In this episode, I speak with Nuraizah Shamsul Baharin, Founder and Managing Director of MADCash, a fintech that drives financial inclusion through Shariah compliant microfinance and data analytics in Malaysia. Nuraizah, who goes by Aizah, started her career as an engineer, working for companies like Nokia and Motorola in the 1990s and 2000s.

Aizah founded MADCash in 2020 with a goal to improve financial access for women MSMEs in Malaysia. MADCash, which stands for Multiply Assist Donate Cash, works with women entrepreneurs by providing capital and financial education to grow their micro-businesses. MADCash raised a pre-series A round of $1M in 2023 led by impact investors and is using those funds to build their team, AI toolkit, and expansion into new markets like Tajikistan. You can learn more about them by visiting getmadcash.com.

In this episode, I speak with Rachel Freeman, Chief Growth Officer of Tyme, a neobank that began operations in South Africa and has recently been making waves in the Philippines as GoTyme.

Rachel has lived in every corner of the world and has been a pioneer of inclusive financial services. She speaks fluent Russian and spent her early career in Russia building a microleasing business. She then spent 17 years at the IFC, which took her to Kazakhstan, South Africa, and Hong Kong. When she decided to join the startup world, she was impressed by the Tyme team and has been instrumental in their market and product expansion in Southeast Asia.

Tyme provides a suite of digital banking solutions, including consumer savings accounts and SME loans. Across markets, the neobank is known for meeting customers where they are, through their innovative card creation kiosks in local grocery stores. Tyme also reported profitability for the first time in December and is soon expanding to Vietnam. You can learn more about them by visiting tyme.com.

In this episode, I speak with Maria Hoyos, co-founder and CEO of GoNSave, a fintech focused on income smoothing for gig workers in Southeast Asia.

Maria started her career in microfinance in Latin America. She brought her experience to Asia when she pursued her Master’ of Science in Innovation at Singapore Management University. We talked about the unique needs of gig workers when it comes to income visibility, how gig work should be regulated, and inclusive finance learnings that span Latin America and Southeast Asia.

GoNSave, or Zaver as its app is known to its customers, allows gig workers to track their flexible earnings and provides personal recommendations to increase those earnings up to 35%. GoNSave was founded in 2021 and recently launched in the Philippines. They are raising their first round of capital - reach out if you would like to get involved. You can learn more about them by visting gonsave.co.