TL;DR: Southeast Asia has 20+ AI fintech startups worth billions. They hire thousands of engineers and data scientists. Here are the top 20.
Southeast Asia’s fintech sector raised over $5.5 billion in 2024 alone. AI is now the biggest driver of growth. Companies use machine learning to score credit, detect fraud, and automate payments.
This means huge demand for talent. We placed 14 engineers at fintech startups in the last 12 months at Asiatal. Most of them work on AI and data pipelines. The hiring pace is not slowing down.
Here are the top 20 AI fintech startups in Southeast Asia. We include their funding, AI use cases, and key facts.
Overview: Top 20 AI Fintech Startups in Southeast Asia
| # | Company | Country | Category | Total Funding | AI Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GCash (Mynt) | Philippines | Digital Wallet | $675M+ | Credit scoring, fraud detection |
| 2 | Grab Financial Group | Singapore | Digital Banking | $700M+ | AI lending, insurance underwriting |
| 3 | Sea Money | Singapore | Digital Payments | Part of Sea Group ($6B+) | Risk modeling, personalization |
| 4 | GoTo Financial | Indonesia | Digital Payments | Part of GoTo ($5B+) | Fraud detection, AI credit |
| 5 | MoMo | Vietnam | Digital Wallet | $733M | AI chatbots, credit scoring |
| 6 | DANA | Indonesia | Digital Wallet | $313M | AI-based KYC, fraud prevention |
| 7 | Kredivo (FinAccel) | Indonesia | BNPL / Lending | $397M | AI credit underwriting |
| 8 | Akulaku | Indonesia | BNPL / Digital Banking | $400M+ | ML credit models, collections |
| 9 | Xendit | Indonesia | Payment Infrastructure | $538M | AI fraud detection, routing |
| 10 | Fazz (formerly Xfers/Payfazz) | Singapore / Indonesia | Payment Infrastructure | $117M | AI compliance, risk scoring |
| 11 | Aspire | Singapore | Business Finance | $321M | AI expense management, forecasting |
| 12 | StashAway | Singapore | Wealth Management | $152M | AI portfolio optimization |
| 13 | Endowus | Singapore | Wealth Management | $65M | ML-driven fund selection |
| 14 | Syfe | Singapore | Wealth Management | $79M | AI portfolio rebalancing |
| 15 | Brankas | Philippines | Open Banking | $26M | AI data aggregation, APIs |
| 16 | Funding Societies (Modalku) | Singapore | SME Lending | $294M | AI credit assessment |
| 17 | Tonik | Philippines | Digital Banking | $215M | AI lending, risk models |
| 18 | Atome | Singapore | BNPL | $200M+ | AI credit scoring, merchant analytics |
| 19 | Investree | Indonesia | P2P Lending | $97M | ML borrower profiling |
| 20 | Advance Intelligence Group | Singapore | AI-First Fintech | $536M | NLP, computer vision for KYC |
These 20 companies have raised over $10 billion combined. They operate across 6 Southeast Asian countries. And they all use AI as a core part of their product.
Digital Wallets and Super Apps
1. GCash (Mynt) – Philippines
GCash is the largest mobile wallet in the Philippines. It has over 93 million registered users as of 2025. The company is owned by Mynt, backed by Globe Telecom and Ant Group.
GCash uses AI for credit scoring. It gives microloans to unbanked Filipinos based on transaction patterns. It also uses machine learning for fraud detection. The platform processes over $40 billion in transactions per year.
We worked with a startup in Manila that competes in this space. They needed Python engineers who understood ML pipelines. We placed two engineers from the Philippines within 10 days.
2. MoMo – Vietnam
MoMo is Vietnam‘s leading e-wallet. It has over 40 million users. The company raised $733 million in total, including a 2021 Series E that valued it at over $2 billion.
MoMo uses AI chatbots for customer service. It runs ML models for credit scoring. It also uses AI to personalize offers for each user. The company has a large engineering team in Ho Chi Minh City.
3. DANA – Indonesia
DANA is one of Indonesia‘s top digital wallets. It has over 185 million users. The company raised $313 million in funding from investors like Ant Group and Softbank.
DANA uses AI for KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. It runs facial recognition models to verify identities. It also uses machine learning to detect suspicious transactions in real time.
Payment Infrastructure
4. Xendit – Indonesia
Xendit is a payment gateway for Southeast Asia. It powers payments for companies like Grab, Traveloka, and Wish. The company raised $538 million and was valued at $1.5 billion in 2022.
Xendit uses AI for fraud detection and smart payment routing. It chooses the best payment channel for each transaction automatically. Its engineering team is spread across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore.
5. Fazz – Singapore / Indonesia
Fazz was formed by the merger of Xfers (Singapore) and Payfazz (Indonesia). The company raised $117 million. It provides payment infrastructure for businesses and agents across Indonesia.
Fazz uses AI for compliance checks and risk scoring. It automates anti-money laundering processes with machine learning models. The company serves over 1 million businesses in Southeast Asia.
Super App Financial Arms
6. Grab Financial Group – Singapore
Grab Financial is the fintech arm of Grab, Southeast Asia’s largest super app. It operates a digital bank, insurance platform, and lending service. The financial group has raised over $700 million separately.
Grab uses AI across all financial products. It runs ML models for lending decisions. It uses AI to price insurance policies. Its fraud detection system processes millions of transactions daily.
7. Sea Money – Singapore
Sea Money is the financial services arm of Sea Limited. Sea also owns Shopee and Garena. Sea Money includes ShopeePay, SeaBank, and other financial products across 7 markets.
Sea Money uses AI for risk modeling and user personalization. Its digital banking arm uses ML for credit decisions. The company benefits from Shopee’s massive transaction data for training models.
8. GoTo Financial – Indonesia
GoTo Financial is part of GoTo Group, formed by the merger of Gojek and Tokopedia. It operates GoPay, one of Indonesia’s biggest e-wallets. GoTo Group raised over $5 billion before its IPO.
GoTo Financial uses AI for fraud detection across millions of daily transactions. It runs AI credit models for merchant lending. The company has one of the largest engineering teams in Indonesia.
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) and Lending
9. Kredivo (FinAccel) – Indonesia
Kredivo is Indonesia’s leading BNPL platform. It was founded by FinAccel in 2016. The company raised $397 million and completed a SPAC listing in 2023. It serves over 8 million users.
Kredivo uses AI for instant credit underwriting. Users can get approved in under 2 minutes. The company’s ML models analyze over 50 data points to make lending decisions without traditional credit scores.
10. Akulaku – Indonesia
Akulaku started as a BNPL platform. It now operates a digital bank (Bank Neo Commerce) and lending platform. The company has raised over $400 million and operates in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Akulaku uses ML credit models to underwrite loans. It uses AI for automated collections. The company processes millions of loan applications per month using its AI-first approach.
11. Atome – Singapore
Atome is a BNPL platform backed by Advance Intelligence Group. It operates in 10 markets across Asia. The company has partnered with over 20,000 merchants.
Atome uses AI credit scoring to approve users instantly. It also runs merchant analytics powered by machine learning. This helps merchants understand buying patterns and optimize promotions.
12. Funding Societies (Modalku) – Singapore
Funding Societies is Southeast Asia’s largest SME digital lending platform. It has disbursed over $4 billion in loans. The company raised $294 million and operates across Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The company uses AI credit assessment models. These models analyze bank statements, transaction data, and alternative data sources. Funding Societies approved over 100,000 loans using its AI-driven process.
We placed a data engineer at a similar P2P lending company in Jakarta. He built their data pipeline from scratch. He used Airflow and Python. The role was filled in 8 business days through our hiring process.
13. Investree – Indonesia
Investree is an Indonesian P2P lending platform. It connects SMEs with institutional and retail lenders. The company raised $97 million in funding.
Investree uses ML for borrower profiling. It analyzes financial statements and transaction histories using AI. This lets the platform approve loans faster and reduce default rates.
Digital Banks
14. Tonik – Philippines
Tonik is the first neobank in the Philippines to receive a digital banking license. The company raised $215 million. It offers deposits, loans, and financial products through its app.
Tonik uses AI for lending decisions and risk modeling. It runs ML models to predict borrower behavior. The company is scaling fast and hiring engineers, data scientists, and product managers.
15. Aspire – Singapore
Aspire is an all-in-one business finance platform. It serves startups and SMEs across Southeast Asia. The company raised $321 million, including a $100 million Series C in 2023.
Aspire uses AI for expense management and cash flow forecasting. Its smart tools categorize transactions automatically. It also uses ML for credit decisions on its business credit products.
Wealth Management
16. StashAway – Singapore
StashAway is Southeast Asia’s largest digital wealth manager. It manages over $1.5 billion in assets. The company raised $152 million and operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the MENA region.
StashAway uses AI for portfolio optimization. Its proprietary ERAA framework uses machine learning to adjust asset allocation based on economic conditions. The platform rebalances portfolios automatically.
17. Endowus – Singapore
Endowus is a fee-only digital wealth platform. It is the first platform to invest CPF, SRS, and cash savings in Singapore. The company raised $65 million.
Endowus uses ML-driven fund selection. Its algorithms analyze fund performance, fees, and risk factors. This helps users build diversified portfolios with lower costs.
18. Syfe – Singapore
Syfe is a digital investment platform. It offers managed portfolios, REITs, and individual stock trading. The company raised $79 million and operates in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.
Syfe uses AI for portfolio rebalancing and risk management. Its models adjust allocations based on market data. The platform handles billions of data points to make investment decisions.
Open Banking and AI-First Platforms
19. Brankas – Philippines
Brankas is an open banking platform for Southeast Asia. It connects banks, fintechs, and businesses through APIs. The company raised $26 million and operates across 5 countries.
Brankas uses AI for data aggregation and enrichment. Its models categorize and clean financial data from multiple bank sources. This helps fintechs build better products faster.
20. Advance Intelligence Group – Singapore
Advance Intelligence Group is an AI-first fintech company. It raised $536 million and was valued at $2 billion. It operates Atome (BNPL), ADVANCE.AI (enterprise AI), and Ginee (e-commerce).
The company uses NLP and computer vision for KYC verification. It runs facial recognition and document verification at scale. ADVANCE.AI serves over 1,000 enterprise clients including banks and fintech companies across Southeast Asia.
Where These Startups Are Located
| Country | Number of Top Startups | Key Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 9 | Grab Financial, Sea Money, Aspire, StashAway, Endowus, Syfe, Fazz, Funding Societies, Advance Intelligence, Atome |
| Indonesia | 6 | GoTo Financial, DANA, Xendit, Kredivo, Akulaku, Investree |
| Philippines | 3 | GCash, Tonik, Brankas |
| Vietnam | 1 | MoMo |
Singapore leads with 9 of the 20 companies. Indonesia follows with 6. The Philippines has 3. Vietnam has 1. But engineering teams are often spread across the region. Many Singapore-headquartered companies have engineers in Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
AI Roles These Fintech Startups Hire
AI fintech startups need specific technical roles. Based on our experience placing talent at similar companies, here are the most common positions.
| Role | Average Monthly Salary (SEA) | Key Skills | Demand Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| ML Engineer | $3,000 – $6,000 | Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, MLOps | Very High |
| Data Scientist | $2,800 – $5,500 | Python, SQL, Statistics, ML | Very High |
| Data Engineer | $2,500 – $5,000 | Spark, Airflow, SQL, Python | High |
| Backend Engineer | $2,500 – $5,000 | Go, Java, Python, Microservices | High |
| Full Stack Engineer | $2,200 – $4,500 | React, Node.js, Python, AWS | High |
| DevOps / SRE | $2,500 – $5,000 | Kubernetes, AWS, Terraform, CI/CD | Medium-High |
| Product Designer (AI) | $2,000 – $4,000 | Figma, User Research, AI UX | Medium |
| Growth Marketer | $1,800 – $3,500 | SEO, Paid Ads, Analytics, AI Tools | Medium |
ML engineers and data scientists are the hardest to hire. These roles require strong math and programming skills. Companies often struggle to fill them within Southeast Asia. This is where remote hiring from across the region helps.
At Asiatal, we see the most demand for backend engineers and ML engineers. One client in Singapore needed a Go engineer with fintech experience. We found one in the Philippines. He started in 12 days. His salary was 65% lower than a Singapore-based hire. You can see our pricing here.
How AI Is Changing Fintech Hiring
According to Bloomberg, global fintech funding dropped in 2023. But Southeast Asia stayed strong. The region’s fintech funding grew 5% year-over-year in 2024.
AI is the reason. Investors want AI-powered products. Companies that use AI for credit scoring, fraud detection, or automation get funded faster. This creates a talent race.
A CB Insights report showed that 72% of fintech companies now list AI skills as a must-have in engineering job posts. Two years ago, that number was 41%. The shift is massive.
What This Means for Job Seekers
If you are a developer in Southeast Asia, learn AI and ML. These are the highest-paid skills in fintech right now. Python is the most important language. SQL is second. Cloud skills (AWS, GCP) are third.
Fintech companies also value domain knowledge. Understand payments, lending, or insurance. This makes you stand out. Engineers who know both AI and finance earn 30-50% more than generalists.
What This Means for Companies Hiring
AI fintech talent is expensive in Singapore and Jakarta. Senior ML engineers in Singapore cost $8,000-$12,000 per month. The same skill level costs $3,000-$5,000 in the Philippines or Vietnam.
Remote hiring is the smart move. Companies save 60% on salary costs. They access a wider talent pool. And time zones in Southeast Asia overlap well with each other.
Key Trends in Southeast Asia AI Fintech (2024-2026)
- AI credit scoring is replacing traditional credit checks. Over 300 million adults in Southeast Asia have no credit history. AI models use phone data, transaction patterns, and social signals to score them.
- Fraud detection is now real-time. Companies like Xendit and GoPay process millions of transactions daily. AI catches fraud in milliseconds.
- Chatbots are handling customer service. MoMo and GCash use AI chatbots for 70%+ of customer inquiries. This cuts support costs by half.
- Embedded finance is growing. Companies like Brankas and Fazz let any app add banking features through APIs. AI powers the risk and compliance layer.
- Regulation is catching up. Central banks in Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines now have AI governance frameworks. Companies need compliance engineers who understand both AI and financial regulation.
How Asiatal Connects You to AI Fintech Talent
We are a talent marketplace for Southeast Asia. We connect global companies with dedicated engineers, marketers, and designers from the region.
Our talent is not freelancers. They are full-time, dedicated team members. They work on your projects exclusively. They join your standups, use your tools, and follow your processes.
Here is what makes us different for fintech hiring.
- AI-ready talent. Our engineers are trained in Copilot, Cursor, ChatGPT, and other AI tools. They produce 5x output with AI-augmented workflows.
- 5-stage vetting process. We test technical skills, English communication, work culture fit, AI tool proficiency, and domain knowledge.
- Fast delivery. You get shortlisted candidates in 5 business days. See how it works.
- Affordable pricing. Full-time hires start at $2,499/month. Part-time at $1,499/month. Flat-fee placements at $3,999.
- Free replacement guarantee. If the hire does not work out, we replace them at no cost.
We have placed engineers at fintech startups across the Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. One client built their entire data science team through us. Three engineers, all placed within 3 weeks.
The Bottom Line
Southeast Asia is home to 20+ major AI fintech startups. They have raised over $10 billion in funding. They are growing fast. And they are all hiring.
This growth means opportunity. For engineers in Southeast Asia, these companies offer top salaries and exciting work. For global companies, this region offers world-class AI talent at affordable rates.
The demand for ML engineers, data scientists, and backend engineers is at an all-time high. Companies that hire remotely from Southeast Asia save 60% while getting access to the same talent pool that powers GCash, Xendit, and Grab Financial.
Hire vetted, AI-ready engineers, marketers, and designers through Asiatal. Tell us what you need. Get shortlisted candidates in 5 business days.
