Sharmila Ganapathy

My Work

KrASIA •

What angel investors look for in the SEA market, according to industry insider Jiaway Koh

Angel investors are sometimes perceived as a reclusive and mysterious bunch, however, in recent years, many entrepreneurs have come forward to invest as angels in startups, particularly early-stage startups. Organizations such as the Business Angel Network of Southeast Asia (BANSEA) have raised the profile of the angel investor community in Southeast Asia and as such, helped young startups get access to precious capital.
KrASIA recently spoke with BANSEA’s associate director Jiaway Koh, to know...
KrASIA •

This non-profit is helping fintech firms and financial institutions work together

Fintech players and financial institutions don’t play well together. Startups want to innovate, while big banks want to minimize risk and disruption.
To bring these two sides together and accelerate the development in the financial service industry is the mission behind the ASEAN Financial Innovation Network (AFIN), a non-profit organization established in 2018 by the ASEAN Bankers Association, International Finance Corporation, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
KrASIA spoke with Manish D...
KrASIA •

Startup founders in Malaysia need to learn from others around the region

The reality for Malaysian startups is that the domestic market is too small. Therefore, local startups need to look outside the country to take their business forward, according to ecosystem builders.
“For aspiring founders in Malaysia, they need to try and learn as much as possible from friends around the region. If not, it can be hard to think out of the box,” said Jeffrey Paine, managing partner at Golden Gate Ventures, to an audience of investors and startups on Wednesday at the BaseConferen...
KrASIA •

Fintech companies ask regulators for more openness to develop the SEA market

The challenge facing many fintech players is that the regulators they deal with are not open enough, thus hindering their growth and expansion plans. This was one of the conclusions drawn by major fintech companies’ representatives at the panel “Islamic finance in the digital era” during the SCxSC Fintech Conference 2019.
The conference, which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 22nd to 23rd October, is an annual Fintech event organized by the Securities Commission Malaysia. It reunited mor...
Digital News Asia •

Bringing the nation up to speed

“YOUR pride for your country should not come after your country becomes great; your country becomes great because of your pride in it.”
― Idowu Koyenikan
For a nation to progress, it needs the pride and faith of its people. People accrue faith when they can uplift their lives and one way to do that is to have access to the resources they need.
A precious resource that many Malaysians have yet to have access to is broadband Internet and the Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh D...
Digital News Asia •

Should Axiata stay or leave?

THE now-defunct British rock group The Clash has a famous song from its 1982 album Combat Rock titled ‘Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?’ that oddly reminds me of the dilemma faced by foreign telco players in the pressure cooker-like Indian telco environment.
Specifically, this part of the song brings to mind the players who have suffered and those who continue to suffer somewhat in India:
Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I...
Digital News Asia •

Fintech startups no threat to HSBC

IT IS a common perception that fintech startups are a threat to banks and other financial institutions, simply because the former are more innovative and aggressive when it comes to implementing their technologies and solutions.
Global banking group HSBC however, does not view fintech startups as a threat. HSBC’s Asia Pacific head of digital product management and digital customer experience Tamara Van Den Ban (pic) certainly doesn’t think so.
When asked how the banking group views the prolifera...
Digital News Asia •

Malaysia’s data centre blues: A spanner in the nation’s dreams (Part 2)

IN OUR previous article, we discussed the problems that have been affecting the growth and progress of the nation’s regional data centre ambitions.
Today, we take a look at how the local industry has progressed and the issues it faces as Digital News Asia continues its discussion with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)’s head, data cloud, digital enablement, Tan Tze Meng.
Tan shares his insights on the local data centre industry and the direction it will likely take.
Hiccups with the In...
Digital News Asia •

Malaysia's data centre blues: A dream that’s tough to realise (Part 1)

FOR some years now, Malaysia has had its heart set on becoming a regional data centre hub. Singapore is its closest competitor and the island nation has been rather aggressive in promoting itself as a regional data centre hub.
Does Malaysia still stand a chance? Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), tasked with driving the country’s data centre ambitions, thinks so. However, the path is fraught with many challenges and obstacles, as Digital News Asia discovered during a recent interview w...
KINIBIZ •

Telco: Tepid outlook for Malaysian players?

By G. SharmilaAnalysts say Malaysian telcos have been the worst performers in the Asean region year-to-date, yet their valuations remain the highest in this region. Is the sector still compelling enough for investors?
Sector background: The year so far has not been the best for the Malaysian telecommunications sector, with CIMB Research noting in July 31 report that the sector was the worst performing year-to-date (YTD). All four telcos under its coverage (DiGi.Com Bhd, Maxis Bhd, Axiata Group B...
KINIBIZ •

The problem with unit trusts

By G. Sharmila
In this three-part series of articles, KiniBiz investigates the world of unit trusts. In the first article, we look at what exactly are unit trusts and how they operate to get to the heart of the problem — their high costs. We then compare the domestic unit trust industry fees with that of Singapore, Thailand and developed countries like the United States. We also look at the liberalisation of the industry and what it means for investors. Finally we look at options that would help...