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Asia Tech Lens - The Podcast

Asia Tech Lens - The Podcast

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 Inside the journeys of Asia’s tech founders — their turning points, playbooks, and what they learned along the way.

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  • Inside Asia’s Biggest Protection Gap Opportunity

    Inside Asia’s Biggest Protection Gap Opportunity
    Dec 9 2025
    In this episode, we sit down with Rob Schimek, Group CEO of bolttech, to unpack one of Asia’s most ambitious insurtech scale-up stories—and why the world’s protection gap is now a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity hiding in plain sight.Rob has spent decades at the intersection of finance, risk, and technology. From leading a major global insurer to building one of the fastest-growing embedded-insurance platforms on the planet, his journey shows how insurance is becoming an essential digital-economy layer—as fundamental as payments, identity, or logistics.We dig into the big structural questions:Why is insurance still so underpenetrated across Asia?How do you build trust with regulators, distribution partners, and millions of customers?And what does it take to create a digital insurance exchange across markets with wildly different rules, expectations, and levels of financial maturity?Hosted by Miro Lu, this conversation goes deep into leadership, ecosystem design, and the future of embedded protection worldwide.💡 What You’ll Learn* The global protection gap—and why it’s still widening* Why Asia is the most interesting insurance market today* How embedded insurance is reshaping distribution and product design* Building a cross-market exchange: data, partners, regulation* Why incumbents struggle with speed, experimentation, and UX* Underwriting in a digital context—and why trust is a product* How bolttech scales across Asia, the US, and Europe* Customer expectations in 2025: real-time, contextual, frictionless* Leadership lessons from transforming legacy insurers* Attracting talent to an industry many overlook* The future: from selling policies to enabling ecosystems⏱️ Chapters00:00 – Opening & Rob’s early lens on risk and leadership01:02 – The global protection gap: a multi-trillion-dollar problem02:15 – Founding bolttech at 5304:20 – Why embedded insurance matters now06:55 – Understanding the customer journey in insurance08:50 – How bolttech achieved 0→1 // What bolttech actually solves10:40 – Translating vision into real product11:25 – Why Asia?13:45 – How regulations shape innovation across markets15:02 – The 2018–2020 incubation story17:10 – Early experiments (what worked, what didn’t)18:43 – Building a global team22:05 – Culture, discipline & high-performance execution24:30 – How bolttech partners with ecosystems27:40 – Scaling across Asia, the US & Europe31:50 – Risk, underwriting & data: building trust at scale35:10 – The funding winter38:20 – Investor expectations in shifting markets41:17 – Corporate vs. startup: what really changes44:40 – Operating with speed vs. certainty46:45 – The Ironman mindset50:10 – What endurance sports teach about leadership53:27 – What Rob wishes he knew earlier55:00 – Frustrations, regrets, disappointments56:35 – What keeps Rob optimistic58:10 – The next five years01:01:45 – Closing reflections & advice for operators📚 References (Mentioned in the Episode)PeopleRob Schimek—https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-schimek-59b37a1/Miro Lu—https://www.linkedin.com/in/miroluCompanies & Organisationsbolttech—https://www.bolttech.ioLiberty Mutual—https://www.libertymutual.comAIG—https://www.aig.comPacific Century Group (PCG)—https://www.pcg-group.comFosun International—https://www.fosun.comLeapFrog Investments—https://www.leapfroginvest.comEQT Group—https://eqtgroup.comMetLife—https://www.metlife.comAXA—https://www.axa.comTokio Marine—https://www.tokiomarine.comPrudential—https://www.prudential.com.sgSwiss Re—https://www.swissre.comConcepts & FrameworksSwiss Re Protection Gap Research—https://www.swissre.com/instituteEmbedded Insurance (McKinsey)—https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/embedded-insuranceInsurtech Landscape (EY)—https://www.ey.com/en_gl/insurance/how-insurtechs-are-reshaping-insuranceGlobal Insurance Regulation—https://www.iaisweb.orgDigital Underwriting Models—https://www.actuaries.orgRegulatorsMAS—https://www.mas.gov.sgHong Kong Insurance Authority—https://www.ia.org.hkNAIC—https://www.naic.orgEIOPA—https://www.eiopa.europa.euReportsSwiss Re Sigma—https://www.sigma-explorer.comMcKinsey Global Insurance Report—https://www.mckinsey.comDeloitte Insurance Outlook—https://www2.deloitte.comBain APAC Insurance & Bancassurance Insights—https://www.bain.comBooks / MindsetSimon Sinek—Start with WhyBen Horowitz—The Hard Thing About Hard ThingsAngela Duckworth—GritDavid Goggins—Can’t Hurt MeSports & EnduranceIronman—https://www.ironman.comTraining Peaks—https://www.trainingpeaks.com🎙️ About Asia Tech LensProduced by Perspective Media (Singapore), Asia Tech Lens explores the technology, trends, and people shaping Asia’s innovation landscape — and its global impact.For enquiries about:* Sponsorships & partnerships: partnerships@asiatechlens.com* Media & permissions: editor@asiatechlens.com...
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    1 h et 5 min
  • Why This Fintech Veteran Is Betting on Stablecoins | Conversation with Eric Barbier

    Why This Fintech Veteran Is Betting on Stablecoins | Conversation with Eric Barbier
    Dec 2 2025
    In this episode, we sit down with serial entrepreneur Eric Barbier, who lives by a simple rule: “Where there is a problem, there is a business.”Eric has lived several chapters of the fintech story. He built a mobile-messaging startup, enabled international prepaid top-ups, and supported mobile-wallet remittances across regions from Southeast Asia to Africa. Throughout those chapters, the same operational issues kept appearing—pre-funding requirements, weekend and holiday settlement delays, failed payments, fraud exposure, and chargeback risk.Those long-standing inefficiencies eventually shaped his latest venture: Triple-A.io - a regulated payments institution that lets businesses accept and send stablecoins instantly, without ever handling crypto themselves. In this conversation, Eric breaks down what stablecoins actually solve. They move in real time, operate 24/7, eliminate chargebacks, and are already used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide—addressing the exact bottlenecks he previously had to engineer around.💡What You’ll Learn* How Eric built a mobile messaging network and turned it into an interconnect business.* Why international prepaid top-ups became a growth engine across emerging markets.* How mobile-wallet remittances expanded through local partnerships and on-the-ground sales insights.* What entrepreneurs rarely talk about: investor pressure, misaligned incentives, and lessons from a $400M exit.* How pre-funding, weekend delays, FX frictions, and chargebacks repeatedly surfaced in his cross-border ventures.* Why Eric concluded that stablecoins fix the same operational issues he battled for decades.* What stablecoin settlement actually looks like for merchants—speed, finality, and no chargebacks.* Why enterprise clients are increasingly requesting blockchain-based settlement rails.* How market adoption varies between Asia, Europe, and the U.S. FinTech landscape.* What practical leadership looks like inside a distributed, multi-market payments company.* How founder mindset evolves after multiple exits—and why Eric keeps building.⏱️ In This Episode00:00 - Introduction01:20 - Origins04:24 - The Asia Pivot07:15 - First Exit Reflections12:45 - Business Model Overview13:56 - Why TransferTo Was Acquired15:12 - Post-Exit Decisions16:38 - Tackling the US Market17:46 - Talking Directly with Clients is Key18:16 - The SFO Experience20:37 - Where Did the Idea for Triple-A.io Come From?23:19 - Why Stablecoins Matter for Global Merchants25:26 - Stablecoins vs Traditional Payment Networks27:46 - The Broader Blockchain Era28:41 - Stablecoin Adoption Trends35:35 - Regulation, Licencing, Merchant Adoption39:42 - Biggest Lessons and Mistakes as an Entrepreneur41:45 - Understanding VC Expectations42:00 - Differences Between East and West44:46 - Managing Global Teams50:34 - Leisure and Life55:52 - Advice to Your Younger Self59:07 - “If there’s a problem, there’s a business”59:24 - “What I really love is proving my point”📚 ReferencesPeople & Founders* Eric Barbier, CEO, Triple-A.io - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericbarbier/Companies, Platforms & Ventures* Triple-A.io - https://triple-a.io* DT One - https://www.dtone.com* TransferTo / Thunes - https://www.thunes.com/news/fintech-connect-live-interview-transferto-ceo-eric-barbier-on-mobile-money/* Trip.com - https://www.trip.comMobile Wallets, Telcos & Crypto* GCash (Philippines) - https://www.gcash.com* PayMaya / Maya (Philippines) - https://www.maya.ph* M-Pesa (Kenya) - https://www.safaricom.co.ke/personal/m-pesa* bKash (Bangladesh) - https://www.bkash.com* Singtel (Singapore) - https://www.singtel.com* Maxis (Malaysia) - https://www.maxis.com.my* Bitcoin - https://bitcoin.orgRegulators, Licenses & Jurisdictions* MAS – Monetary Authority of Singapore - https://www.mas.gov.sgMovies* ‘The Great Dictator’ by Charlie Chaplin - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/🎙️ About Asia Tech LensProduced by Perspective Media (Singapore), Asia Tech Lens explores the technology, trends, and people shaping Asia’s innovation landscape — and its global impact.For enquiries about:* sponsorships or collaboration: partnerships@asiatechlens.com* media or permissions: editor@asiatechlens.com This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.asiatechlens.com
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    1 h et 1 min
  • The Hard Truths Most Fintech Founders Learn Too Late | Conversation with Kelvin Teo

    The Hard Truths Most Fintech Founders Learn Too Late | Conversation with Kelvin Teo
    Nov 25 2025
    This week on Asia Tech Lens, we unpack one of Southeast Asia’s most instructive fintech stories: how Kelvin Teo built Funding Societies | Modalku into the region’s largest SME digital lender — and the painful lessons most founders only learn the hard way.The spark was unexpected. During his time at Harvard Business School, Kelvin heard Peter Thiel argue that Asia didn’t need “more innovation,” it needed better execution. That provocation pushed Kelvin and his co-founder, Reynold Wijaya, to confront a structural financing gap no one wanted to touch.What followed was a decade of difficult, often unglamorous work: building credit models with barely any data, engaging regulators before frameworks existed, surviving liquidity crunches and layoffs, expanding across markets with wildly different risk profiles, and learning how founder alignment becomes the decisive ingredient for long-term resilience.Hosted by Miro Lu, this episode goes deep into what it actually takes to build a regional fintech serving millions of SMEs — not the glossy narrative, but the real operational, cultural, and emotional load behind the scenes.💡What You’ll Learn* How “execution over innovation” became the founding insight* Why SME financing in SEA was chronically underserved* Building credit models in data-scarce environments* Surviving early shocks: liquidity crunches, layoffs, and tough calls* How founder alignment shapes resilience* Expanding across SG, ID, MY, TH, VN — the real operational cost* Balancing aggressive scaling with responsible risk management* Navigating regulators and investors across multiple jurisdictions* What fintech founders consistently underestimate in SEA* What the next decade of SME financing looks like⏱️ In This Episode00:00 – Opening provocation & Peter Thiel’s comment00:34 – Why they aligned early as founders01:41 – Entering the origin story02:19 – The comment that sparked Funding Societies03:10 – Studying US innovation models & scanning opportunities04:09 – Narrowing down the fintech ideas07:49 – Kevin’s early career and what shaped him09:41 – Forming the co-founder relationship11:49 – Harvard as a launching pad12:54 – Running a startup from Boston13:58 – Sequoia’s early engagement & the term-sheet saga17:34 – Building credit models with limited data21:22 – Hyper-local risk, experimentation & mitigations22:27 – How microloans were pioneered25:59 – Microloans, property-backed lending and product evolution28:10 – First major shocks: bank partnerships & credibility29:47 – Surviving the early bank relationship winter31:24 – How the fintech landscape matured33:11 – Profitability by country33:43 – Lessons from M&A through CardUp acquisition37:50 – Regional expansions: Singapore, Indonesia and Beyond40:55 – Balancing group discipline with local autonomy41:32 – Mission, vision & preventing Southeast Asia’s “middle-income trap”42:45 – Surviving early shocks and hard lessons47:25 – Retaining sanity & emotional management49:21 – How Southeast Asian founders build support infrastructure50:33 – Scaling responsibly vs scaling fast52:38 – The AI frenzy & distinguishing real from “fake AI”54:19 – Looking ahead: the next decade of SME financing58:48 – Leadership, culture and founder resilience01:02:21 – Advice to his younger self01:03:48 – If Kelvin weren’t building FS01:05:08 – The future of SME financing in Southeast Asia01:06:58 – IPO vs trade sale01:08:14 – Outside of work01:09:20 – Book recommendation01:10:15 – Closing📚 ReferencesPeople & Founders* Kelvin Teo — Co-Founder & Group CEO, Funding Societies | Modalku — https://www.linkedin.com/in/tkelvin/* Reynold Wijaya — Co-Founder, Funding Societies | Modalku — https://www.linkedin.com/in/reynoldwijaya/* Peter Thiel — Entrepreneur & investor; HBS talk that sparked the “execution over innovation” idea — https://thielfoundation.org* Aaron Tan — Co-Founder & CEO, Carro — https://www.linkedin.com/in/aarontan/* Piyush Gupta — CEO, DBS Bank — https://www.linkedin.com/in/piyushguptasingapore/Companies, Platforms & Brands* Funding Societies | Modalku — Southeast Asia’s largest SME digital finance platform — https://fundingsocieties.com* Carro — Online used-car marketplace in Southeast Asia — https://carro.co* ShopBack — Rewards & cashback platform founded by NUS Overseas Colleges alumni — https://www.shopback.com* Lego — Global toy company; referenced via an SME distributor client — https://www.lego.comConsulting, Finance & Tech Firms (Kelvin’s Background & M&A)* Accenture — https://www.accenture.com* McKinsey & Company — https://www.mckinsey.com* KKR (incl. KKR Capstone) — https://www.kkr.comUniversities & Entrepreneurship Programs* Harvard Business School — https://www.hbs.edu* National University of Singapore (NUS) — https://www.nus.edu.sg* NUS Overseas Colleges (NOC) — Entrepreneurship ...
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    1 h et 11 min
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