Blog category
Finance
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Think Like a CEO
Studying how the world's top executives make decisions, you start to notice patterns that have very little to do with industry, company size, or technology stack. What stands out is the rigour they apply to their own…
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Modern Enterprise Risk Management
Risk management in large financial institutions has long been treated as a defensive discipline—something designed to prevent failure rather than enable success. Yet in an environment shaped by volatile markets, rapid…
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Codes, convergence, and where real boards go beyond the rulebook
Corporate governance has evolved from a niche academic topic to a mainstream discipline that shapes how companies create value, manage risk, and earn investor trust. Behind every governance framework lie three practical…
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Transparency, Governance and What It Means for a New IPO
Transparency in governance is one of the most defining signals of corporate maturity, especially for companies preparing to enter the public markets. As organisations approach an IPO, their ability to communicate clearly about…
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Understanding Corporate Governance in a Changing World
Corporate governance has evolved into one of the most important disciplines in modern organisational life. At its core, governance defines how power is exercised, how decisions are made, and how organisations remain accountable…
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Why corporate governance was slow to evolve
Corporate governance is a familiar phrase today, but its rise was surprisingly slow. Although the underlying ideas were understood as early as 1932, when Berle and Means described the separation of ownership and control, the term…
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A Letter to Fresh Graduate
Stepping out of university and into the working world can feel like stepping into fog. The path ahead is unclear, rejections feel personal, the job market seems harsh, and everywhere you turn someone is talking about how AI might…
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Tokenising Money Market Funds — the quiet revolution in short-term cash management
The tokenisation of money market funds (MMFs) has shifted from speculative pilots to a strategic transformation led by the world’s largest asset managers. Firms like BlackRock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton and others are no…
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Why Networking Is an Important Investment for an Enterprise Architect
In the world of enterprise architecture, we often speak in terms of systems, integrations, dependencies, and capabilities. Yet the most defining architecture we build throughout our careers is not found in a blueprint or a…
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Solve the legacy challenge for banks in ASEAN
Southeast Asia’s banks are at a pivotal juncture, transitioning from decades-old legacy cores to modern platforms built for the digital age. Most banks in the region still run on aging technology – 90–95% of banks rely on…
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Why It Is So Hard to Sell Core Banking Systems
Convincing a bank to replace its core banking system should be easy in theory. After all, the promise is huge: a safer, more reliable, and compliant engine that could save banks and their customers millions. Yet, in practice, it…
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Why Most Businesses Don’t Qualify for Venture Capital Funding
Recently I had dinner with a friend, and she mentioned that she wants to start her own business. I shared my experience that there are really two types of startups: one is the SME, or small and medium enterprise, which focuses on…
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How to Develop Breakthrough Core Banking Products and Services
Banks must develop major innovations to prosper, but they don’t know how to. Many still try to build them with an old producer model. In that model, vendors publish roadmaps, banks write long requirement documents, and system…
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Regulatory Frameworks for Core Banking Systems in Southeast Asia
Core banking system vendors entering Southeast Asian markets must navigate a complex web of banking regulations and technology risk guidelines. Each country – Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia – has its own…
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Core Banking Systems Market in China - Vendors, SIs, and Trends
China’s core banking system market is undergoing rapid modernization, driven by the need for internet-scale performance (to support platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay) and digital transformation across banks. Domestic Chinese…
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Analysis of Core Banking Market in Australia and New Zealand
The core banking software market in Australia is sizable and expanding at a healthy clip. In 2024, Australia’s core banking software market was about US$480 million, and it is projected to reach roughly US$960 million by 2030,…
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Thailand’s Core Banking Market Trends and Outlook
Thailand’s banking sector is undergoing rapid digital transformation, driving growth in core banking software investments. Core banking software refers to the back-end systems that process daily banking transactions and manage…
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Change Yourself to Become a Better Decision-Maker
In April 2025, the global financial markets were rocked by a sharp and sudden downturn. The S&P 500 plunged nearly 5%—its worst single-day drop in years—while the Dow Jones tumbled over 1,600 points. The cause? A wave of new…
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Lessons from the Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930
As we enter 2025, President Trump's renewed embrace of tariffs has once again sparked fears of economic turmoil. His administration's latest tariff measures—imposing duties as high as 25% on imports from China, Canada, Mexico,…
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Lessons from Nixon's Shock and Stagflation
In 2025, investors face significant uncertainty due to President Trump's aggressive and unpredictable tariff policies. With tariffs imposed on major trading partners such as Canada, Mexico, and China, economists warn of rising…
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The Psychology of Booms, Busts, and the Hardwired Nature of Followers
The cyclical nature of economic booms and busts is well-documented throughout history. Despite repeated lessons, markets continue to experience periods of irrational exuberance followed by painful corrections. At the heart of…
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Impact of Donald Trump’s Tariff Policy on the Phillips Curve
The Phillips Curve is one of the most fundamental concepts in macroeconomics, illustrating the inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment. Named after economist A.W. Phillips, this curve has been widely studied,…
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Impact of Donald Trump's 2025 Tariff Policy on the IS-LM Model
The IS-LM (Investment-Savings & Liquidity preference-Money supply) model is a fundamental macroeconomic tool used to analyze the interaction between the goods market and the money market. Developed by John Hicks in 1937 as an…
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The CANSLIM Method for Stock Screening
The CANSLIM method, developed by William O'Neil, is a powerful stock screening and investing strategy designed to identify high-growth stocks before they make significant moves. It combines both fundamental and technical…
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The Power of Financial Freedom
Many of life’s challenges can be resolved with sufficient financial resources. If you have enough assets, quitting a job that no longer serves you should not be a concern. For colleagues you value, you can maintain those…
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Balancing Cybersecurity and User Experience - A Practical Guide for Businesses
In today's digital landscape, businesses are increasingly aware of the critical importance of cybersecurity. Protecting customer data, ensuring compliance, and managing reputational risk are just a few of the reasons that…
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The Role of Cybersecurity in Digital Transformation - Building, Buying, and Balancing Value vs. Cost
As organizations accelerate their digital transformation journeys, cybersecurity has moved from a supporting role to a critical pillar of success. Digital transformation initiatives can increase data exposure, expand attack…
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Embracing Failure - The Pathway to Success
“Losing billions of dollars is no big deal.” At first glance, this statement might seem shocking, but it holds a powerful truth about the relationship between risk, failure, and success. To truly understand this mindset, we must…
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Understanding Data Governance in the Digital Age
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, data has emerged as a critical asset for organizations. However, managing this asset effectively requires a structured approach, which is where data governance plays a crucial role.…
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Identifying the Risks Organizations Face - Key Considerations for Risk Governance
In today’s dynamic business environment, risk management is essential for an organization's long-term success. Companies must be equipped to identify, assess, and manage risks to protect their assets, stakeholders, and…
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Crafting a Balanced Governance Strategy for a Growing Fintech Startup
In the dynamic world of fintech, a purpose-driven governance strategy is essential to uphold an organization’s mission and values while scaling. This involves creating frameworks for decision-making, risk management,…
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Insights into China's Digital Transformation and Innovation
During my recent study trip to Hangzhou, I had the opportunity to visit several prominent Chinese companies, gaining valuable insights into their innovation practices, strategic challenges, and the rapidly evolving business…
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The Power of Storytelling in Digital Business Case Development
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, CxOs are often tasked with justifying large investments in technology to decision-makers. Yet, many struggle to effectively convey the value these investments bring to the business. A…
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Navigating the Future of Business in the Digital Age
In the fast-evolving landscape of digital transformation, governance is no longer confined to traditional structures. The concept of Digital Governance emerges as a critical framework that encompasses the strategic alignment of…
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Navigating Uncertainty in Digital Transformation
In today's fast-paced and ever-changing business landscape, digital transformation is not just a trend—it's a necessity. However, embarking on a digital transformation journey brings its own set of challenges, uncertainties, and…
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Enforcing Kubernetes Policies with Gatekeeper
In the rapidly evolving world of cloud-native environments, maintaining security and compliance is paramount. Kubernetes, the leading container orchestration platform, provides the flexibility to manage workloads efficiently.…
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The Fundamentals of Support Vector Machines
Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are a fundamental tool in machine learning, renowned for their effectiveness in classification tasks. They can handle linear and nonlinear data, making them versatile for a variety of applications,…
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Building an RNN with LSTM for Stock Prediction
In this blog post, we will explore the process of building a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) with Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) layers to predict the stock price of Nvidia using historical data. We will follow the steps outlined…
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The Importance of Data Privacy
In an era where the digital landscape is evolving at an unprecedented pace, businesses must continually adapt to maintain a competitive edge. One critical aspect of this adaptation is the robust management of data privacy. As the…
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The Augmented Dickey—Fuller (ADF) Test for Stationarity
Stationarity is a fundamental concept in statistical analysis and machine learning, particularly when dealing with time series data. In simple terms, a time series is stationary if its statistical properties, such as mean and…
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My Journey in Digital Transformation Consulting for the Banking Industry
In the ever-evolving world of banking, digital transformation isn't just an option; it's a necessity. My career as a Solution Architect has centered on guiding top-tier banks through this crucial transition. Here, I'll share…
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ISO 20022 - the Global Standard for Financial Messaging
In the rapidly evolving world of financial technology, the need for standardized and efficient communication between institutions has never been more critical. Enter ISO 20022, a global standard that is revolutionizing the way…
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Navigating the New Landscape of PCI DSS Version 4.0
PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) version 4.0, introduced as the latest update to the security standards for card payments, marks a significant leap forward in securing payment data worldwide. This blog post…
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Go To Market (GTM) Strategy
In this blog post, I am writing to compare the Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies of two organizations in the banking industry: the Development Bank of Singapore (DBS) as an incumbent and Trust Bank as a disruptor. Over the last few…
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Designing Effective Application Architecture for Ethereum
As the world of blockchain technology continues to evolve, Ethereum remains at the forefront, offering a versatile platform for building decentralized applications (DApps). One of the key challenges in Ethereum application…
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Zero Knowledge Proofs (zk-SNARKs) - Unveiling the Math Behind DeFi
In the rapidly evolving landscape of blockchain technology, innovations continue to emerge that reshape industries and redefine possibilities. One such innovation that's making waves in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space is…
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Understanding ERC20 Tokens - the Backbone of Fungible Tokens on Ethereum
In the world of blockchain and cryptocurrencies, tokens play a crucial role in representing various assets and functionalities. One popular type of token is the ERC20 token, which has gained significant traction due to its…
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How to Transform Your Idea into an Investment by Crafting an Irresistible Pitch
In the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship, having a groundbreaking idea is only the first step toward building a successful business. To transform that idea into a viable investment, you'll need an effective pitch that captures…
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Think and Grow Rich - Book Review
The book I'm going to review is "Think and Grow Rich," written by Napoleon Hill. Reading this book in public might be a bit awkward, not because it's poorly written, but because its title could come off as superficial. Given that…
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Product Strategy Recommendations
I recently completed an online course where I learned the frameworks and concepts needed to create compelling and memorable product experiences. I chose to apply this knowledge to Thought Machine, a company that has developed a…
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FinTech Security and Regulation Suggestions
I'd like to offer suggestions for how authorities should handle the application of Virtual Banking in Singapore's financial industry. Given the highly regulated nature of banking, the relationship between Virtual Banking…
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FinTech Security and Regulation
As a FinTech consultant, I am conducting a study on the security and regulation of virtual banking in the US financial sector. The federal and state governments in the United States have various agencies that regulate and oversee…
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FinTech - Digital Banking Overview and Market Research
In the Asia-Pacific region, large banks face challenges from emerging digital banks. The adoption of digital banking is growing globally, fueled by changing customer expectations and increased digital penetration. The COVID-19…
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Business Strategy Recommendations
I recently took an online course called "Section4 Strategy Sprint." After learning about the strategies that define the most valuable firms worldwide, I am applying this framework to evaluate real-world companies and identify…
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The Lost Message
One night, a WhatsApp message lit up my screen, jolting me awake. Assuming it was an emergency, I was surprised to find that it was just a girl saying hi. "How's life, Victor?" Joanne, my former girlfriend from Hong Kong, had…
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Jobs to Be Done
I'm sure you've experienced this while shopping online. You find a product at an attractive price and decide to purchase it, using internet banking for the payment. However, an error message appears that says, "Sorry, something…
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Strive for Efficiency and Economy
Given that our society prioritizes efficiency and economy, you're able to read this essay. As national productivity improves, we can dedicate more time to hobbies. Otherwise, we'd be too consumed with basic survival tasks like…
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What Money Cannot Buy
"Money isn't everything, but everything needs money," my mother would often say when I was a child. How true is this adage? This principle served as the bedrock of my financial education, imparted to me by my mother. As a…
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MiFID II — What Is the Impact and What Opportunities Exist for Investors?
MiFID II aims to bring greater transparency and protection for investors across the financial markets. It introduces enhanced protections for all types of investors, from retail to professional, and expands the range of financial…
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What is Blockchain and How is It Used?
Many of my friends have been asking about the emergence of the blockchain revolution. According to recent news, four of the world's largest banks have teamed up to develop a new form of digital cash. This digital cash aims to…
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