BFM 89.9

HIGHLIGHTS 
Podcast  >  Enterprise  >  Open For Business  >  How Hong Kong’s WeLab Will Break into Southeast Asia’s Digital Banking Scene

How Hong Kong’s WeLab Will Break into Southeast Asia’s Digital Banking Scene

Simon Loong , Founder & Group CEO , WeLab Group

15-Aug-23 10:00

How Hong Kong’s WeLab Will Break into Southeast Asia’s Digital Banking Scene

Digital Banking is something that’s being keenly watched in the Southeast Asia region. We’ve seen 4 digibanks start up in Singapore, and here in Malaysia we’re expecting a few to open their doors to customers this year. While a lot of attention has been paid to players such as Grab, Sea Limited, and Ant Financial, another key player to watch in this region is WeLab.

WeLab was founded in 2013 and over the decade has raised around $900 million to fund ambitions to improve accessibility to financial services. They are involved in digital lending, digital banking, and SaaS enterprise solutions.

The 10-year old Hong Kong based fintech player made its entry into the Southeast Asian digital bank fray last year when it acquired Bank Jasa Jakarta. What does signal about its expansion strategy for Southeast Asia?

To find out, on this episode of Open for Business, we speak with Simon Loong, Founder & Group CEO of WeLab Group. Aside from their plans for Southeast Asia, we’ll also dive into WeLab’s 10 year journey, the growth across Hong Kong and Mainland China, what lies ahead for this Hong Kong unicorn, and ofcourse the pathway to IPO.

Photo Credits: Shutterstock

Produced by: Roshan Kanesan

Presented by: Roshan Kanesan


This and more than 60,000 other podcasts in your hand. Download the all new BFM mobile app.

Categories:  technologyeconomymarketsSMEentrepreneurs

Tags:  consumer creditdigital bankfintechstartupdigital lending





Play / Pause

Listen now : BFM 89.9 -- The Business Station

Today’s Shows



6:00 AM

The 6AM Stretch

Thought-provoking discussions on ideas, people and events shaping our lives.

7:00 AM

World Market Watch

Laurent Lequeu, Independent Market Analyst & Writer, The Macro Butler Newsletter tells us where international markets are heading.

7:15 AM

Morning Brief

We recap global and local headlines from today's papers and portals.

7:30 AM

Morning Brief

Erin Cook, Journalist for Southeast Asian Affairs talks about the ongoing protests in Manila.

7:45 AM

Morning Brief

Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, Transport Consultant, discusses Malaysia’s upcoming Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) system, which will let vehicles pass tolls without stopping.

8:00 AM

The Breakfast Grille

Narendran Maniam, CEO of Indah Water Konsortium, talks about Malaysia’s sewerage challenges and how the company is modernising and innovating to keep the system running.

8:30 AM

Morning Brief

Linda Zeng, Senior Power & Renewables Analyst, BMI (a unit of Fitch Solutions) talks about Asia’s accelerating data centre boom and what Malaysia must do to stay competitive.

8:45 AM

Morning Brief

Priska Magdalena Binti Sinem, Co-founder of HAI MANDAK!, provides insight into the youth perspective with regards to the Sabah state elections.

9:00 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) Laurent Lequeu, Independent Market Analyst & Writer, The Macro Butler Newsletter tells us where international markets are heading.

9:15 AM

Opening Bell

(REPEAT) We take a look at the FBM KLCI as well as regional capital markets.

9:35 AM

The Property Show

JLL Malaysia's Head of Research & Consultancy, Yulia Nikulicheva breaks down the latest commericial property market trends.

10:05 AM

Open For Business

Cheong Jin Xi, Co-Founder, Aonic

11:00 AM

The Workplace

Jurriaan Middelhoff, Dutch Ambassador for Youth, Education and Work, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

12:00 PM

Enterprise Explores

1:00 PM

The Breakfast Grille Repeat

Our flagship show, we feature both game-changers and groundbreakers in the hot seat.

2:05 PM

Discovery Hour

An eclectic selection of BBC shows, curated with variety in mind.

3:05 PM

Earth Matters

We take a closer look at Zero Waste Malaysia’s Green Wira Programme, which supports teachers in driving impactful zero-waste initiatives in schools.

4:05 PM

Health & Living

A researcher on the gut microbiome explains how gut bacteria are formed in early life, and how they can have long-lasting effects during later years.

5:00 PM

Top 5 at 5

6:00 PM

Big Issue

We speak to 8 time World Squash Champion Datuk Nicol David and her coach, Liz Irving on their successful partnership and break down the elusive ‘winners mentality’ idea

7:00 PM

Stories of KL

We’re speaking to co-founders of Lepak n Learn about the importance of creating gadget-free community spaces for kids to learn activities and foster their development.

8:00 PM

Cruise Control

Daniel Fernandez, Managing Editor, dsf.my