Fintech jobs
The old adage ‘follow the money’ never rang truer than for the glamorous, high-octane industry of fintech. Just when you think capitalism can’t possibly top the modern banking system, along come the likes of cryptocurrency, smart contracting and robo-investment advisors. It goes without saying that fintech jobs in Asia, just like everywhere else, are highly coveted. If you’re the sort who puts your money where your mouth is, however, you’ll find that fintech startups are more than willing to admit you into their hallowed environs.
Countries with Fintech jobs
With their reputation as global financial hubs, you’d expect Singapore and Hong Kong to top the list for number of available fintech startup jobs. It’s Indonesia, however, which takes pole position. Where contactless payments are already all the rage in China, Indonesia is just beginning to come into its own, with US$56 million in funding secured by its fintech startups between 2013 and 2017. Opportunity beckons in the world’s fourth most populous country, a state of affairs reflected in the number of Singaporean or mainland Chinese fintech startups now looking to break into the Indonesian market.
Job opportunities
It’s worth bearing in mind that fintech is as much about the technology as it is about financial wizardry. And in emerging Asian markets, the technology and basic business framework has to be in place before glitzy fintech advisory jobs become available. Most fintech startups are consequently looking for programming and engineering talent to get their products and services off the ground, or for more traditionally business-oriented people to oversee expansion plans. The fintech sub-field of cashless payments, while the most visible, is far from the only fish in the pond. Other equally rewarding job scopes in fintech might just be your ticket into the industry as a whole.
Hiring companies
The giants of fintech include consultancy firms like Deloitte and electronic payments providers like PayPal, but the most enthusiastic hirers tend to come from further down the corporate ladder. Don’t stick to the tried-and-tested options and take a chance with Moka, Indonesia’s dynamic Point of Sale mobile tech startup, or PolicyPal, the first graduate from the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s fintech regulatory sandbox.