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Regulatory Ramblings: Episode 40 – Super Apps, FemTech and Financial Resilience with Neha Mehta

Neha Mehta is a member of the Department of Mathematics at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She also teaches in that institution’s Master of Science program in FinTech.

Her work with SG Women in Tech demonstrates her interests in financial inclusion, using FinTech to achieve it, climate sustainability, innovating for a blue economy and greener future, and encouraging more women to enter the tech industry.

Neha is also a FinTech lawyer, former diplomat, and social entrepreneur. She authorized a new book called “One Stop” on Super Apps.

As she points out, new software applications are churned daily to respond to people’s needs. “Super Apps,” she says, allow users to access several services from one application. Super Apps like Grab and WeChat are gaining popularity, and tech giants and FinTechs want to stake their claim in this digital revolution. In “One Stop,” Neha traces the history of Super Apps. She analyses the cultural differences in their adoption and popularity—and, in some cases, the lack thereof—in the East versus the West. Through stories of well-known Super Apps and in-depth interviews with central banks, entrepreneurs, and FinTech industry experts, Neha’s book illustrates how the Super App revolution disrupts, innovates, and creates opportunities.

With the COVID-19 pandemic as a background highlighting the need to move to digital platforms, “One Stop” also examines how Super Apps can potentially create an inclusive and sustainable world for all in an increasingly digital future.

With that as a launching pad, Neha shares with Regulatory Ramblings host Ajay Shamdasani about her upbringing in Bangalore, how she first became interested in matters of financial inclusion, climate sustainability, the green economy, and women in tech, and what she sees as the interconnections between them—namely, economic growth and good stewardship of the planet.

The discussion also delves into creating talent pools in the tech entrepreneur and/or corporate realms to see more women at the decision-making table in boardrooms. A key part of the equation, Neha says, is getting more females enrolled in STEM subjects earlier in life. In that vein, she stresses the need for policy frameworks incentivizing parents of young girls to send them to schools focused on how they can be software engineers or enter the emergent fields of artificial intelligence or data management.

She draws on her experiences to share her views about Singapore’s tech ecosystem and entrepreneurial environment. In 2019, Neha set up FemTech Partners to represent women in tech, especially in the fintech space. The focus was on how to make them financially resilient and receive the pro bono mentorship they need.

The conversation includes Neha’s thoughts on being a member of the NTU math faculty and a summary of her book’s key conclusions, observations, and policy recommendations.

Podcast Discussion:

03:27 – Unveiling the Super App Revolution: From Cultural Shifts to Financial Inclusion
10:14 – Journey from India to Singapore: Navigating Discrimination, Legal Empowerment, and Financial Inclusion
14:32 – Adapting to Tech Evolution and Embracing Change
31:36 – Striving for a Level Playing Field: Empowering Women in STEM and Entrepreneurship
43:12 – What do you celebrate on International Women’s Day?
45:41 – Singapore’s Success Recipe: Infrastructure, Talent, Capital, and Ecosystem Synergy
53:07 – Empowering Through Education: Fintech’s Role in Learning, Teaching, and Financial Inclusion
55:03 – Empowering Foreign Domestic Workers: Fintech Solutions for Financial Inclusion in Unbanked Communities
58:23 – Super Apps and Financial Resilience: Navigating Data Privacy, Consumer Protection, and Cybersecurity
1:03:29 – Lessons for Young Professionals on Career Flexibility and Resilience

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