AI comes for MoneySmart’s margins

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In focus

• Why ​MoneySmart is expecting a tougher 2026
• ​​SEA’s digital economy grows, but AI adoption is still shallow
• Data center volatility continues

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Hello reader,

Many companies spent years optimizing for how visibly their websites appear on search engines like Google. Then, large language models (LLMs) upended everything – the tools people use to search and how results are shown, even the need to click through into specific websites.

As a platform that’s dependent on people landing on its site for information and clicking through to sign up, MoneySmart’s value as a financial comparison is eroding. If people aren’t using its website directly, it’s losing out on commissions it earns from purchases made through the platform.

In today’s top story, Vinod Nair, founder and CEO of MoneySmart, acknowledges that solely being a financial comparison site no longer cuts it.

Despite making a net profit and growing revenue in 2025, the CEO expects both to fall in 2026 as margins shrink. That’s why the firm has new products up its sleeve – though Nair was tight-lipped about the details.

By Nair’s observations, the quality of content found on LLMs – in particular those related to financial products – still isn’t up to par in terms of accuracy. Perhaps that creates an opening for which MoneySmart can still differentiate itself.

Melissa Goh, senior editor

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Top Story

MoneySmart grows revenue by 26% in 2025, but AI threatens margins

While generative AI threatens MoneySmart’s business, the company is also taking advantage of the technology. According to Nair, using Claude Code has made product development more efficient, reducing the time and human resources required.

So far, AI-related costs are under control, with the firm using Claude subscriptions alone for its operations.

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Southeast Asia’s AI gap

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