Paywatch's Ambitious Plan: New Era of Financial Access for the Underbanked?

Paywatch is a financial services company that provides earned wage access (EWA) services to help employees get banked, receive credit, and improve their access to financial products.

Richard Kim, Co-Founder and CEO of Paywatch, founded the business in 2019 with his brother Alex. Together, they have built Paywatch as the only bank-backed and regulator-approved Earned Wage Access solution in Asia. Today, they have expanded their business not only in Malaysia and South Korea but also in other Asia Pacific countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, with their eyes set on Thailand and Vietnam ahead.

As of June, Paywatch had processed over $58 million in salaries through its system and was growing month-over-month by as much as 15%. Their user base is spread across South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia, with notable clients including KFC, Pizza Hut (part of QSR Brands), Wilmar International, PayNet, and Jaya Grocer, among others.

Last month, Paywatch raised US$30 million (approximately RM141 million) in funding from a mix of equity and credit facilities to continue its growth and expansion plans.

In this conversation, Richard will give us a sense of why he started Paywatch, the problem he aims to address, the business opportunities present, the challenges in turning it into reality, and their growth path ahead.