IG Group has appointed Gavin Chia as CEO of its Singapore and emerging markets division, effective September 1, 2025, pending regulatory approval.

IG Group is a UK-based online trading firm listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Chia was previously CEO and a founding employee at Moomoo Singapore. He has also held senior roles at UOB Kay Hian, Haitong International, and PhilipCapital.

He will oversee IG’s expansion into new markets and product categories across Asia.

Chia holds a master’s degree in business analytics from the National University of Singapore and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering with a minor in business from Nanyang Technological University.

🔗 Source: IG Group

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Singapore’s brokerage market rewards rapid execution and regulatory expertise

Gavin Chia’s track record at Moomoo Singapore demonstrates how quickly market leadership can shift in Singapore’s competitive brokerage landscape.

He transformed Moomoo from a startup into “one of the country’s top brokerages in just four years” while IG maintains its position as “Singapore’s leading CFD trading platform” with access to over 17,000 markets1.

This rapid market evolution reflects Singapore’s sophisticated investor base and regulatory environment, where success depends heavily on regulatory engagement and innovative marketing, skills IG highlighted in Chia’s appointment.

The appointment signals that even established players like IG Group, a FTSE 250 company with over £1 billion in revenue in 2023, recognize the need for leaders who can navigate Singapore’s fast-moving competitive dynamics2.

2️⃣ Asian fintech expansion aligns with selective investor focus on proven execution

IG’s emphasis on emerging markets expansion comes as fintech investors are becoming increasingly selective, focusing on companies with strong fundamentals and profitability rather than just growth potential3.

IG Group’s financial strength positions it well for this trend, with a net margin of 58.42% and serving 400,000 clients globally—metrics that demonstrate the operational efficiency investors now prioritize24.

The appointment of a leader with proven scaling experience reflects how established fintech companies are approaching emerging market expansion more strategically.