Chin Yau Seng is the Chief Executive Officer of SIA Engineering Company (SIAEC). He joined SIAEC as Chief Executive Officer-Designate in June of 2023 before taking over as the Chief Executive Officer in October 2023. 

In our conversation with Mr. Chin, we explored how the company is future-proofing its business through strategic capability building. As the aviation industry continues to evolve, SIAEC is expanding its technical capabilities, investing in workforce development and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. By aligning internal culture with long-term growth ambitions and embracing innovation, SIAEC is positioning itself to stay resilient, relevant and competitive in a fast-changing global landscape. 

How would you define growth in your organization? 

Mr. Chin: As an MRO, we provide airlines with maintenance, repair and overhaul services. To succeed, our business must adapt to the evolving commercial aviation space across the globe and, especially over the past few years, be nimble enough to navigate emerging supply chain issues. For us at SIAEC, growth means expanding our capabilities to stay relevant and scaling up to remain competitive. In pursuing growth, we not only invest in technical capabilities and infrastructure but also aim to add value to our ventures through our “software”—that is, our people, our processes and our uncompromising focus on quality and safety. 

Aircraft and engine technologies will continue to evolve, driven by high fuel prices and sustainability considerations among other factors. By constantly looking for opportunities to expand our capabilities vis-à-vis new generation platforms (i.e. new generation aircraft and engines, as well as their components), we are able to create new growth opportunities for our business and in the process, help to future-proof it. At the same time, we do not ignore opportunities to grow the business volume associated with older platforms, as aircraft and engine types typically have long lifetimes. 

Investing in our people and ensuring that they have the skills and tools to effectively leverage new technologies, including AI, are also essential to achieving sustainable growth.  

Could you tell me more about investing in people and why it’s important? 

Mr. Chin: Some companies would think about growth mainly in terms of expansion of the customer base, revenue and income streams. While those are fundamental components, we should also not ignore the need to grow our capabilities and develop our people. How our people see their roles, and how they approach work and business in general, are critical factors in determining the health of the organization and success of the business. 

Besides supporting and encouraging them to embrace digital solutions to derive deeper insights from data, it is also important that we nurture a culture of learning, collaboration and innovation, and even entrepreneurship, and allow it to flourish within the organization. 

In one of our initiatives, we are partnering with Prophet to develop and implement a Continuous Improvement (CI) Culture program to energize and unite our employees towards our shared CI goals, as well as to unlock their full potential, imbue a “test and learn” mindset, and bring the right CI behaviors, habits and actions to life at SIAEC. In our business, if we do not invest in our people, we will be left behind. 

Navigating through complexity, how do you address disruption? 

Mr. Chin: With the demand for our services broadly linked to the performance of the aviation sector, we are already naturally exposed to economic and geopolitical risks, among other things. Many of these macro risks are beyond our control, but we should not be caught unprepared when faced with disruptions. We must look at what we can control and assess how we can apply levers to make us more resilient in the face of the various risks. 

For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains, prompting us to be more agile and adaptable. Post-pandemic, the supply chains for various aircraft components have also been disrupted, and if we do not adapt well to such disruptions, the business impact can be significant. For example, without agile planning and supply chain management, the absence of certain aircraft  parts, that are used during the maintenance visit of an aircraft, can significantly lengthen the aircraft’s stay in the hangar, resulting in opportunity cost, sub-optimal manpower deployment and customer dissatisfaction. To further improve our control over such situations, we are now in the midst of rolling out a new Enterprise Operating System (EOS) that enhances flexibility, data leverage and process efficiency.   

We are also diversifying geographically beyond the Singapore shores and expanding our portfolio of capabilities to reduce over-dependence on specific aircraft or engine platforms. 

On the people front, we are promoting collaboration and a “test and learn” mindset, where we encourage and empower our staff to take  initiative, find effective solutions or improvements in their daily work, and continuously look for opportunities to learn and grow. This is part of our effort to build an agile workforce that can adapt to new challenges and seek opportunities for our business amid changes in the landscape. 

Other than external disruptions, how do you adapt your growth strategy to increasingly demanding customers? 

Mr. Chin: Despite global headwinds, aviation remains on an upward trajectory. A growing middle class continues to fuel travel demand, making Line Maintenance¹ a key growth area. Beyond Southeast Asia, we see long-term growth potential for line maintenance services in markets such as China and India, and even mature aviation markets like the U.S. and Japan due to a high concentration of aircraft flights. 

We are actively diversifying our investments geographically to expand our business scope and customer base. In our Base Maintenance² business, for example, we are working on operationalizing two large aircraft hangars in Malaysia and are actively growing our customer base at our hangars in Clark in the Philippines. 

As previously mentioned, we are also growing new capabilities vis-à-vis new generation platforms. For us, embracing new technologies and innovations is a no-regrets move that serves the needs of both our customers and ourselves. Another avenue of growth we are pursuing is inorganic growth through acquisitions and forming greenfield Joint Ventures (JVs) with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), along with other partners, to introduce new capabilities and/or MRO capacity, allowing us to better meet evolving customer requirements and maintain a competitive edge.  

We are expanding engine MRO capacity and capabilities through our JVs with Rolls-Royce and Pratt & Whitney while cross-selling to deepen customer relationships and broaden our network. This drives both breadth and depth in our service offerings, helping us to continue to offer value and remain relevant to our customers. 

Across these growth levers, how do you see AI as part of your strategy today at SIAEC? Do you foresee a progression in AI usage and adoption? 

Mr. Chin: AI is an evolving space for us, particularly Generative AI. It’s a natural next step in enhancing operational efficiency and customer experience. But success requires structure. We need a disciplined approach to AI integration and an upskilled workforce that is ready to adapt. Ultimately, it’s about evolving our capabilities and tailoring them to meet business challenges and serve our customers better.  

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He has also held positions as the Chief Executive SilkAir and Tiger Airways Holdings. Prior to his move to SIA Cargo, he held the position of Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing in SIA. 

Mr. Chin has a Bachelor of Science (Economics) in Accounting & Finance and a Master of Science (Distinction) in Operational Research, both from the London School of Economics & Political Science, University of London, UK. 

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Glossary

¹ Line Maintenance’s work primarily involves regular inspections, repairs, and maintenance of aircraft, including aircraft washing and cabin cleaning while they are on the ground and between flights, as well as technical ramp handling including pushback, towing, and ground support equipment. SIAEC Line Maintenance has a global footprint of over 30 airports, including Singapore. 

² Base Maintenance’s work refers to the comprehensive maintenance work carried out on aircraft which requires more extensive repairs and overhauls than those performed by Line Maintenance. This includes detailed inspections, repairs, modifications, and refurbishment of aircraft structures and components. This occurs at SIAEC’s maintenance hangars – 6 hangars in Singapore, 3 in Philippines, and 2 to be completed in Malaysia. 

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Hybrid work was supposed to be the future, but now with economic headwinds and continuing uncertainties, existing employee experience strategies are crumbling, even in Asia. Despite robust economic growth, concerns persist over potential slowdowns in major Asian markets, such as China and Japan, and their cascading effects on regional trade, investment and talent mobility. Companies are walking on a monetary tightrope due to rising interest rates and global inflation. This has prompted companies to reevaluate their talent needs and prioritize adaptability and digital skills. Additionally, stressors like rising living costs and geopolitical instability have caused a high mental health risk for employees in Asia. 

The Imperative of Fostering an Employee-Centric Strategy 

In Asia’s complex business landscape, adopting an employee-centric strategy is a crucial imperative for organizations seeking uncommon growth. 

Staying Competitive in a Tight Labor Market 

In the competitive labor market in Asia, the war for talent will rage stronger than ever. The 2023 Hays Asia Salary Guide revealed talent and skill shortages as the foremost challenges confronting employers across Asia, driving a shift towards skills-based talent acquisition as a pivotal strategy for thriving in this fiercely competitive landscape.  

Addressing Specific Employee Needs in Asia 

Despite experiencing increased productivity during the remote work era, the modern Asian workforce faces a multitude of challenges, including burnout, cultural disconnection, and diminishing job satisfaction. This is evidenced by a PwC report revealing that only 57% of respondents in Asia are satisfied with their current jobs. 

Prioritizing flexibility and work-life balance remains crucial, alongside the need for proficiency in regional languages and a deep understanding of cultural and regulatory landscapes. Encompassing nearly 50 countries each with its own distinct cultural and linguistic tapestry, many roles in Asia are inherently regional which means there is a higher demand for businesses to foster agility and cultural intelligence.  Employees find themselves at a crossroads, balancing demands from both Asian and Western headquarters. The ability to comprehend and align with the priorities and expectations of each, while advocating for the unique needs of Asian markets, becomes a critical skill. Moreover, fostering positive cross-cultural collaboration is not merely an option but a necessity for organizations to thrive in the intricate Asia business ecosystem. 

Creating Employee-Centric Offerings 

As business optimism confronts talent challenges in Asia, organizations must prioritize employee-centric strategies, emphasizing cultural awareness, flexibility and work-life balance. By addressing the intricacies of the Asia talent landscape, businesses can attract, retain, and engage with the right talent, ultimately driving long-term and sustainable business growth. 

The New Equation: Flexibility + Connection = Wellbeing 

Prophet’s research highlights flexibility and connection as the main levers for achieving holistic employee well-being. This means adapting to diverse needs and fostering meaningful connections aligned with the company’s mission. The dynamic synergy forms a reciprocal relationship: as businesses prioritize well-being, individuals become dedicated stewards, fostering a harmonious cycle of mutual care and organizational success. 

1. Highlighting Flexibility Through Cultural Transformation 

Mercer’s Global Talent Trends (GTT) Study 2023 reveals that only half of Asia-based employers currently offer flexible work options for all employees, trailing behind the global average of 56%. In fact, a substantial 68% of APAC workers expect their companies to offer hybrid work arrangements in the next year. Hence it is crucial for companies in Asia to create a sense of openness and flexibility in the workforce environment that caters to employees’ emotional needs and changing expectations.  

Cultural transformation programs are an effective avenue to cultivate meaningful experiences and internal trust among employees. A key step to bridge the gap between employee expectations and company commitments is by defining a clear and compelling Employee Value Proposition (EVP). 

For example, Singapore’s UOB (United Overseas Bank) has crafted an EVP centered around care, growth, and trust, actively prioritizing employee well-being. The leadership at UOB aims to strike a harmonious balance between purpose and equilibrium, ensuring employee motivation while allowing ample time for personal pursuits. Notably, their implementation of a two-day remote work arrangement in 2022 resulted in increased employee morale and loyalty without any adverse effects on productivity.  

 Coming out of the pandemic, an Asian luxury travel retailer saw the need to revamp their EVP in 2023. This initiative aimed to boost employee engagement, reignite culture and establish a more powerful employer brand to attract and retain top talent. To achieve these goals, they focused on creating a unified message that clearly defined the company’s values and emphasized the opportunities for growth, learning and exploration that aligned with both the employees’ purpose and the overall brand strategy. 

With a well-defined EVP, businesses can then implement effective internal communication and culture programs to create meaningful and engaging experiences. Many companies in Asia are actively undertaking culture transformation initiatives to enhance employee experience. 

2. Deepening Connection Through Collaboration 

In hybrid and digital workplaces, employees are increasingly seeking meaningful connections, not just with their peers, but also with the leadership. In addition to creating interesting and engaging employee experiences, businesses must also recognize the pivotal role of collaboration in enhancing connections. Deepened collaboration not only enables employees to forge stronger bonds, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose but also cultivates a profound connection to the core values and mission of their company. This, in turn, leads to a collective commitment to overarching goals, enhancing workplace camaraderie. 

Prophet’s research, The Collaborative Advantage, not only sheds light on Southeast Asian companies’ heightened appreciation for collaboration but also reveals a noticeable lag in execution compared to their counterparts in other regions. The report introduces the Collaboration Flywheel, a comprehensive framework guiding leaders in prioritizing and expediting efforts to strengthen collaborative capabilities. Key tenets of this framework include: 

• Coordination: Illustrate the linkage between an employee’s individual effort and the organization’s purpose. Guide individuals by showcasing “what good looks like” and granting decision-making authority to lower levels, leveraging digital transformation as an enabler. 
• Cooperation: Align incentives across the organization, balancing differing definitions of what a “good” incentive is. Consider cultural differences when creating incentives and foster a shared mindset that collectively achieves unified goals. 
• Collaboration: Focus on the process, not just outcomes, to make room for more agile thinking, allowing synergies and interdependencies to form. Empower employees through a bottom-up, test-and-learn approach, encouraging them to challenge the status quo and implement new, fresh ways of thinking. 

Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) provides an excellent case study. GovTech embraces a flat organizational structure that grants partial autonomy to its sub-divisions. This structure enhances agility in market response and allows robust collaboration among its divisions. When recruiting new talent, GovTech prioritizes individuals with strong learning agility, ensuring that its workforce remains adaptable and forward-thinking. This internal culture of collaboration enables it to remain competitive among other tech players. As a result, in 2022, 99% of citizens surveyed expressed satisfaction with Singapore’s government digital services. Moreover, GovTech ranked third place in Singapore’s Best Workplaces in Technology List in 2023. 

Additionally, representation and diversity are becoming a pivotal piece in strengthening connections within an organization. According to the EY Asia-Pacific Belonging Barometer 2022, employees’ sense of belonging is enhanced from 22% to 70% when they perceive diversity and strong leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. In the dynamic Asian talent market, where individuals are increasingly prioritizing DEI considerations, companies risk losing valuable employees if they fail to invest in creating an inclusive workplace. It is essential for organizations to articulate DEI mission statements and define how these principles align with their core values.  

For example, Microsoft Asia Pacific has demonstrated a commitment to DEI through initiatives like the “Code; Without Barriers” program which certifies women in AI across the region, pushing the company further to continue their mission of empowering Asia Pacific’s digital ambition. Similarly, Ørsted Taiwan exemplifies an award-winning approach to DEI by embedding it in their business strategy, with a goal to achieve a gender ratio of 6:4 by 2030. Right now, over half of the Asia Pacific senior management team comprises females. Moreover, Ørsted Taiwan fosters strong connections through initiatives like utilizing the “Insights Discovery” psychometric tool and implementing “GenderIN” sessions to encourage discussions and guide policymaking, contributing to a high level of employee satisfaction. 

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Financial services companies are at a crossroads, facing an unprecedented risk of relinquishing their dominance. The unique financial services landscape in Southeast Asia (SEA) has paved the way for disruptive fintech companies to emerge as agile and visionary players, causing significant disruptions in the sector. To stay ahead of the game, traditional and international banks must enhance their innovation capabilities and embrace a progressive mindset as business models have changed and more disruptive fintech companies establish themselves in the industry.  

The Unique Financial Services Market in Southeast Asia  

One of SEA’s unique characteristics lies in its strong demand for convenient and accessible financial services, driven by a relatively large underbanked population. The Global Fintech Report estimates that over 70% of the Southeast Asian population remains unbanked or underbanked, with Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia having the highest combined rates. Coupled with a large population of young and digitally savvy consumers, SEA’s digital economy has enormous growth potential. It is also worth noting that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are huge driving forces of the SEA economy but most of them face difficulty in securing bank loans as they are unable to meet the eligibility criteria.  

Moreover, the regulatory environment in SEA has made the region a fertile ground for fintech innovation. Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia are now dominant players in the regional fintech scene, establishing a supportive regulatory environment that has driven the rise of virtual banks and encourages innovation and collaboration between fintech startups and traditional financial institutions. 

The uneven financial services landscape in SEA has given birth to virtual banks and led digital native startups to venture into developing accessible and inclusive financial solutions for underserved populations in the region. With a strong culture of innovation, fintech companies and neo-banks in the region have been able to reach the underserved micro-segments that incumbent banks were unable to fulfill. 

A Dynamic Landscape of Fintech Disruptors 

Among the disruptors, Chinese powerhouses Ant Financial and Tencent have emerged as formidable players, shaking up the local financial services scene by introducing e-payment solutions for tourists and partnering with local players. For instance, Ant Financial has invested in Ascend Money in Thailand, and Mynt in the Philippines, while WeChat Pay partnered with PT Bank CIMB Niaga Tbk to enter the Indonesian market. These disruptive business models in China have influenced SEA markets to accelerate innovation. Agile players like Singapore’s Grab and Indonesia’s Gojek have since expanded into the financial products, digital payment and e-wallet ecosystem. Each country has witnessed the rise of strong fintech players providing e-wallet services – Momo in Vietnam, PayMongo in the Philippines, Boost in Malaysia, GoPay and OVO in Indonesia, and GrabPay in Singapore. Not to be outdone, telecommunication companies are now diving headfirst into the fintech realm, forging strategic partnerships to expand their offerings far beyond their traditional core services. 

Furthermore, we are seeing increasing collaboration between incumbent banks and fintech companies in the region. For example, Siam Commercial Bank’s fintech subsidiary, SCBX, has announced its readiness to apply for a virtual banking license in partnership with South Korea’s largest digital bank, KakaoBank. By offering digital banking services in Thailand, SCBX aims to enhance competition and address the challenges faced by underserved individuals in the country. Similar collaborations have occurred in Singapore and Malaysia, where joint ventures between super apps like Grab and telco brands like SingTel have given rise to virtual digital banks. Notably, AirAsia’s fintech unit BigPay and Malaysian telco giant Axiata have also partnered with lender RHB Group to drive innovation in the financial services sector. 

As such, the ongoing fintech revolution in SEA is transforming the way financial services are provided and consumed, bringing financial inclusion and innovation to the forefront.  

Rising Challenge for Traditional Banks 

With dynamic fintech companies being laser-focused on addressing the needs of underserved segments, fintech’s impact in SEA is undeniable, pressurizing incumbent banks to innovate and transform.  

Several traditional banks have demonstrated a strong capacity to withstand fintech incursions and even turn the tide in their favor. An example is MB Bank, one of the largest financial groups in Vietnam that embarked on a digital transformation journey in partnership with Prophet. Through a customer-centric digital transformation and a new innovative growth hack business model, MB Bank successfully reimagined its business, products and experiences, acquiring some 20 million new customers in just 3 years with its new tech-like banking platform unlike any in the region. Gaining leadership as the No.1 digital bank and recognized as the most valuable brand in Vietnam by Brand Finance, MB Bank is now proudly listed as one of The Forbes Global 2000 list of the world’s largest firms.  

​​​MB Bank’s remarkable disruption of legacy banking and admirable achievements serve as an inspiration for other traditional financial institutions seeking continued success in the digital era. 

Leveraging the Innovation Maturity Model for Traditional Financial Services 

To help financial services companies rethink and review their innovation strategies, Prophet’s financial services experts developed the Innovation Maturity Model to offer a definitive roadmap for organizations to outperform disruptive fintech firms. The model provides a systematic blueprint, with a focus on essential pillars such as strategy, organization, insights, culture, and education, to ensure effective performance. By leveraging these pillars, organizations can make well-informed strategic decisions and cultivate a culture driven by innovation, empowering them to seize growth opportunities. 

Importantly, traditional financial services companies must foster a culture of disciplined and rigorous innovation to gain an edge over the pervasive threat posed by fintech disruptors. The five pillars of the Innovation Maturity Model offer guidance and ammunition. By adopting this model, companies are able to inspect five dimensions of the business that are critical to enabling innovation. 

1. Strategy and Vision 

The key to successful innovations lies in a focused strategy that aligns closely with customer truths and relevance. By developing future-proof solutions rooted in a profound understanding of current and future customer needs, financial services companies can navigate the dynamic industry landscape and remain competitive in the long run. 

Take inspiration from MB Bank, which gained a deep understanding of the pain points faced by Vietnamese consumers when it comes to banking. It had thus defined a clear strategic vision for its transformation to be a customer-centric and digital-first bank of the future, unlocking a series of innovative digital experiences for its young and underbanked audience. 

 
2. Organization and Mechanics 

It is crucial to embed innovation throughout the organization to efficiently deliver cutting-edge products and services. This involves fostering internal collaboration across different functions and tapping on external perspectives and knowledge, including that of fintech companies. 

A notable example is Standard Chartered’s collaboration on Mox (in partnership with HKT, PCCW and Trip.com) and Trust Bank (collaboration with Singapore’s leading retailer Fairprice), which enabled them to leverage the latter’s advanced huge customer base, technological infrastructures and cloud-native features. The consequential improvements in Standard Chartered’s operational efficiency and customer experience highlight the advantages of collaboration even with unexpected partners in the financial sector. 

 
3. Insights and Measurements  

To stay attuned to customer expectations, financial services companies must facilitate the integration of predictive and prescriptive capabilities. By harnessing the power of data analysis and insights, financial services companies can anticipate future needs and make informed decisions.  

MB Bank for example greatly stepped up its data analytics with its enterprise transformation, boosting insights with real-time dashboards across critical customer touchpoints as well as investing in Martech to better understand customers and improve customer experiences.  

It is imperative for financial services companies to consistently monitor the relevance and effectiveness of their initiatives and be receptive to necessary changes. By doing so, they can react faster and sharper to ensure that their innovation and customer experience initiatives remain in sync with customer expectations, resolve pain points and stay ahead of the curve. 

 
4. Culture, Behaviour and Rituals

Fostering an innovative culture is also pivotal to achieving long-term success. Financial organizations must adopt a mindset of perpetual learning and refrain from assuming that past practices alone will be adequate in the future. This is especially so as fintech and Insurtech are two of the fastest growing in SEA where innovation is the bedrock of these disruptors.   

Apart from inculcating an innovation culture with ongoing initiatives, activities like hackathons widely used in tech firms are also effective approaches to fostering innovation as they promote learning, skill development and exposure to novel methodologies and ideas. Hackathons can also serve as powerful recruitment tools. DBS, for instance, strategically leverages programs like Hack2hire to identify and attract highly skilled individuals with expertise in cloud technologies, AI, Big Data, and analytics. By hosting such hackathons, DBS creates opportunities to engage with talented individuals and recruit them into their organization, ensuring a pipeline of top-notch talent in relevant domains. 

MB Bank’s HIVE innovation lab is another notable example where new ideas are incubated, with collaborations with start-ups, and internal growth hacks and product innovations are continuously tested and piloted.  

5. Education and Enablement

Financial services companies must also recognize the importance of education and enablement. Traditional providers should strike a balance between internal and external education, offering training and enablement programs to keep employees updated on emerging trends and agile solution-building.  

Both DBS and MB Bank exemplify dedication to continuous employee development through the establishment of DBS Academy and MB Academy respectively. Through a blend of formal training with communities-based learning, both banks aim to equip their workforce with the necessary tools and digital skills to thrive in dynamic business environments. 

Additionally, establishing strategic partnerships and providing educational content to ecosystem partners empowers them with the latest technological developments. 

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The massive financial services industry (including wealth management, retail banking and insurance) is a powerhouse player in today’s globalized economy. Despite (or perhaps due to) its scale, this sector has traditionally been slow to change, encumbered by legacy businesses, ever-changing regulations and complex business models. However, as the boom in fintech players and investments has shown, incumbents in the business are not immune to disruption.  

Metaverse – The Next Wave of Disruption  

Given the foreseeable growth of the Metaverse economy, digital currency and payments will be key to all transactions. However, amid recent controversies surrounding cryptocurrencies, such as the collapse of FTX, there is a heightened opportunity for financial services providers to build a strong sense of trust and security in the Metaverse with a commitment to strong governance. Both established, traditional companies and newer, digital players would be wise to think proactively about what their presence in the Metaverse can and should be. 

Preliminary forays into the Metaverse by financial services firms have been focused mainly on brand building. In 2022, HSBC, Standard Chartered and DBS all acquired virtual plots of land in The Sandbox, a Metaverse game, with the goal of creating Metaverse experiences and touchpoints to engage with a new generation of customers. Similarly, J.P. Morgan opened a lounge in the virtual world Decentraland earlier this year but has been involved in Web 3.0 since 2020, when the bank launched Onyx, a blockchain-based platform for wholesale payment transactions.​ Meanwhile, new players are pushing in. Cryptocurrency exchange platforms such as Coinbase and Binance have annual exchange volumes in the trillions. Cryptocurrencies themselves are being created by a wide range of decentralized organizations and individuals. 

With these waves of disruption shaking up the sector, financial institutions must consider both the why and the how of their Metaverse strategy. Below, we discuss what financial services brands should consider when building their brand presence, future offerings and new business models. 

Defining the Why: Clarify Business Objectives and Your Audience 

As mentioned, many leading financial services brands have already invested in the Metaverse. But it’s not just about being there; it’s about being there with a purpose. First, a brand must have a clear definition of why they are in the Metaverse. Is the goal to build brand awareness or create brand differentiation? Or is it about engaging with customers, improving loyalty and onboarding a new generation? Or do they want to educate a new generation of investors? Having clarity and alignment throughout all levels of the organization is critical to setting a visionary Metaverse strategy. 

To define the why, brands first need to understand the profile of who is in the Metaverse today, including demographics, attitudes and behaviors. “Metazens” are drawn to the Metaverse for a variety of reasons – from entertainment to self-expression to community to creativity. How can brands enable their customers to achieve these goals in the Metaverse? 

Then, as with any go-to-market strategy, financial services brands should be clear on their target audience within the Metaverse and how they want them to behave and engage with the brand. In Web 2.0, brands cannot be everything for everyone. The same is true in the Web 3.0 world. In turn, a Metaverse strategy should also align with the overall brand strategy and value proposition to ensure that the customer experience across all touchpoints– from offline to mobile to web to Metaverse– is consistent and cohesive. 

Understanding the How: Innovating Business Models to Capture Emerging Opportunities 

Once a brand’s objective on the Metaverse is defined, it must be translated into a feasible business model that can ultimately drive revenue. Unlike the fashion companies that have dominated the early stages of the Metaverse by selling digital apparel for avatars, financial services companies are posed with a more challenging but also potentially more exciting “how” when it comes to monetization in the Metaverse. The blurred physical and virtual realities will create new opportunities when it comes to payments, loans, investments and even new types of financial products not yet in the market today. As the Metaverse is still in its early stages, we’ve only just begun to explore what is possible. 

When considering ways financial services brands can drive revenue, we see two near-term prospects.  

1. The Evolution of Services With Rich Data. 

In Web 2.0, customer data is centralized and comes from the limited customer touchpoints throughout the journey – from website visits to phone calls, from advertisements to purchases. In the Metaverse, customer touchpoints will evolve to become more experiential, multisensorial and multidimensional. Salespeople can interact with customers “face-to-face,” no longer confined by phone lines or chat boxes. Products can be showcased in real-time rather than on a webpage. All these interactions will generate an incredible amount of data points. Financial services organizations, thus, have the opportunity to define and evolve their experience principles on the Metaverse to offer more customized and higher-quality services. However, it is important to note that these data points are also decentralized and anonymous. Collecting data and attributing data to concrete customers will also become more difficult.  

2. The Reimagination of Traditional Revenue Models.

As they do in the current Web 2.0 world, financial institutions have the expertise and resources to provide security, risk mitigation and fraud prevention for Metaverse transactions. They can also offer financing or protection for digital assets just as they do physical ones. Financial services brands can provide loans or insurance for NFTs, virtual real estate and other assets that users in the Metaverse will own. The merging of the online and offline worlds will allow brands to play in both spheres and find the opportunities for crossover.  

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Founded in 2018, ZELF calls itself the first bank of the Metaverse. It started as a messaging-first “neobank,” issuing cards to customers in a matter of minutes, simply by chatting with them via Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber or Telegram. Since then, it’s become the first financial services provider to allow customers to manage their gaming assets, cryptocurrency, digital art and regular (fiat) currency in one place. ZELF simplifies and democratizes access to financial services, facilitating financial transactions in the virtual world of crypto and gaming, enabling NFT trades, and allowing players to trade (or use as collateral) their digital assets earned from gaming for fiat currency.  

Prophet defines the customer-centric framework of business model innovation as one that creates more value for customers while also increasing the amount of value available to be captured by the business.  

Building a Roadmap For the Future 

While the commercial and technological infrastructure of the Metaverse is still be developed, financial services providers need to start innovating their offerings for the future virtual community. In developing a roadmap for the future, financial institutions also need to identify the current knowledge and capability gaps and invest in the appropriate resources to fill them. The multidimensional Metaverse will also require a multidisciplinary effort across organizations.  

As the Metaverse and Web 3.0 continues to evolve, new capabilities, technologies, use cases and business opportunities will continue to emerge. To seize these opportunities, innovation needs to happen across all platforms; thus, financial services brand should be ready with short- and long-term Metaverse activation roadmaps. 

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Rewind 10 years: Smartphones have already hit the market, but their potential is just beginning to be recognized. Now, whenever we need to purchase something on the go, run an errand at the bank, or share an update with our friends and family, we intuitively pick up our phone and complete the task in a matter of minutes or even seconds.  

In the same vein, we will see the Metaverse gradually blend into our lives, providing added convenience, multi-layered connectivity and unprecedented experiences in ways we have yet to discover. Brands need to pave the way for this future. In Web 2.0, brands serve as identities, externalizing purpose, values and personality, while engaging with customers and consumers. In Web 3.0, brands have evolved into entities. The Metaverse enables brands to come alive and interact with consumers in novel, innovative ways.  

To prepare for this uniquely immersive future, brands must start thinking of how to create unique experiences in the infancy of the Metaverse. What test and learn experiments can be launched in the near-term future? First, we must understand what differentiates the Web 3.0 Metaverse from the Web 2.0 we know. 

5 Characteristics of the Web 3.0-Enabled Metaverse

1. User-Owned  

Enabled by blockchain technology, the true Metaverse will be a decentralized platform, where users are given ownership over their data, assets and experiences. Unlike in Web 2.0, where consumer information is constantly being tracked, stored and sold, users will be able to decide how they want to collect and even monetize their own data in the Metaverse.  

In the Sandbox’s Metaverse, for example, players who hold SAND tokens make up the platform’s governance through a DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) where decisions are made by voting. 

2. Anonymous 

 The Metaverse allows users to have the freedom to shape their identities without being limited by their age, race, gender, appearance, citizenship and more – constraints that are unavoidable in the physical world. Instead, users rely on avatars – and can shape them to be any persona they want, choosing physical traits and a pseudonym they desire.  

3. Infinite 

 In the Metaverse, there can be an unlimited number of users as well as interoperable virtual worlds. And these users can move freely, unrestricted by constraints of the physical world such as distance, time and borders.  

For instance, rapper Travis Scott performed a larger-than-life concert in the video game Fortnite. The surreal spectacle was watched by over 12 million players, earning the artist $20 million according to reports. 

4. Boundlessly Immersive 

 With the continued advancement of 3D, VR and AR technologies, the Metaverse will continue to offer more interactivity and a more immersive digital presence for users. It will increasingly become a parallel reality of people’s everyday lives, with virtual and physical experiences reinforcing one another.  

Farzi Café, in India, has partnered with OneRare, a Metaverse built for the food and beverage industry. Users can play games at the Metaverse version of Farzi Café, minting tokens that can be exchanged for actual food items at the restaurant’s physical location. 

5. Persistent 

 The Metaverse is a permanent virtual space (which can be continuously built upon and is constantly evolving) that is independent of whether an individual user is online or offline. The persistence of the Metaverse allows users to share experiences synchronously or asynchronously. 

How Brands Are Building Metaverse Experiences Today and Tomorrow 

When foraying into the Metaverse, brands must take into account these characteristics that are unique to Web 3.0 and build accordingly. Brands that are pushing into the Metaverse understand that reimagining their brand experience and their business model will be key to finding early success. 

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The 2020 pandemic posed a major challenge for countries that rely heavily on tourism revenue. To create a virtual alternative, Singapore’s Sentosa Island partnered with Nintendo Switch’s popular game, Animal Crossing, to offer a unique experience – to explore the island of Sentosa in the Metaverse. Visitors from all parts of the world were also able to purchase unique merchandise and take part in social events and experiences, creating a new revenue source for the island in the absence of traditional tourism spend.  

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Fashion house Ralph Lauren announced that its Q3 2022 revenue increased by 27% to $1.8 billion as it tapped into an all-new market in the Metaverse and a new Gen Z customer base. The brand partnered with gaming platform Roblox to launch the Ralph Lauren Winter Escape experience, which includes winter-themed activities, a Ralph’s Coffee Truck and exclusive digital apparel. On South –Korea-based Zepeto, Ralph Lauren similarly offers clothing to users to dress their avatars, selling more than one hundred thousand units in the first few weeks post-launch. It’s become clear to Ralph Lauren that virtual product sales will grow to become a significant revenue stream for the brand. 

3 Considerations for Business Innovation in the Metaverse 

However, creating one-off brand campaigns on the Metaverse is not enough. Brands must think deeply about their customer journeys of the future. In our conversations with tech leaders and brand owners alike, this recognition is shared by many: “Consumer behavior and the battlefield of brand marketing have changed. Digital natives are the early adopters in the Metaverse. Brands must build their brand, create new experiences and reimagine their products in the virtual world,” said Grace Huang, head of B2B marketing at Yahoo Taiwan. 

In the Metaverse, users can explore virtual worlds that exist in parallel with their lives in the physical world. As technology advances, the lines between these worlds will become increasingly blurred and the transition between them nearly seamless. Brands must consider how the above characteristics will shape the future of brand experiences. We anticipate three major shifts: 

1. Persona 

 The current standards by which our social value system is defined may change. “Metazens” may have professions that don’t yet exist today, possess far more virtual assets than physical ones and restructure the entire social hierarchy. As a start, brands can rethink how they design their products. For instance, apparel in the Metaverse can span a much broader range of sizes, shapes, colors and designs than in the physical world, but items that can be recreated offline as well might have additional appeal.  

2: Behavior 

 A significant amount of time will be spent online, from work to hobbies and from shopping to personal banking. Most activities can and will be completed in the Metaverse in the not-so-faraway future. Brands can consider which interactions with their consumers can be replicated in the Metaverse. Which will disappear entirely? What will emerge that does not yet exist in the physical world? 

3. Business 

 Gaming and entertainment are the initial sectors to have entered the Metaverse, but eventually, every industry will be reimagined and reinvented. Similar to e-commerce’s evolution over the past few decades, the Metaverse has the potential to become a major contributor to the world’s economy. What are near-in and far-out revenue streams that brands may be able to create? 

With this future full of untapped opportunities, what can brands get started on today? 

• Start to get immersed in the Metaverse, as a brand builder but also as a user. Designate Metaverse experts within your team and organization. 
• Ideate on how your industry and intersecting industries will be reshaped by the Metaverse. Look to both in and out of category examples to find opportunities for innovation. 
• Choose one or two ideas to build out, implement and test, leveraging an agile approach to gather immediate feedback from partners and customers. 

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More than ever, collaboration is top of mind as companies ease out of the pandemic and build towards a new normal. The past few years showed us the challenges of collaborating amid changing COVID-19 restrictions and hybrid setups. However, they have also shown us the transformative potential that can be unlocked via technology, agility and a human-centered approach.  

In Southeast Asia in particular, effective collaboration is paramount to unite a diverse set of countries and strive towards a common goal. But this is not without its challenges. The region continues to struggle with heightened competition for talent, fluctuating COVID-19 policies and different development stages of hybrid work in an ever-competitive market landscape. Moreover, collaboration in SEA can be particularly challenging due to a number of characteristics unique to the region: varying cultural and language backgrounds of employees, different levels of economic development across the region, nascent stages of digital transformation and – for international corporations – a wider cultural difference between HQ and regional offices.  

Despite, or perhaps because of these challenges, our 2022 global research report, “Catalysts: The Collaborative Advantage”, shows that SEA companies value collaboration more than other regions (52% versus 44% globally).  

Diagram 1: Value of Cross-Organizational Collaboration 

However, only 28% of SEA respondents feel they are very effective at collaboration across their organization.  

Diagram 2: Effectiveness of Cross-Organizational Collaboration 

How can the region work to close the gap and reap the benefits of strong, cross-organization collaboration?  

The Collaboration Flywheel 

A key output of this year’s “Catalysts” report, Prophet’s annual global culture research study, is the Collaboration Flywheel, a model that reveals a path for leaders and organizations to prioritize and accelerate the efforts to build their collaborative muscle.  

The metaphor of a flywheel helps capture the inherent complexity of the adaptive system that is organizational culture. A flywheel works by reinforcing positive behaviors and outcomes while minimizing negative feedback loops, thus building and maintaining momentum over time. Most importantly, each specific action we’ve identified in the Collaboration Flywheel model helps deliver better, more impactful outcomes more quickly. 

Using this framework, we can understand how SEA can leverage its strengths and unique regional characteristics to drive greater organizational effectiveness.  

Diagram 3: The Collaboration Flywheel 

1. Coordination 

The first phase in the Collaboration Flywheel is Coordination. This is where many organizations begin their development journey by empowering groups to work horizontally rather than just in their vertical silos. Coordination centers on connecting an employee’s effort to the larger picture – the organization’s purpose – and modeling “what good looks like.”  

In our research, when compared to respondents in other regions, SEA respondents were more likely to emphasize the importance of connecting individual work to the organization’s purpose. In SEA, 75% of respondents believe it is important to be able to connect their work to the company’s business strategy, however, only 36% think they are able to effectively contribute to the organization’s purpose.  

Diagram 4: Value versus effectiveness When Connecting Employee Work to Business Strategy 

While many factors can inhibit an individual’s ability to contribute to the organization’s purpose, we see the three biggest factors in the region as top-down management styles, lack of understanding of “what good looks like” and early stages of digitalization. To overcome these hurdles, companies can enable cross-organization coordination by empowering decision-making at lower levels of the organization, showcasing best practices and pushing the digital transformation agenda forward.  

In 2017, MB Bank, one of the largest financial services groups in Vietnam, set up a new digital bank as an independent business unit, separate from its legacy bank. This radical approach to digital transformation helped MB Bank’s speed to market, but it also made coordination between the two BUs challenging. Employees knew the bank’s digital transformation goal, but those in the legacy bank couldn’t always contribute to it.  

MB Bank recognized this disconnect and saw the impact it had on employee coordination and how that translated into the customer experience. By leveraging digital transformation to instill agility and a more nimble way of working across the organization, MB Bank was able to transform its legacy bank, driving the efficiency of its operating model and increasing cross-organization coordination. To further create a culture of collaboration, the company focused on shifting the mindset of its people, encouraging an entrepreneurial and agile approach that embraces risks and a fail-fast new culture. This has propelled MB Bank today to become the fastest growing and most digital bank in Vietnam.  

2. Cooperation 

The next phase is Cooperation, which builds on coordination by adding trust and shared ways of working. It is characterized by clarity of objectives, capability building and incentive alignment. 

Relative to other regions, SEA respondents place more emphasis on aligned incentives as necessary means for collaboration. In our research, 78% believe incentive alignment is important to collaboration effectiveness, and a quarter believe incentive misalignment is also one of the biggest barriers to achieving this goal. 

Diagram 5: Value versus. Effectiveness When Aligning Incentives That Encourage Cross-Organizational Collaboration 

Keeping in mind SEA’s highly diverse workforce, the definition of a good incentive can vary widely.  

For example, companies in more developed countries such as Singapore, tend to consider soft incentives (benefits, training, recognition, etc.). However, companies in developing countries such as Vietnam, often prioritize hard monetary incentives. Beyond cultural differences, unrelated parts of the organization are often incentivized by siloed outcomes and metrics of success, making cooperation difficult. To solve this, companies can enable cross-organization cooperation by aligning incentives with relevant business outcomes that build towards a common goal, while taking cultural nuances into account. 

In 2020, HSBC merged its retail banking, wealth management and global private banking into a new global wealth and personal banking unit. This change in the organizational structure allowed for greater operational efficiency, reducing redundancies and combining related capabilities, talent and infrastructure resources. By breaking down silos and creating a shared mindset around collectively achieving goals, HSBC was able to reduce cooperation barriers to drive more effective client outcomes. 

3. Collaboration 

As cooperation builds interdependence and synergy between formerly independent groups, it creates the opportunity to pilot and embed new ways of working. In the Collaboration stage, leaders reward progress – not just outcomes – and there is a culture of evaluating both process and priorities within the context of the organization’s purpose. 

When compared to other regions, SEA is better at both recognizing and rewarding cross-organization progress. Almost half (41%) of SEA respondents believe their organization is good at recognizing and rewarding progress. However, to enable effective cross-organizational collaboration, organizations need to both recognize progress and be open to constructively challenging the ways things are done.  

Diagram 6: Value versus. Effectiveness When Recognizing and Rewarding Cross-Organizational Progress, Not Just Outcomes 

Many of the companies in the region tend to be more traditional in their approach to workplace organization and culture, emphasizing their top and bottom line over individual wellbeing. This is especially true for small and medium enterprises, which make up 97% of all businesses in the region. This conventional mindset often inhibits individuals from innovating new, more effective ways of working.  

To open the door for innovation, employers can empower employees to think critically about how they can better contribute to the organization’s purpose and be innovative in their ways of working. By allowing a more bottoms-up approach to organizational culture, employers will not only see more effective outcomes in the market but will also make their workplace more attractive to employees. This can be achieved through test-and-learn environments where employees can propose new ways of working and implement integrated planning processes where functions can share wins, risks and priorities. And if the organization is in the midst of a transformation, this is where setting up a Transformation Management Office (TMO) to connect different parts of the organization around a unified set of goals can take place.  

Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) has adopted a flat, tech-like organizational structure that gives semi-autonomy to its sub-groups. This enables the agency to have not only speed to market, but also high levels of collaboration across the groups. In addition, when recruiting, GovTech specifically looks for a sense of learning agility in candidates, ensuring its employees are eager to adapt, pivot and stay ahead of the trends. This internal culture of collaboration helps GovTech stay competitive with other tech startups and incumbents that prospective employees might be considering. The results are astoundingly impactful: In 2021, 99% of citizens surveyed expressed satisfaction with the overall quality of Singapore’s government digital services.  

At Prophet, we believe that people are at the core of any organization. And people working together collaboratively is what drives change, delivers results and sets organizations apart. SEA faces unique challenges: from its uneven regional economic development to its early stages of digital transformation to the diversity in its workforce. However, these present an even more pressing need for organizations in the region to build towards a culture of collaboration. By using Prophet’s Collaboration Flywheel, organizations can work towards:  

• Coordination: Illustrate the linkage between an employee’s individual effort and the organization’s purpose. Guide individuals by showcasing “what good looks like” and giving decision-making authority to lower levels, while leveraging digital transformation as an enabler.
• Cooperation: Align incentives across the organization, balancing differing definitions of what a “good” incentive is. Take these cultural differences into account to create incentives as well as a shared mindset that collectively achieves unified goals.
• Collaboration: Focus on the process, not just outcomes to make room for more agile thinking which allows synergies and interdependences to form. Empower employees through a bottoms-up, test-and-learn approach that encourages them to challenge the status quo and implement new, fresh ways of thinking. 

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It’s hard to have a conversation about technology these days without hearing the terms blockchain, Web 3.0, NFT, decentralization or Metaverse. These concepts are undoubtedly the building blocks of the next generation of the Internet – but as a marketing or innovation expert, what exactly should you be considering?  

Below, we provide our thoughts on how this next frontier will redefine the relationship between brands and consumers – and how brands can position themselves to win. Brands must be clear on their “why” (strategic objectives) as well as their “what” (experience value proposition and activation strategy). 

What is the Metaverse and Web 3.0? 

First a simple explanation of what the Metaverse and Web 3.0 are. Web 2.0 is built on contribution, interactivity, collaboration and social media. However, whoever controls the data on their “centralized server” has access to a lot of information.  

This imbalance is what Web 3.0 is trying to solve. Web 3.0 is a space where people operate on decentralized platforms. This means moving away from the big tech giants and intermediaries and shifting towards democratized, collective governance. The users create the content! 

We are at the beginning of the Metaverse. There are still a lot of limitations including visual, user experience, commercial infrastructure and sustainability considerations. However, brands are already out there on the Sandbox, Decentraland, or other platforms, exploring unique value propositions to offer to users and their consumers.  

Is Your Company Leveraging the Metaverse to Elevate Your Brand? 

In the Metaverse, consumer brands will continue to enable commerce, interactions and experiences for people. Brands must think about how they will engage with customers in this new world. What will their needs be? What will touchpoints–including marketing and sales channels–look like? What are the limitations, or rather, the possibilities of what a brand can stand for in the Metaverse? How should marketing campaigns be launched to attract the target audience?  

We found that brands that have invested in the Metaverse follow five key trends, which reflect a wide breadth of opportunities for marketers: 

1. Broadcast: increase brand awareness through large live events
2. Engage: drive consumer engagement by creating communities and immersive experiences, especially younger demographics
3. Advocate: engage loyal customers with exclusive offerings 
4. Inform: create gamified, interactive education on their products and services
5. Sale: launch virtual offerings and explore new business models  

The Metaverse offers a novel and uninhibited space for brands to test and learn. Because of this, brands are eagerly diving in, testing the waters and making a splash with bold moves. However, the Metaverse is far from merely a new touchpoint/channel/platform for marketing activation. Eventually, it will redefine the entire world brands operate in.  

Marketers need to maintain a long-term perspective as they consider brand building in the Metaverse:   

1. Bolstered and Enriched Brand Promise and Equities 

Entering the Metaverse does not mean starting over. A strong brand in the physical world can focus on bolstering its image in the Metaverse by reinforcing its message, amplifying its reach and innovating new ways to delight customers.  

Because the Metaverse also offers a fundamentally different way for consumers to experience the world, brands should seize the opportunity, which offers them the ability to explore how their existing equities can be reimagined in a new space and in a holistic and multidimensional way. Entering the Metaverse can unleashes new possibilities for both themselves and their customers.   

For instance, Nike created the virtual world, Nikeland, on Roblox’s online gaming platform. Nikeland is complete with customizable avatars, Nike headquarters buildings, mini-games and apparel. It builds on the brand’s mission to create immersive and engaging communities that offer a personalized experience for every user.  

Louis Vuitton, one of the most storied brands in the fashion industry, has embraced digital transformation in the Web 2.0 world with a successful omnichannel approach. In the Metaverse, LV has continued to stay at the front of the pack by launching the mobile game “Louis: The Game” to commemorate the 200^th birthday of its founder. In the game, players can explore six different Metaverse worlds while learning about LV’s history, earning virtual branded memorabilia and even collecting in-game only NFTs. The game allows the brand to honor its deep heritage and timeless legacy in an entirely new way that enriches the customer experience and deepens their connection to the brand. 

2. Multi-Sensorial and Immersive Branded Experience 

Regardless of which approach you choose to take, the Metaverse has meaningful implications on how a brand comes to life visually. Nike extends its signature curve of the Swoosh into the Nikeland with a bright and dynamic color palette. LV applies its iconic emblem to the character and landscape designs of “Louis: The Game.” These robust visual assets have made their Metaverse experiences stand out among the others.  

However, in the Metaverse, establishing a brand using logos, typography and color palettes alone is not enough. Current brand identities and visual systems are largely made for two-dimensional usage, but the Metaverse requires us to expand our thinking and create brands that are conversational, multidimensional and multi-sensorial. Brands need to create meaningful interactions to immerse the users and reward their visit. 

How does a brand express itself through aspects such as dimension, motion, sound, touch and conversation? How can a brand build towards a holistic identity that is not just an eye-catching way to create buzz, but rather a lasting way to reinforce what it stands for and position itself for long-term growth? These are the important questions brands must consider while entering the Metaverse. 

Think About Your Metaverse Strategy Today 

Whether you’re a skeptic or an evangelist, there is no doubt that the Metaverse will create an unprecedented shift in how consumers and brands interact. As Web 3.0 technologies continue to develop and companies race to build our future virtual world, brands must think about how they will show up and how they will engage their customers in the marketplace of tomorrow. Traditional and digitally native brands alike have an opportunity to redefine themselves in the hearts and minds – and screens – of their consumers.  

As a wrap up, these are the questions brands must be able to answer: 

1. Your target audience: Who is hanging out there? 
2. Your business outcome: What are your strategic objectives? 
3. Your experience value proposition: What do you do there? 
4. Your campaign strategy: How to activate and engage your audience?
5. Your costs: What costs do you need to have in mind?  

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