Wise ramps up Singapore presence with expanded office and five new local leadership hires

• Doubles down on commitment to Singapore with a 450-strong team at recently expanded Paya Lebar office
• New senior hires made in key areas including expansion, product development and compliance, further strengthening the local leadership team
• Direct integration to the PayNow network so visitors can make QR payments in Singapore directly from the Wise app

Wise, the global technology company building the best way to move and manage the world’s money, announces the expansion of its Singapore office, key leadership hires, and product innovations, reinforcing its commitment to Singapore. 

The recently expanded office space in Paya Lebar Quarter, now spanning 23,000 square feet, is Wise’s APAC hub where 450 empowered Wisers work - more than double the number of employees in 2022. With the continued growth of teams building products and servicing millions of customers across APAC, Wise has appointed a senior leadership team in Singapore:

• Shrawan (SK) Saraogi, APAC Head of Expansion & Singapore Country Manager 
• Mike Truong, APAC Product Director 
• Erin Smith, Product Director, Global Spend 
• Ser-Jin Lee, APAC Compliance Director 
• Samarth Bansal, APAC General Manager, Wise Platform 

These additions further bolster the existing local team leads, which includes: 

• Surendra Chaplot, Head of Global Product 
• Smrithi Ravi, APAC Engineering Lead 
• Amelia Bones, APAC Regional Customer Support Lead 
• Iti Kanter, APAC Head of Due Diligence 
• Isabel Audrey Lim, APAC Payment Operations Area Lead
• Elyza Telog, APAC People Operations Lead
• Heather Ong, APAC Head of Legal
  

Local-made, global impact: Building uniquely Singaporean payment solutions for the world 

Wise’s customer base in Singapore has grown 26% year-on-year¹, and to provide a uniquely Singaporean experience for these customers, Wise’s local product and engineering team has expanded over a third since 2022. For instance, a dedicated local team leads the design, build and implementation of a world-class cross-border spending experience through the Wise debit card, direct from Singapore, for Wise personal and business customers globally. More than four million Wise personal and business cards have been issued across 42 countries. 

Today, Wise has also announced it has directly connected to Singapore’s PayNow network, which will enable Wise to offer a feature for tourists and visitors to easily make QR payments in Singapore directly through the Wise app across thousands of merchants. This will directly benefit local businesses such as hawkers who don’t typically accept card payments while allowing visitors to enjoy a quintessential Singapore experience — a plate of char kway teow with a side of QR code convenience. 

With this integration, Singapore becomes the first country where Wise has integrated directly to two local payment systems, following on from its first integration to FAST in 2022. These integrations will allow Wise to bring more seamless payment experiences for customers.

“I’m thrilled to welcome SK, Mike, Erin, Ser-Jin and Samarth onboard Wise as we deepen our commitment and footprint in Singapore and continue expanding across APAC. All of them bring rich experiences that will help us deliver on our mission of building the best way to move and manage the world’s money.”

¹ Personal and business customers based in Singapore who performed at least one cross-currency transaction between FY22-23