
which includes currency exchange and currency investments.
Tools or software for automating functions
Finance and Finance and Payments Companies which participate in traditional web
of finance and accounting department of
Accounting Tech Accounting Tech based and offline payment cycle. Also includes
an organization.
Payments companies which provide alternative mode of
payment, companies which support the payment
Companies which provide software products and
Insurance IT companies in terms of security, analytics, platform etc.
data solutions primarily for the insurance industry.
Companies which provide tech platforms to Mobile Companies offering solutions to make and (or) accept
Internet First Payments payment via mobile.
InsurTech consumers for purchasing and managing their
Insurance Platforms
insurance.
Companies offering a range of tech products primarily
Companies which provide employers with solutions RegTech RegTech for financial institutions and regulators for efficient
Employer Insurance
for managing employee insurance benefits. implementation and monitoring of financial regulations.
FinTech solutions are grouped by categories based on Tracxn’s taxonomy for the FinTech practice area.
Yang Kun
Senior Officer
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