External factors for a successful career in fintech

Asia-Pacific’s fintech scene is buzzing, with Singapore leading as one of ASEAN’s powerhouse.

For example, the Singapore FinTech Association recently revealed that the city-state welcomed 60,000 people from 130 countries to its annual Singapore Fintech Festival in 2019. Deloitte even listed the festival as the world’s largest platform for the global Fintech community. The industry in Singapore also witnessed a hiring spree with industry experts expecting this trend to continue over the next few years.

In the fintech scene, innovativeness, autonomy, and openness is as much valued as having the knowledge and passion. As a marketing executive at CoAssets International Pte Ltd, a fintech company in Singapore, I have grown to love this booming industry.

Here are three reasons why.

Innovation and autonomy in the workplace
What separates a fintech firm from mainstream financial institutions? Unlike traditional firms where innovation and autonomy are usually the concerns of some departments, in fintech firms, every employee has an interest in these matters.

Despite being a junior at this company, I have been given the opportunity to sit in and contribute during strategic planning sessions amongst the global management team and even with the board of directors. The company is inclined to hire fresh graduates across all departments as they are able to provide fresh perspectives on age-old problems.

I even witnessed how despite age or experience, everyone is given plenty of opportunities to contribute their ideas and even rise in rank, making it an attractive fast-paced company for young individuals. We even ensure that our interns have a holistic experience and provide value to the company. Last summer, one student had his research published on mainstream media, and another student had the opportunity to scribe and plan for global meetings.

Direct communication
In traditional banks and financial firms, the decision-making process is usually confined to the senior management team before communicating the execution steps to the rest of the team.

However, at CoAssets, senior executives make a concerted effort to communicate and include employees in the process. For example, I recently attended a board meeting which gave me an insight into the workings and considerations when running our company’s investment platform.

This insight has helped me see the value and meaning in my work. This clarity has also helped me tailor my daily work tasks as I am clear of the desired outcomes.

Shared knowledge and passion
As with most fintech firms, we perform with a lean staff count. That means, every employee plays an important role at work. Having a shared goal, passion and commitment with my colleagues and able to see the success of our company is what drives me to do my part at work every-day.

Working in the fintech industry ignites my passion for fintech. CoAssets Group and its subsidiaries create roles specific to how employees want to grow. For myself, my role goes beyond marketing and I am given the opportunity to work alongside the desk of the CEO. I also saw the company carve out an operation- investor relations hybrid role for my colleague who expressed interest in all these areas.

The company is at a size where it’s neither at an uncomfortable infancy stage, nor at such an enormous size. This makes it easier to gain visibility, be heard by senior management, and create a legacy that contributes to corporate growth & culture.