Walk us through a typical day at Reap. What keeps you busy?

At BizOps, we operate on three core pillars: Expansion, Strategic Partnerships, and Corporate Development. Our responsibilities span international and product expansion, delving into new markets and evolving payment solutions that the industry demands of us. Strategic partnerships form the bedrock of Reap, linking us with key players like Circle, Visa, and DBS to provide the financial connectivity and access that businesses seek. We continue to form more of such strategic alliances to collectively improve the efficiency of money movement globally. For corporate development, we ensure we have the business intelligence and insights necessary for strategic decision making.

My role primarily focuses on communication. I spend approximately 30 hours per week in meetings with internal and external stakeholders. Internally, I foster a bottom-up approach with my team, empowering them to make their own decisions and maintain transparency with the rest of the team. Given our global footprint and focus on international expansion, travel constitutes around 40% of my time. It's exciting to connect with people worldwide and see the impact of our work firsthand.

You’re one of Reap’s first few hires. As one of Reap's earliest employees, why did you choose Reap, and what has kept you here for so long?

I first met Daren and Kevin in late 2018 through mutual friends. At the time, I was deeply interested in tech, particularly payment technology. I was actually interviewing for a different company when I sought advice from Daren, given his expertise in the field. Our interaction revealed a strong mutual respect, and he simply said, "Why not just join Reap?" And I haven't looked back since.

That's it. That's why I joined Reap. Back then, my decision wasn't about figures or funding rounds; the company was still in its earliest stages. I joined because I trusted the people behind it. And this definitely played to my advantage. Over the past six years, Reap has experienced incredible growth, and while luck has certainly played a role, it's the exceptional people who have made Reap what it is today.

The team is what initially attracted me to Reap, and it's the team of over 100 that we've collectively built that has kept me here for so long. This growth comes with added responsibility. We are now entrusted with the livelihoods of over 100 individuals, which is a huge motivation to do better and keep going, because I want everyone to succeed. While there are undoubtedly days when I go to bed exhausted, this is also what gets me out of bed every day.

What accomplishment at Reap are you most proud of and why?

It's challenging to pinpoint a single milestone at Reap, given the many big moves we've made, as Reap is all about making big moves. However, if I had to choose one, it would be our expansion into the Web3 market in early 2022.

Initially, while we recognised some disparities in this market, there was some skepticism about the viability of serving Web3 businesses. But I had a strong conviction that it was the right direction and wanted to prove it to the rest of the team. I was asked to find 5 businesses that would collateralise with us in digital assets and spend in fiat. In a week, I found 12. I will always remember that.

As someone entrenched in this business landscape for the past few years, where do you think the future of payments is heading?

The future of payments is headed towards greater financial inclusion, driven by the emergence of new liquidity sources, particularly on-chain liquidity. This will be especially beneficial for emerging markets. I'm excited to see Reap at the forefront of this revolution, establishing more and more connections between technologies, economies, and institutions to foster greater financial access globally.

How do you enjoy spending your time off?

Padel, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. Not necessarily in that order of priority.

Quickfire 'This or That' questions

1. TradFi or DeFi?

   Both. It depends on the market. If I were in a developed market, probably TradFi; if in an emerging market, definitely DeFi.
   
   

2. Work from office or work from home?

   Office all the way.
   
   

3. Hong Kong office or Singapore office? (Having experienced both)

   It depends. For experiencing the true Reap culture, Hong Kong is the place to be. If you want to get more work done, Singapore. Don't hold me to this.
   
   

4. Travel with Daren or Kevin?

   Both. Sports with Daren, drinks with Kev.
   
   

5. Tennis or Padel

   Currently, Padel.
   
   

6. Reap socks or Reap cap

   That’s so hard. I'm actually wearing both as I answer this. I'd say the Reap phone case that I designed for myself on a whim. I'm the only one in the company who has it.