Singapore-Pakistan collaboration

THERE is scope for Pakistan and Singapore to collaborate in not just the fintech sector, but also the broader technology landscape, says Mutaher Khan. As Singapore is home to one of the largest fintech ecosystems in the world, there is naturally a lot that Pakistan can learn from its experience.

"It could be as simple as knowledge exchange programmes, which has gained traction among our founders participating in the Singapore Fintech Festival (SFF) through attending masterclasses by established entrepreneurs.

" There is a huge untapped investment opportunity as only a handful of investors have actively explored Pakistan. Golden Gate Ventures and Stripe Asean have done so but there is a need to increase that number drastically," says Mr Khan.

Pakistan participation in the annual Singapore Fintech Festival has benefited the Pakistan companies.

"SFF provides an excellent platform for Pakistani companies to showcase their fintech potential. In SFF 2020, Pakistan FinTech Association (PFA), which represents more than 30 fintech startups in the country, hosted the Pakistan chapter of the SFF in Karachi," says Mr Khan.

"It was the first international participation for PFA that later led to the signing of a MoU between PFA and Singapore Fintech Association, leading to opening up of more avenues of collaboration and experience sharing for our companies."