20+ years building high-growth digital businesses across Southeast Asia, India and Africa — as operator, investor and ecosystem architect.
"SG's next decade will be about scale, liquidity and leadership, with a new playbook to take companies from 10x to 100x. We'll need to reskill our workforce for an AI-first world and back founders who can build global champions from a small domestic base."
Varun Mittal · Singapore Fintech Festival 2025
From first marketing hire at helloPay — scaled to 20M users and acquired by Ant Financial — to leading digital innovation at Singlife and now driving commercial growth at Keenai Global. Every role at the intersection of technology, finance and market-building.
Communities, networks and non-profits Varun has helped build or actively contributes to across fintech, venture and student leadership circles.
Two decades of fintech influencer rankings, industry awards and judging roles — from EY's Accelerating Entrepreneur programme to the Singapore Fintech Festival.
Conference keynotes, fireside chats and panel moderations on fintech, digital banking and venture ecosystems — from Singapore to Shanghai to San Francisco.
Nine essays on FinTech ecosystems, investment landscapes and digital banking across Southeast Asia, published on Medium between 2018 and 2020. Click any piece to read it here.
A deep dive into ASEAN and Malaysia’s macroeconomic backdrop, financial sector trends and the FinTech investors, accelerators and regulations shaping the market.
A comprehensive look at Indonesia’s FinTech ecosystem — macroeconomic backdrop, financial sector trends, regulatory developments and the investors backing the market.
What is the preferred method for FinTechs to raise money? How much capital do FinTechs hope to raise? Answers from EY’s inaugural ASEAN FinTech Census report 2018.
Such an interoperable system in Southeast Asia will increase efficiency and minimize the cost of cross-border payments for consumers and businesses.
As FinTech startups gain prominence and are starting to make a bigger impact on consumers, financial institutions and economies grow more interconnected within this complex ecosystem.
The 10th of 12 primers on current affairs issues that are part of the outreach programme for The Straits Times-Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz.
On MAS’ Fairness Metrics for AI and Data Analytics, and what the blurring lines between financial institutions and FinTechs mean for underserved customers across Singapore and Southeast Asia.
From payment startups in developing nations to wealth FinTechs in wealthier ones — the five pillars crucial to any FinTech ecosystem, and the global hubs getting it right.
On the customer groups most likely to benefit from Singapore’s new digital banking licenses, and why non-financial players hold an edge over incumbents in the ramp-up phase.
Varun Mittal is a Singapore-based fintech leader, investor and ecosystem builder with 20+ years building high-growth digital businesses across Southeast Asia, India and Africa. He is Country Head Singapore at Keenai Global, Founder of Fintech Nation, Principal of Boleh Capital, and Co-Founder of the Singapore FinTech Association.
Varun Mittal is Country Head Singapore at Keenai Global, a wealthtech platform built in partnership with Lighthouse Canton. He drives commercial growth, distribution strategy and market expansion across Singapore.
Fintech Nation is Singapore's independent fintech ecosystem and industry education platform, founded by Varun Mittal. It runs Fintech65 and Superhumans of Fintech, and created the Singanomics™ policy framework for Singapore's digital economy.
Boleh Capital is Varun Mittal's closed, proprietary family office, managing personal capital across 40+ direct holdings in fintech and digital commerce, with eight exits across three continents.
Varun Mittal has twice been named one of Singapore's Top 10 FinTech Leaders by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), in 2019 and 2021. He is a two-time bestselling author on Singapore's fintech evolution and a trusted advisor to regulators, policymakers and financial institutions across ASEAN.
Varun Mittal was the first marketing hire at helloPay (Ant Financial), which he helped scale to 20 million users. He later served as an Ernst & Young Partner and Global Emerging Markets FinTech Leader covering 130 countries, before moving into digital innovation leadership at Singlife.
Founder, ecosystem partner, investor or journalist — reach out directly.