Transforming Wealth Management in Singapore: A Journey from Investment Banking to Fintech Innovation

As the co-founder and CEO of Owas, I'm passionate about empowering individuals to achieve their financial goals through technology and expertise, transforming the wealth management landscape in Asia.

  • 1. Greg is co-founder and CEO of Owas, a wealth management platform that helps people invest better to live better.
  • 2. Owas has transformed the way people in Singapore invest and manages over 5 billion USD across more than 400 strategies from 70 global managers.
  • 3. The company offers various investment solutions, including cash management, private equity, and hedge funds.
  • 4. Greg comes from a family of entrepreneurs and has always been interested in maximizing efficiency and utility.
  • 5. He started trading stocks in college, making significant returns but eventually losing most of it, leading him to explore the science behind investing.
  • 6. Greg's first job was in investment banking, where he interacted with institutional investors and learned about their strategies.
  • 7. He later joined Grab Taxi to understand how technology can scale services and improve user experiences.
  • 8. Sam, co-founder and chairman of Indas, has extensive experience in the financial industry, working for organizations like Moen Stanley Investment Management.
  • 9. Sam believes in building client-centric cultures that take care of employees, as seen during his time at Moen Stanley when he volunteered to give up a promotion to work better with his colleague.
  • 10. After retiring at 42, Sam set up an entity to invest in fintech companies and met Greg through a mutual friend, leading to the formation of Owas.
  • 11. The company aims to solve the global pension crisis by focusing on retirement adequacy, starting with tackling Singapore's CPF problem.
  • 12. Regulator MAS is business-friendly and has made Singapore a wealth management hub, attracting fintech talent like Owas' CTO, Je.
  • 13. Je previously worked at Goldman Sachs but decided to join the startup to build something impactful while having fun in the process.
  • 14. The team focused on trust, shared vision, and potential during the early stages of building the company.
  • 15. Owas built a purpose-built tech stack for CPF investments and went live within nine months of obtaining their license.
  • 16. After launching CPF investments, Owas expanded to serve retail clients with lower minimum investment requirements and moved into high net worth spaces as well.
  • 17. The company's platform business model offers personalized and curated portfolios based on individual needs and preferences.
  • 18. Owas has a unique investment office that filters and selects the best-in-class products from around the world using an Amazon/Netflix curation model.
  • 19. Je, as CTO, values human advisors' expertise in selecting and creating funds for customers over AI-based solutions.
  • 20. Owas emphasizes understanding why one is investing before focusing on how to invest, which drives asset allocation and product selection.
  • 21. The company advocates for needs-driven selling rather than market view-driven selling.
  • 22. Key learnings from building Owas include surrounding oneself with good people and continuously learning from them, staying disciplined during the growth process, and focusing on long-term goals.

Source: EO via YouTube

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