How Asean Financial Innovation Network can help banks play catch-up

The managing director will share how to speed up digitisation through the APIX platform.

Manish Diwaan, managing director of ASEAN Financial Innovation Network, is responsible for developing and implementing the overall strategy of the industry fintech sandbox.

With years of experience in the financial services industry in India and Vietnam, Manish has worked with GE and Western Union and set up the India business of Vodafone mPesa and Reliance ePay. He was also instrumental in building a digital-only bank in Vietnam.

Manish focuses on different aspects of new age digital business, including product management, strategy, marketing and business development.

He completed the Executive Program in Management from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay and holds a BA degree from the International Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad.

Manish had a quick chat with Asian Banking & Finance, as he discussed the most recent trends in banking, with a slight overview of what APIX brings to financial institutions and fintechs.

What were the previous experiences and positions you’ve held that contributed to who you are as a banker or expert today?
I have been working in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years now and specifically in the digital domain since 2008. I have had the good fortune of being part of three digital businesses from day zero across India and Vietnam. I think these experiences have helped me not just learn and improve my own self but also helped me contribute to the society which is a privilege. Now with APIX, I have an opportunity to work with an amazing set of people and organisations who have come together with a common goal of speeding up digitisation and bringing about real change.

What would you say are the best practices and digital strategies deployed by the region's digitally dominant banks? Where does open banking fit in this agenda and how should banks capture the opportunities from this growing ecosystem?
South Asia is all about diversity which is a big opportunity and a challenge as well. Some banks have led from the front and have seen results, whilst there is another large group of financial institutions who are still catching up. APIX is about helping such institutions and fintechs from around the world to come together and make amazing new products and do more POCs without having to worry about high costs and long timelines etc. Open banking is the big opportunity and the need for the hour, and financial institutions in the region should understand the value that co-creation brings and see examples around them and make an informed decision.

Can you give us a glimpse of what you will share at the ABF Digital & Open Banking Conference 2019?
I am going to focus on the value APIX brings to financial institutions and fintechs in the region and how we can help speed up the digitisation process at all the hundreds of organisations that have the willingness to move but have held back due to multiple factors, including cost, effort, etc.

The ABF Digital & Open Banking Conference 2019 will take place on 22 October in Singapore. To learn more about the event, click here. To register, click here. For inquiries, you may contact [email protected] or at +65 3158 1386 ext 212