On a humid evening in Jakarta, a warung owner hands over a plate of fried rice. Instead of fishing for small bills, the customer pulls out a phone, scans a black-and-white QR code taped to the stall, and within seconds, the payment is complete. No coins. No delays.

Scenes like this play out millions of times every day across Southeast Asia. For street vendors, small shopkeepers, and ride-hailing drivers, QR payments have transformed the way money moves. What started as a novelty has become the backbone of the region’s digital payment ecosystem.

Yet for all the convenience, a question lingers: is QR the future of money in Southeast Asia, or just a bridge technology on the way to something faster, safer, and more sophisticated?

Why QR became Southeast Asia’s favourite

Unlike Europe or the US, where credit cards and terminals are everywhere, Southeast Asia skipped straight from cash to mobile. QR codes offered a perfect shortcut.

• Low cost: Any merchant could print a QR code and start accepting payments without buying card readers.
• Smartphone boom: By 2025, smartphone penetration across the region is expected to surpass 80 per cent, meaning most consumers carry a QR scanner in their pocket.
• Government support: Indonesia’s QRIS, Thailand’s PromptPay, and Singapore’s PayNow weren’t just optional tools—they became national standards that banks and wallets had to adopt.

This made QR not just convenient but also inclusive. Suddenly, small businesses that were locked out of the digital economy could accept cashless payments just as easily as big retailers.

Also Read: Why is open banking the future of fintech?

A regional push for interoperability

What makes Southeast Asia’s QR story even more ambitious is the cross-border vision. Regulators want a tourist from Bangkok to pay in Bali, or a shopper from Singapore to settle bills in Kuala Lumpur, all by scanning a local QR code.

That vision is slowly becoming reality:

• Thailand and Singapore already link PromptPay and PayNow.
• Indonesia and Malaysia have connected QRIS and DuitNow.
• Other ASEAN nations are in talks to join a wider regional network.

For travellers, this means paying in their own currency abroad. For small merchants, it opens the door to foreign customers without expensive card networks. If the project succeeds, it could chip away at the dominance of Visa and Mastercard in the region.

But rollout is uneven. Not all countries are moving at the same pace, and differences in regulation, settlement systems, and fraud monitoring still hold back a seamless network.

The dark side of convenience: Security and trust

For every innovation, there’s a risk. QR codes, because they are so simple, can be easily tampered with. In Thailand, regulators warned consumers about fraudsters swapping merchants’ QR codes with fake ones, redirecting payments to scam accounts. Similar warnings have surfaced in Indonesia and Vietnam.

Trust is also a broader issue. Every scan generates data. Who owns that data—the wallet provider, the bank, or the regulator? And how is it being used? With high-profile data breaches in Asia in recent years, many consumers remain wary.

The irony is that QR was meant to make payments feel frictionless. But when consumers start questioning whether their money or data is safe, friction returns in a different form: hesitation.

Also Read: Uplifting the underserved and women in fintech: Retail technology on the frontier of equality

More than coffee? The perception barrier

QR is everywhere for small purchases—coffee, groceries, bus rides. But when it comes to bigger transactions—cars, jewellry, property—it hits a wall.

Part of this is regulatory. Many countries set transaction caps to minimise fraud exposure. Part of it is cultural: people still trust bank transfers or cards for large sums.

This creates a perception problem. If QR is seen only as the “cheap and cheerful” way to pay for snacks, can it ever grow into a universal standard? Or will it always sit at the bottom of the payment hierarchy?

Looking beyond the code

QR has done the heavy lifting of financial inclusion. But as the ecosystem matures, new contenders are emerging:

• NFC (Near-Field Communication): Tap-to-pay systems, already popular in Singapore, offer speed and stronger authentication, though they need more advanced terminals.
• Super apps: Grab, Gojek, ShopeePay, and others are embedding QR into larger ecosystems where payments become almost invisible.
• CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies): Pilots in China, Singapore, and Indonesia hint at a future where cross-border settlement could bypass QR altogether.

This doesn’t mean QR is obsolete. It may remain the entry point for millions of new digital users while coexisting with more advanced systems. But it does suggest QR might be remembered as a stepping stone, not the final destination.

Also Read: Fintech rebound: Singapore bags US$1.04B, outpaces global peers

Case studies: Three markets, three lessons

• Indonesia (QRIS): Over 30 million merchants onboarded since 2019, making it one of the largest QR networks globally. Its strength is scale, but outages and transaction limits raise questions about resilience.
• Thailand (PromptPay): Hugely successful domestically and pioneering in cross-border payments, PromptPay shows what’s possible when regulators push hard for adoption.
• Singapore (PayNow): Highly efficient and trusted for P2P transfers, but QR here faces strong competition from tap-to-pay cards and NFC wallets.

These examples show QR’s dual role: essential in some markets, optional in others—a reminder that Southeast Asia is far from uniform.

Conclusion: A lifeline with limits

QR payments have transformed daily life in Southeast Asia. They have given millions their first experience of digital finance, enabled tiny businesses to go cashless, and spurred regional cooperation that could reshape how money flows.

But QR is not without its limits. Trust issues, fraud risks, and its image as a “small transaction tool” may prevent it from becoming the ultimate solution. As new technologies emerge, QR might fade into the background—a bridge that connected Southeast Asia to the digital economy, before handing over to faster, smarter, and safer systems.

For now, though, every time someone scans a QR code at a roadside stall, it’s more than just a payment. It’s a small act in a much bigger story: the remaking of money in one of the world’s most dynamic regions.

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Tim Draper, the founder of Draper Associates and an early investor in Tesla, Facebook, and Skype, has led a US$3.2 million seed funding round of Singapore-based consumer crypto hardware wallet startup Ryder.

Solana founder Anatoly Yakovenko and Asymmetric’s Joe McCann, as well as Borderless Capital, Semantic, Smape, and VeryEarly, also joined.

Also Read: Blockchain boom: The Philippines’s rise in Southeast Asia’s crypto scene

Ryder was built by Filipino entrepreneur Louise Ivan Valencia Payawal (CEO),  Marvin Janssen (CTO), and Julien Nerée (CPO). Its consumer crypto hardware wallet Ryder One is designed to prioritise ease of use and security. The wallet promises users crypto security in 60 seconds or less. The product features TapSafe recovery, a proprietary tap-based experience that eliminates the “single point of failure” previously inherent in traditional seed phrases.

“What the crypto industry needs more than anything right now is solutions that don’t require in-depth technical knowledge while maintaining high security standards. This is exactly what I saw in Ryder’s hardware wallet with its minute-or-under setup and offline design that keeps users’ holdings safe,” Draper claimed.

Ryder will use the newly acquired funds to strategically deploy to ramp production, scale the marketing and engineering teams, and further develop the wallet. The capital is also earmarked to enable the next large-scale marketing push and raise brand awareness globally.

Co-founder and CTO Marvin Janssen shared, “With Ryder One, we set out to make crypto feel natural and human and as easy as tapping your phone. By simplifying the overall experience and rethinking recovery, we’re opening the door for anyone, anywhere to truly and confidently own and use crypto.”

According to Payawal, Ryder aims to make crypto ownership more accessible, especially for his fellow countrymen. He previously accumulated experience at tech firms across Europe and the US, including a key role at Stacks, a prominent innovative contract platform built on Bitcoin, where he helped evolve the network to over 100,000 community members across more than 30 countries.

Also Read: US$2.36 trillion: Asia Pacific becomes crypto’s growth engine

His entrepreneurial track record also includes being the 2015 champion of Startup Weekend ASEAN.

The annual Chainalysis Global Crypto Adoption Index for 2025 shows that Southeast Asia features prominently in the grassroots cryptocurrency activity. Within the top 20 countries for grassroots adoption, Vietnam ranks fourth globally, followed by Indonesia (7th), the Philippines (9th), and Thailand (17th). This strong showing is attributed to robust engagement from their populations across both centralised and decentralised crypto services.

As per the “Philippine Blockchain Report 2025″, the country is rapidly positioning itself as a significant player in the ASEAN blockchain landscape, propelled by a tech-savvy population, robust cryptocurrency adoption, and strong governmental support for emerging technologies.

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Investing in the climate x health nexus presents a unique challenge: solutions often fall between traditional VC, infrastructure, and impact investing frameworks.

Conventional diligence methods are often insufficient because they fail to account for external factors like regulatory momentum, public sector readiness, and blended capital requirements.

Investors bet on algorithms and insurance to tame Asia’s climate-health crisis

To address this fragmentation, the ‘Unlocking Capital For Climate x Health: The Investment Landscape in Asia’ report introduces a fit-for-purpose climate x health investment toolkit, designed to balance analytical rigour with market flexibility.

The 5-step investment decision framework

The toolkit rests on a structured, five-step assessment process:

Step 1 & 2: Calculating the venture score (VS): This involves a rigorous, four-quadrant assessment framework, scored out of 5, which focuses on internal venture quality:

1. Solution (30 per cent weight): Assesses problem fit, traction, and scalability. Key cue: look for “land-and-expand” potential, starting with one acute problem.
2. Team (25 per cent weight): Focuses on execution capability and founder-market fit. Key cue: early-stage success is 80 per cent the team; bet on adaptability and clarity.
3. Ecosystem (15 per cent weight): Evaluates external enablers like policy alignment, institutional demand, and de-risking architecture.
4. Market Model (30 per cent weight): Determines the path to returns, capital efficiency, and exit potential. Key cue: look for non-linear liquidity paths such as B2G contracts or DFI buyouts.

Step 3: Setting the risk-adjusted baseline (MVS): The minimum viable score (MVS) establishes the required baseline score for a venture to be considered investment-ready. This score varies significantly by solution category to reflect inherent execution risk.

For example:

• Digital health infrastructure (low risk) requires a base MVS of 3.2.
• Parametric health insurance (moderate to high risk) requires a base MVS of 3.7-3.8.
• AI surveillance (high risk) requires a base MVS of 3.9-4 due to long development cycles and high reliance on government integration.

Step 4: Adjustment for macro risks: External market realities are applied using four coefficients to refine the scores:

Also Read: Asia’s climate x health startups struggle in the ‘missing middle’ funding void

1. Sector beta modifier (SBM): Adjusts the MVS upwards for sectors with high operational complexity and regulatory hurdles (e.g., deeptech).
2. Tailwind coefficient (TWC): Reflects market momentum based on policy environment, capital flows, and consumer demand. Strong tailwinds allow for a more generous evaluation.
3. Investor risk appetite coefficient (IRAC): Personalises the MVS based on the fund’s strategy (e.g., bold, balanced, or cautious), ensuring the threshold matches the investor’s risk tolerance.
4. Exit market health coefficient (EMHC): Applied as a multiplier to the final venture score to reflect liquidity and return outlook, such as M&A or IPO activity.

Step 5: Investment Decision: The final decision compares the adjusted venture score (VS × EMHC) against the risk-adjusted MVS (RA-MVS). This systematic approach ensures that capital is deployed where ambition and realism are aligned, moving beyond mere product quality to factor in ecosystem maturity and policy fit.

The post Unlocking climate x health capital: A data-driven blueprint for smarter impact investing appeared first on e27.

e27 has been nurturing a supportive ecosystem for entrepreneurs since its inception. Our Contributor Programme offers a platform for sharing unique insights. As part of our ‘Contributor Spotlight’ series, we shine a spotlight on an outstanding contributor and dive into the vastness of their knowledge and expertise.

In this episode, we feature Jatin Detwani, the Founder of Growwth Partners and RyzUp.ai, where he has helped over 500 startups and SMEs scale with innovative finance and data-led strategies. An INSEAD MBA and Chartered Accountant, he is recognised for his thought leadership at the intersection of finance, technology, and AI. Detwani also mentors at INSEAD and NYU, sharing his expertise to help founders build sustainable, tech-enabled businesses.

In the sections below, he reflects on his journey, the lessons he’s learned, and what keeps him going.

How I got here

The turning point came when I left a secure finance leadership role to build something of my own. Starting Growwth Partners shifted my focus from managing numbers to helping founders make sense of them to grow their business. Later, launching RyzUp.ai deepened that mission  combining finance, AI and technology to empower smarter decisions for finance teams to improve productivity by up to 50 per cent. 

If I had to explain my work to a kid

I’ve built a smart helper that makes numbers and reports work on their own. Imagine if your school notebook could instantly show you where all your notes are, highlight what is important, and remind you what to focus on. That is what RyzUp does for businesses. It shows them where their money is going, what is working, and what is not, without hours of spreadsheets. It is like having a tiny robot accountant who never sleeps.

Also Read: Singapore mandates AI literacy for public servants: A blueprint for the future of governance

Lessons learned along the way

I used to think success meant doing everything myself, learning every skill and handling every task. Now I realise it is about building a strong team and delegating. With the right people, tools, and systems, you can go ten times further than by just working harder.

What more people should notice

I think too many startups are chasing new ideas while not enough are fixing old inefficiencies. The real opportunity lies in making things faster, cleaner, or easier through AI, automation, new business or pricing models, or simply being more operationally efficient. There is a quiet revolution happening in areas like finance operations, marketing workflows, and compliance. These may not look glamorous, but they build lasting value.

One example is the billions of dollars worth of time finance teams globally spend on reconciling, checking, processing, and reporting financial data. With the right technology, all of this can be done much faster. It is a billion-dollar opportunity to build a global business. It may not sound sexy, but it is still a huge opportunity.

Why I write

Writing helps me think more clearly, and e27 felt like the right place to share those thoughts with other founders and businesses facing similar challenges. Most of my ideas begin as voice notes or questions from clients, and when something keeps coming up, I know it is worth unpacking in an article.

My advice for aspiring thought leaders

My advice to writers is to simplify the complex. Do not write to impress, write to be understood. If someone outside your industry can read your post and grasp it instantly, you have done your job. Keep it simple, stay consistent, and share from experience rather than theory. Readers connect with honesty more than perfection.

Also Read: Building trust in the age of AI: Lessons for Southeast Asia’s startups

What drives my curiosity

Outside of work, I make it a point to consciously build routines that keep me curious and balanced. Reading has been a big part of that lately; books like The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, Mental Models, and Deep Work are recent favourites. I also find energy in meditating, working out, playing tennis, and spending time with family.

Influences that shaped me

Books like The Almanack of Naval Ravikant and The Psychology of Money have definitely shaped how I think. I have also learned a great deal from conversations with founders and mentors who focus on building patiently rather than just quickly. Much of my writing voice comes from listening to how people talk about real problems before attempting to offer a solution.

Take a look at Detwani’s articles here for more insights and perspectives on his expertise.

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There is a fundamental dissonance in today’s market narrative, one that pits the cautious choreography of global diplomacy against the raw, unfiltered mechanics of financial panic.

On the surface, officials like US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent project calm, insisting that Washington has no desire to escalate trade tensions with Beijing even as President Donald Trump prepares for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

Beneath this veneer of control, markets are reacting not to words but to the tangible consequences of prolonged uncertainty: a fifteen-day US government shutdown that has frozen critical economic data releases, including the weekly jobless claims report, and a palpable retreat from risk across asset classes. This backdrop sets the stage for a market caught between macro fragility and microstructural stress, where even a modest dip in equities or a shift in Treasury yields can trigger outsized reactions.

The mixed performance of US equities on Wednesday, Dow down 0.04 per cent, S&P 500 up 0.40 per cent, Nasdaq up 0.66 per cent, reflects this indecision. Investors are neither fully embracing risk nor fleeing to safety in a coordinated manner. Instead, they are parsing every signal with heightened sensitivity.

Treasury yields ticked higher, with the 10-year yield climbing one basis point to 4.03 per cent and the two-year yield jumping three basis points to 3.50 per cent, suggesting that despite the shutdown and trade anxieties, the bond market is not yet pricing in a sharp economic contraction.

Simultaneously, the US Dollar Index slipped 0.26 per cent to 98.79, indicating a modest loss of confidence in the greenback as a safe haven. In stark contrast, gold surged 1.3 per cent to US$4,193.39 per ounce, having breached the US$4,200 mark for the first time ever on Wednesday.

This milestone is not incidental. Gold’s ascent to these unprecedented levels aligns with data showing it reached US$4,179.48 on October 14, 2025, before climbing further. By October 16, it had hit US$4,215.64, underscoring a relentless flight to safety driven by inflation fears, geopolitical strain, and institutional distrust in fiat stability.

Also Read: AI still missing in action: Global firms lag in using tech for M&A and compliance

Meanwhile, Asian markets offered a flicker of optimism, led by Korea’s KOSPI Index, which jumped 2.7 per cent. This regional rebound may reflect anticipation of the Trump-Xi meeting or simply a technical bounce after recent weakness. Such gains remain fragile, tethered to developments in Washington and Beijing that are inherently unpredictable. The oil market tells a more pessimistic story.

Brent crude fell 0.8 per cent to US$61.89 per barrel, weighed down not only by US-China trade friction but also by the International Energy Agency’s projection of a supply surplus in 2026. When energy prices falter amid trade tensions, it often signals weakening global demand expectations, a red flag for growth-oriented assets.

Into this volatile mix steps a novel financial innovation: Calamos Investments’ Bitcoin Laddered Structured Protection ETFs. These products represent a significant evolution in the integration of digital assets into traditional finance. Designed to provide upside exposure to Bitcoin while offering structured downside protection, they aim to neutralise the extreme volatility that has historically deterred conservative investors.

The flagship offering, the Calamos Laddered Bitcoin Structured Alt Protection ETF (ticker: CBOL), seeks to match the positive price return of the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate while limiting losses through a laddered protection mechanism. This structure diversifies risk across multiple strike levels, making the ETF more compatible with model portfolios and risk-managed strategies. In theory, such instruments could transform Bitcoin from a speculative gamble into a legitimate component of diversified asset allocation, particularly for institutions bound by fiduciary constraints.

The current crypto market environment offers little support for optimism. Bitcoin’s price action is being overwhelmed by three converging bearish forces. First, leverage is unwinding at an alarming pace. Derivatives open interest has plunged 19.6 per cent over the past week, with a sharp 4.35 per cent drop in just 24 hours.

Perpetual funding rates have collapsed by 76 per cent this week, signalling a dramatic retreat from speculative long positions. This deleveraging echoes the catastrophic US$19 billion market wipeout witnessed earlier in October 2025, where low liquidity turned modest corrections into cascading liquidations.

Second, Bitcoin dominance has surged to 58.79 per cent, its highest level since June 2025, as investors flee altcoins in favour of perceived safety within the crypto ecosystem. Altcoin dominance has correspondingly collapsed to 28.34 per cent, and the Altcoin Season Index has plunged 59 per cent month-over-month to just 29, a clear signal that we are deep in “Bitcoin Season.” This capital rotation starves emerging projects of liquidity, stifling innovation and reinforcing Bitcoin’s role as a digital reserve asset.

Third, new token listings are increasingly triggering profit-taking rather than accumulation. The case of YieldBasis (YB) is emblematic: after listings on Binance and OKX, its price dropped 14.25 per cent as early backers sold tokens acquired during the presale at US$0.10. A similar dynamic played out with PancakeSwap, which fell 10.6 per cent following its CAKE.PAD event.

Also Read: The rate cut rally: Earnings, gold, and Bitcoin in the balance

These “sell the news” episodes are no longer isolated incidents but a recurring pattern that injects localised selling pressure into an already fragile market. The cumulative effect is a toxic feedback loop: macro uncertainty fuels risk aversion, which accelerates leverage unwinds and altcoin abandonment, while new token launches become catalysts for distribution rather than adoption.

In this context, the launch of Calamos’ structured Bitcoin ETFs arrives at a paradoxical moment. On one hand, the product is precisely what the market needs to broaden Bitcoin’s investor base and stabilise its price dynamics over the long term. On the other hand, its immediate impact may be muted by the prevailing fear and low liquidity.

Bitcoin’s seven-day RSI currently sits at 30.62, flirting with oversold territory. Historically, such levels have preceded short-term relief rallies, but without a macro catalyst such as a de-escalation in US-China tensions, resolution of the government shutdown, or a clear signal from the Federal Reserve, any bounce is likely to be shallow and short-lived.

Ultimately, the market is navigating a period of profound transition. Traditional safe havens, such as gold, are redefining their ceilings, while digital assets are being repackaged to fit within institutional risk frameworks. Until the macro fog lifts and derivatives markets stabilise, volatility will remain the dominant theme. For now, caution is not just prudent, it is the only rational response.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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AI security isn’t just about building guardrails to prevent a future iRobot or Skynet scenario. Many people have debated those possibilities, from Isaac Asimov to Arthur C. Clarke to today’s leading thinkers. That’s not the angle I want to dwell on here.

Instead, after reading this recent article from Think China I was struck by the sovereignty aspect of AI.

The piece warns that Southeast Asia risks being locked into ecosystems that could undermine the region’s independence. History shows that picking sides rarely leads to lasting sovereignty, and the concerns raised by regional leaders deserve close attention.

AI as a sovereignty issue

In the rush to deploy AI systems, governments are beginning to recognise the risks of concentration. If critical services, from healthcare to logistics to public administration, are built entirely on a few dominant platforms, national resilience becomes fragile. As with land, food, and water security, AI security may soon be a matter of sovereignty.

Some may call this scaremongering, since today’s AI providers are focused on growth and customer acquisition they wouldn’t possibly consider restricting services in a competitive environment. Yet the risk remains: if those providers ever switch off their systems, willingly or under external pressure, the impact could be devastating. Imagine public services grinding to a halt, or supply chains breaking down.

To understand whether such concerns are justified, it’s useful to look at parallels in the global system today. These examples aren’t predictions, but they are observations I have made that illustrate why dependence on concentrated power is risky.

Lessons from global systems

• The WTO and rule-based order

The World Trade Organisation only works when all players respect its rules. When the U.S. blocked judge reappointments to the WTO Appellate Body, the system was effectively paralysed. Some viewed this as a deliberate attempt to bypass rules that no longer suited the leading trading nation. The parallel for AI is clear: global frameworks can fail if dominant players choose not to participate.

• The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

The U.S. withdrew from the TPP after years of negotiation. The remaining nations signed the CPTPP, but without many of the U.S.-driven provisions. For smaller nations, it showed how quickly alliances can shift, and how reliance on one or two major players can leave others exposed. The same dynamic could emerge if AI platforms consolidate too much power.

Also Read: Enterprise AI adoption: Context, not cost, defines deployment

• Financial sanctions

Sanctions have become a common tool in global diplomacy. Supporters argue they uphold international law and human rights. Critics counter that they can be instruments of coercion, placing disproportionate pressure on ordinary citizens rather than political leaders. For nations dependent on financial systems controlled by a few blocs, sanctions reveal the limits of sovereignty. The lesson for AI is similar: dependence on external platforms can leave countries vulnerable to outside leverage.

• Frozen assets

The freezing and proposed repurposing of Russian state assets has sparked heated debate. Western governments frame it as lawful enforcement for accountability and reparations, while others see it as a troubling precedent. For sovereign nations, the question is: how secure are your assets if global systems can be reshaped during political disputes? In the AI context, the same question applies to data, algorithms, and cloud access.

• Media and social platforms

TikTok bans highlight how governments are weighing data security against open market access. While officially justified on national security grounds, they also reflect broader anxieties about who controls the digital discourse. Nations are left to weigh both the benefits of open platforms and the risks of relying too heavily on services outside their regulatory reach. The same dilemma will play out even more starkly with AI systems.

• The BRICS response

The expansion of BRICS is part of a wider push for multipolarity. While still evolving, it signals a desire among nations to balance the dominance of existing blocs. For AI, the implication is that countries will seek their own capacity rather than rely wholly on external providers.

Also Read: Why AI inclusion matters: Lessons from Mongolia’s Girls Code movement

Building resilient AI security

Taken together, these examples show why it’s reasonable to question how we build AI systems. Nations need to ask: how can we benefit from the efficiencies and services AI delivers while protecting sovereignty and resilience?

Legislation is important, but so is investment in domestic capabilities: chip production, data centres, research and development, and regulatory frameworks that ensure independence. Guardrails that govern AI reasoning and transparency matter, but without control over infrastructure and assets, those guardrails could be changed or removed by foreign entities.

In short, AI security is not only about preventing harmful outputs. It is about ensuring that the systems we increasingly depend on serve national interests and remain under sovereign control.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

Enjoyed this read? Don’t miss out on the next insight. Join our WhatsApp channel for real-time drops.

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Hong Kong’s entrepreneurial landscape has always been defined by ambition. As a strategic gateway to China and a vibrant financial hub, it has long attracted founders eager to expand regionally. But the conversations happening today signal something different. There is a shift from rapid, aggressive growth to thoughtful, sustainable scaling.

This evolution was at the heart of Start Smart, Scale Smarter: A Masterclass for Hong Kong Entrepreneurs & Innovators, a recent event co-hosted by Osome and Aspire in Hong Kong. The masterclass brought together a diverse mix of founders, innovators, and business leaders to unpack one of the most pressing challenges in today’s business environment: how to scale smarter in an increasingly complex landscape.

Also read: Automate early, grow faster: Lessons from 1,800 founders

From growth at all costs to disciplined resilience

The sentiment among many founders was clear: the old playbook of “grow fast and figure things out later” no longer holds. Whether due to tighter funding conditions, evolving compliance frameworks, or the demands of operating across multiple markets, Hong Kong’s entrepreneurs are taking a more structured approach to building their companies.

Three ways Hong Kong founders are scaling smarter

Three themes emerged strongly from the discussions:  

1. Operational foundations are non-negotiable. Founders are prioritizing strong financial infrastructure and efficient back-office systems earlier than ever. Rather than treating accounting, payroll, and compliance as afterthoughts, these functions are being set up as strategic enablers of scale. Tools like Osome’s automated compliance and Aspire’s finance solutions are enabling lean teams to maintain rigor without heavy administrative overhead.
2. Regional expansion is becoming part of the early strategy. More startups are planning cross-border growth earlier in their lifecycle. Markets like Singapore, Vietnam, and China are seen as key expansion targets, and founders are thinking critically about how to structure their operations to support this growth. This reflects a more mature understanding of market dynamics and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
3. Digital and automation platforms are no longer optional. In a competitive environment, leveraging technology to streamline workflows is becoming essential. Founders are actively adopting automation platforms to drive efficiency and maintain agility as they grow.

Also read: Osome and Aspire partner to automate finance for entrepreneurs in Singapore, Hong Kong

A maturing ecosystem

These trends point to a broader maturity in Hong Kong’s startup ecosystem. Entrepreneurs are not abandoning ambition—they’re refining it. By combining agility with operational discipline, they are positioning themselves to compete not just locally, but across Asia’s fast-moving markets.

This shift also reflects the evolving investor landscape. Venture capitalists and strategic investors are placing greater emphasis on sustainable growth models, operational readiness, and regulatory compliance. Startups that demonstrate these qualities are more likely to attract quality capital and long-term partners.

Lessons for founders across the region

For founders outside Hong Kong, these insights offer valuable takeaways. As the region becomes increasingly interconnected, operational excellence can become a competitive differentiator. Those who invest early in structure and discipline will be better equipped to navigate expansion and weather economic cycles.

Moreover, the conversations highlighted that smart scaling is not just about efficiency—it’s about unlocking new growth opportunities. By building strong operational foundations, startups can redirect energy toward product innovation, market development, and customer engagement.

Also read: Osome bolsters leadership with new COO and VP of Marketing

Looking ahead

As we move into the next phase of Asia’s innovation story, Hong Kong’s evolution offers a glimpse of what’s ahead for other markets. Startups will continue to push boundaries, but the way they do so is changing. Growth will be anchored on solid fundamentals, regional connectivity, and strategic use of technology.

This is not just a tactical shift—it’s a mindset change. Founders are no longer asking, “How fast can we grow?” They’re asking, “How can we grow smarter?”

For ecosystem builders, this represents a critical moment to support founders with the right resources, networks, and tools to help them scale responsibly. Events like the Osome x Aspire Masterclass play an important role in catalyzing these conversations and equipping entrepreneurs with practical frameworks to succeed.

Interested in creating impact with us? Contact Innovate here.

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When people talk about AI, they talk in billion-dollar terms. Massive infrastructure shifts, hyper-personalised marketing engines, predictive analytics at scale. And while that is impressive, it doesn’t reflect what most small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are experiencing. They do not have deep pockets or teams of data scientists. We have WhatsApp groups, freelance spreadsheets, and maybe if lucky, someone who knows how to use ChatGPT properly.

I run a few SMEs myself, and I understand that SMEs are constantly balancing ambition with cash flow, and every new tool we test comes with the same question: will it actually save us time, money, or stress?

That’s exactly how our AI experiment began. Not with a grand vision, but with a very real challenge: we needed to do more with less. We were scaling and trying to onboard new clients, maintain consistency, and run lean. I did not need AI to replace people. I needed it to support an already overstretched team. We started small and piloted a process. It wasn’t perfect, but it gave us a 50 per cent head start.

The biggest shift wasn’t just the tool. It was trusting the process. Initially hesitated and worrying, we reframed it as “a smart intern that never sleeps,” the team began to see it differently. The drafts weren’t the final product. They were just starting points. Something to critique, reshape, and improve.

Also Read: AI for SMEs in Southeast Asia: From everyday experiments to emerging frontiers

We also used AI to refine internal SOPs. One of the things I did was feed ChatGPT our rough internal workflows and ask it to spot inefficiencies, suggest better phrasing, or reorganise them for easier onboarding. The result? Cleaner, clearer SOPs that helped us reduce inefficiencies and increase output. Again, it didn’t replace human effort. It augmented it.

But adoption wasn’t linear. Some team members jumped in eagerly. Others were slower, needing more handholding or simply unsure where AI would fit into their day-to-day tasks. By walking through small real use cases, we were able to show AI in action in ways that were relevant, not theoretical.

The biggest barrier? Fear of getting it wrong. I realised that adopting AI isn’t just about tools but about culture. We had to create a space where experimenting was encouraged and where even failed prompts were learning opportunities.

The lesson I would share with any SME trying to get started with AI is this. Do not aim for perfection, aim for progress. You don’t need to automate everything overnight. Start with a clear problem you want to solve; a time drain, a bottleneck, a repetitive task, and see if AI can offer a better baseline.

Also Read: The real story behind AI project implementation: Why it’s not (just) about technology

And most importantly, let your team adapt at their own pace. Give them examples. Let them play. Make space for feedback. Because the truth is, AI won’t transform your business just by showing up. It’ll transform it when your people know how to use it with intent.

In our case, the result wasn’t just saved hours, though that mattered. It was the mental load that lifted. The creative breathing room. The sense that we weren’t constantly chasing the clock. That, to me, is what AI for SMEs should be about: practical, useful, and deeply human at its core.

So here’s my one tip if you’re exploring AI as an SME founder or team leader. Treat AI like a teammate, not a threat. One that can help carry the load, spark new ideas, and free you up to focus on what actually moves the needle. Because in the real world, where budgets are tight and people wear five hats, that’s the kind of transformation that matters most.

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AI is reshaping industries, redefining roles, and transforming how businesses operate. But adopting AI isn’t just about implementing new tools — it’s about integrating it in a way that drives growth while supporting employees through the transition. This shift demands a transformation in leadership approach, workplace culture, and workforce readiness.

Leadership’s role in AI adoption

As AI continues to revolutionise business practices, leadership within organisations must ride the wave of transformation, evolving their strategies to ensure successful AI integration into existing work processes as well as workplace culture.

Traditionally, leaders shaped culture and guided teams through transformation. However, with the advent of AI, the role of leadership has expanded to include navigating the complexities of integrating AI into existing structures. This shift requires leaders to not only manage day-to-day operations but also foster a culture of innovation, adaptability, and ethical responsibility, ensuring that AI is leveraged in ways that benefit both the organisation and its workforce.

Here are some ways leaders can do so:

• Communicate and set the tone

The success of AI adoption hinges on the tone set by leadership. Leaders must position AI as a core strategic priority, not just another business requirement or fleeting buzzword. It’s crucial that the “why” behind AI adoption is clearly articulated — employees need to understand how AI aligns with the organisation’s broader goals and how it will impact their work for the better.

Leadership plays a pivotal role in creating a sense of direction and purpose around AI. When AI is framed as a tool for empowerment and progress, rather than disruption or replacement, employees are more likely to engage with it positively.

Beyond vision-setting, leaders should actively promote the use of AI in day-to-day tasks and encourage collaboration among employees, to accelerate AI adoption. When teams share insights, best practices, and use cases of AI tools, it drives innovation, boosts productivity, and fosters a sense of community. This ongoing exchange of knowledge helps create a culture where AI is embraced as a growth strategy for both the individual and the organisation.

Additionally, AI adoption should be viewed as a long-term, iterative process rather than a one-off implementation. As the organisation evolves, so too should its use of AI — continuously adapting, refining, and learning from real-world experiences. By embedding this mindset, companies ensure that AI becomes a natural and sustainable part of both their operations and culture.

Also Read: Balancing growth and security: How AI is transforming business and cyber threats

• Manager’s role in supporting AI integration

At the managerial level, managers can engage directly with their teams, regularly checking in and facilitating open discussions on how AI can be effectively integrated into workflows. They can also take the lead in supporting and evaluating experimentation efforts, while playing a pivotal role in identifying when additional training and support are needed.

By recognising skill gaps and ensuring employees are fully equipped with the necessary knowledge to work with new AI systems, managers can offer proactive guidance to help employees feel secure and confident in adapting to the changes AI brings.

Benefits of cultivating a pro-AI environment  

Creating an environment that actively encourages the freedom to experiment with AI is equally important. A fail-safe culture within the company – where employees feel comfortable experimenting with AI without fear of failure or backlash – can significantly promote innovation. A culture that fosters and supports this mindset helps teams learn faster, improve continuously, and drive long-term growth.

A common fear is that AI will make roles redundant, leading to job loss. This fear is often accompanied by uncertainty about how the organisation will integrate AI into existing workflows, along with concerns about the need to acquire new skills to work with emerging systems, and whether the learning curve will be too steep for them to keep up, potentially leaving them struggling to adapt and falling behind their peers.

To reduce resistance, companies must position AI as a growth opportunity, not a threat. When employees see how AI can help them do higher-value work and advance their careers, they’re far more likely to embrace it.

Also Read: Debunking the myth of Robophobia: Why intelligent automation improves employee satisfaction

Empower employees and build an AI-ready workforce 

AI-driven layoffs, like DBS’s decision to cut 4,000 contract staff over the next 3 years due to AI, have amplified fears of job displacement. Companies must proactively shape how employees perceive AI’s role in the workplace.

Companies could start the AI conversation by framing AI as a tool for empowerment, focusing on how it augments employees’ abilities and helps them to perform better in their tasks. This involves outlining process changes that boost productivity such as eliminating redundant tasks and replacing them with higher-value work, thereby creating growth opportunities for employees.

To fully benefit from AI’s potential, companies could proactively consider job redesign as part of the process and engage employees early on such changes. This could involve modifying existing roles to incorporate new responsibilities that align with AI tools and workflows.

In some cases, new roles may need to be created if emerging job functions cannot be effectively managed within the scope of existing roles. Ultimately, the aim of job redesign is to keep employees engaged, satisfied, and aligned with business objectives, while ensuring they remain both relevant and valued.

Navigating the AI shift 

Successfully integrating AI into a company requires strong leadership, a culture that embraces AI, and a workforce prepared for adoption.

Leaders must first set the tone by aligning AI adoption with business goals, promoting its active use, and integrating it into daily workflows. Next, fostering a pro-AI environment encourages innovation and helps employees view AI as an opportunity for growth. Lastly, AI should be positioned as a tool for empowerment, ensuring employees stay engaged and relevant in an ever-evolving landscape.

By implementing these strategies, businesses can unlock AI’s full potential while empowering their workforce to succeed at both professional and personal levels.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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Live streaming giant 17LIVE Group has announced that Karen Chen Xiuling, one of three Singaporeans newly placed on the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, has resigned as an independent director.

This development comes as the Singaporean firm is navigating a deepening financial downturn in 2025.

Also Read: The future is virtual: Inside 17LIVE’s plans for avatars and immersive experiences

Chen’s inclusion on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List effectively prohibits US entities and individuals from conducting business with her. The live-streaming major said Chen voluntarily stepped down on October 15, clarifying that her role was limited to oversight duties as a board and subcommittee member and was not involved in the firm’s daily operations.

The company further emphasised that it has no business relationships with Chen, her employer, DW Capital, or its founder Chen Zhi. The latter, described by US authorities as having built Prince Holding Group into “one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organisations,” has drawn heightened scrutiny from regulators.

17LIVE noted that it would move swiftly to appoint a new independent director following Chen’s resignation. Shares of the company closed 1.08 per cent higher at 94 cents on the day of the announcement.

While governance challenges have placed 17LIVE in the spotlight, its financial performance in the first half of 2025 (H1 2025) underscores deeper structural issues. Despite a series of cost-cutting measures, the group posted a net loss as revenue slumped nearly 20 per cent year-on-year.

Also Read: Streaming the dream: How live streaming technology can increase access to brands

Operating revenue fell to US$81.15 million, down from US$101.16 million a year earlier. The primary culprit was a steep decline in its core “Liver live streaming” business, while modest gains in “V-Liver” could not compensate for the overall downturn. The slump was broad-based across markets, with Japan — its largest segment — seeing revenues fall from US$71.2 million to US$56.5 million, and Taiwan declining from US$25.5 million to US$21.4 million.

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