Asia Tech Podcast

Artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly across Asia, not only because of its economic potential but also due to the region’s strong appetite for innovation and global competitiveness. Countries are embracing AI to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and create smarter business strategies.ATP spoke to Adrian Johnson, Senior VP and General Manager Americas and Asia Pacific at Hitachi Vantara about how countries like Singapore and China are not just experimenting with AI—they’re leading.Some of the topics Adrian covered in detail include:Asia is the “market of the 21st century. With rapid economic development, fierce internal competition, and a drive for global relevance, Asia is leaping forward.Infrastructure built for yesterday can’t handle AI today. One of the biggest challenges companies face is that their current IT infrastructure simply wasn’t built for AI’s compute-heavy, high-performance demands.AI promises to level the playing field—but only if SMEs can access the tools. "AI-as-a-Service” could enable that, allowing SMEs to plug into powerful AI tools without building from scratch.No matter how powerful an AI model is, poor data quality guarantees poor outcomes. Getting data quality right is of the utmost importance.The next phase of AI is not just about private models—it’s about sovereign ones. These models will be geographically and legally confined, ensuring they comply with local laws and cultural expectations.AI isn’t just computationally expensive—it’s environmentally taxing. As quantum computing and edge computing enter the fray, there’s a pressing need to align innovation with sustainability.

Japan is facing a quiet crisis with over 9 million abandoned homes, known as akiya, scattered across the country—a number expected to double in the next decade. This phenomenon is largely driven by an aging population, declining birth rates, and continued migration to urban centers.ATP spoke to Tsuyoshi Domoto, the Founder of Akiya Air, who has created a platform to help unlock the potential of akiya by offering a one-stop service for buying, renovating, managing, and monetizing these homes.Some of the topics Tsuyoshi covered in detail:Japan’s tax system discourages demolition and incentivizes keeping decrepit houses standing.Navigating Japan’s real estate market as a foreigner can be quite challenging. Trying to purchase and renovate a rural home is nearly impossible without local help.While many foreigners may not know 'akiya' exist, those who do are enthusiastic. Some want a second home to visit regularly; others see it as an Airbnb-style investment for other foreign visitors.Financing can still be a major barrier as Japanese banks are still cautious about lending to foreigners, especially those without permanent residency.Akiya Air's vision is to create pockets of innovation and community in Japan’s countryside, akin to what he saw in Bali — digital nomads, creatives, and entrepreneurs co-living and co-working in revitalized areas.

Global financial systems are evolving rapidly, but many remain fragmented, creating barriers for people and businesses trying to move money across borders. While local solutions like mobile wallets have improved access in specific regions, they often operate in isolation.In this episode of the Asia Tech Podcast, Elie Bertha, Chief Product Officer at Thunes, explores why interoperability is becoming the cornerstone of global financial services.Some of the topics that Elie covered in detail include:Connectivity may power global commerce, but interoperability—systems speaking to each other in real-time—is the glue that makes it functional.In emerging markets like the Philippines, Indonesia, and large swaths of Africa, mobile wallets have become essential tools for financial inclusion.The most persistent obstacles to seamless cross-border payments aren’t technological—they're bureaucratic.Frictionless payments aren't just convenient—they unleash liquidity.Digital wallets that hold fiat, crypto, or stablecoins offer the flexibility users need, but challenges remain. Stablecoins promise 24/7 global liquidity—but usability, acceptance, and integration into traditional systems remain hurdles.

Building and launching a FinTech in the United States is a far more intricate and regulated process than many presume. Unlike in Europe, where financial licenses can be “passported” across borders, the U.S. operates a dual regulatory system—federal and state-based—that requires fintechs to navigate a patchwork of licensing requirements.In this episode of ATP, Trevor Tanifum, Managing Principal at FS Vector, discusses some of the challenges of launching a FinTech in the U.S., particularly if one is trying to enter from Europe.Some of the topics that Trevor covered in detail include:Unlike the European Union’s passporting model, U.S. FinTechs must often secure individual licenses in every state they intend to operate, making compliance a heavy lift from day one.Attempting to self-license—acquiring the necessary state-by-state permissions without partnering with a bank—is a daunting path and can be fatal to early-stage companies running on limited capital and short timelines.Because self-licensing is so burdensome, many fintechs turn to bank partnerships. But these relationships are not easy to come by either for many reasons.One of the most surprising insights Trevor shared is that the U.S. consumer, unlike their counterparts in Asia or Europe, doesn’t prioritize fast payments. This is due in part to the prevalence of credit.If traditional FinTechs face a thicket of rules, crypto and Web3 companies often face a vacuum. There's no comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S. which leaves companies vulnerable without clear guidance.

The global financial system is on the verge of a major transformation. While domestic payments in many countries have become fast, seamless, and available around the clock, cross-border transactions remain slow, fragmented, and dependent on outdated infrastructure. In this episode of ATP, Naveen Mallela, Global Co-Head of Kinexys at JPMorgan Chase, explored what “Finance Without Borders” could look like in a world that increasingly demands instant, global, and seamless value exchange.Some of the topics Naveen covered in detail include:In a world where commerce never sleeps, “Always-On” money needs to be the new standard for an "Always-On" economy.The sovereignty of money isn't just a political issue—it’s a core technical and infrastructural constraint that slows innovation across borders.Shared ledger infrastructure promises atomic, instant transactions that reduce or eliminate the need for reconciliation and interbank messaging.Tokenization unlocks trapped value, making assets and capital more productive and responsive.Stablecoins are mobile money for the Digital Age

Time is our most valuable resource, yet much of it is lost to repetitive digital tasks—scheduling meetings, replying to emails, searching cloud storage, or switching between apps. The concept of an AI-powered personal assistant challenges this inefficiency by providing intelligent, hands-free support that integrates directly into the tools we already use.In this episode of ATP, Tiago Alves, Co-Founder and CEO of The Librarian, is building an AI-powered productivity assistant that brings order to digital chaos.Some of the topics that Tiago covered in detail included:AI productivity tools like The Librarian democratize access to support that was once reserved for executives.The irony of time management is that it consumes so much of our day. We spend hours searching cloud folders, responding to emails, confirming appointments.What sets The Librarian apart is its ability not just to understand, but to act.Even with AI doing the heavy lifting, trust is earned. In the early stages, users often double-check that meetings were scheduled or emails sent.This isn’t about command-reply interactions. It’s about long-term memory. The Librarian builds contextual awareness over time.

In today’s digital world, individuals have lost control of their personal data. Our identities—once built on physical records and face-to-face relationships—are now scattered across platforms owned by BIG Tech. These companies track, store, and monetize our digital footprints, often without our explicit consent. In this episode of ATP, we spoke to Glenn Gore, CEO of Affinidi, who challenges this status quo and argues that ownership of our digital identity should belong to us—not BIG Tech.Some of the topics Glenn covered in detail include:Owning your digital identity means preserving and controlling YOUR narrative—and being empowered by it.BIG Tech currently owns your identity and they track, store, and monetize it without meaningful oversight or your full understanding.Surveillance capitalism isn’t concerned with who you are—it’s focused on understanding what you do.Reclaiming your identity requires a new tech stack and Affinidi is building it—complete with personal data vaults and verifiable credentials.As AI becomes personal and powerful, our data becomes more valuable. And we’ll want that AI to work for us, bot for BIG Tech.

The way insurance professionals discover and engage with information is undergoing a profound shift. As the industry faces rising complexity, staying informed requires more than just tracking simple updates—it demands a broader view of global trends, risks, and innovations. Traditional sources of information are no longer enough; curated, personalized content that delivers real contextual intelligence is becoming critical for success.In this episode of ATP, Alex Hearn, the Founder and CEO of Slipcase, explains how the industry is shifting toward “contextual intelligence” — the ability to quickly access relevant, high-quality information that supports better decision-making and career growth.Some of the larger topics Alex covered in detail include:With global risks compounding, brokers, underwriters, and risk managers must stay informed across a wide spectrum of issues to remain competitive.Traditional sources of information for insurance professionals had been fragmented and inefficient.The importance of building a centralized, consolidated, and curated stream of insurance-related information.His belief that audience building in insurance is about hyper-relevance, not scale.Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing the way content is curated and discovered.

The way businesses move money is undergoing a major transformation, powered by advancements in AI, real-time payments, and stablecoin technologies. AI is no longer just automating basic tasks; it is enabling intelligent systems that can think, adapt, and optimize financial operations on the fly.In this episode of ATP, Paul Harapin, Head of Asia Pacific and Japan at Stripe, explains how Stripe’s technology, now processing $1.4 trillion annually, is driving a shift from simple automation to intelligent, adaptive financial systems.Some of the topics that Paul covered in detail:AI is now deeply embedded into Stripe's ecosystem, not just to optimize existing processes like fraud detection, but to reshape entire money flows.While generalist AI platforms like OpenAI and Perplexity dominate headlines, AI purpose-built for specific industries is where much of the near-term value is being created.Asia Pacific isn't just participating — it's leading the charge into real-time payments and alternative rails.How Agentic AI will eliminate traditional bottlenecks between sales, payments, and customer service, especially for SMEs and startups.Stablecoins are poised to revolutionize remittances, treasury management, and cross-border B2B commerce, especially in emerging markets.

Building technology at scale is not about chasing the latest trends or making sweeping, one-time decisions. It’s about making a series of careful, long-term choices that prioritize control, efficiency, and resilience. Companies that rush into cloud adoption or AI implementations without understanding the trade-offs risk losing the ability to innovate on their own terms.Technology leadership is never about a single, bold decision — it’s about a series of intentional, calculated choices that evolve over time. The Asia Tech Podcast sat down with Idan Zalzberg, the Chief Technology Officer of Agoda, to learn how complex technology infrastructures are built, maintained, and reimagined. Some of the topics that Idan cover in detail included:One of the most surprising themes from Idan’s leadership style is his insistence that CTOs should continue to code. Remaining hands-on creates deep trust with engineering teams and maintains sharp intuition for decision-making.It’s not about being pro- or anti-cloud. It’s about being in control of your tech stack and cost structures — and re-evaluating continuously.To scale AI effectively, companies must build internal capabilities to continuously monitor, measure, and validate AI's impact.Rather than replacing engineers, AI is amplifying their productivity — making the best developers even more capable.Agoda’s future goal isn’t just to be a booking site — it’s to be a travel companion.