The second playlist of Analyse Asia 2 starts from Episode 251 onwards.

Analyse Asia Playlist 2

"More generally, this air of crisis is just going to force companies to look again at the wisdom of supply chains, which crisscross Asia in a way that didn't take account of geopolitical boundaries. You already see a move by many companies to try and create more robust and resilient supply chains to geopolitical shocks, &nbsp;and so that might mean companies like TSMC or Global Foundries building semiconductor plants in Arizona or in Singapore, it might mean companies that have previously sourced from China to create products that will ultimately be sold in the US will now source from Vietnam or from India instead." - James Crabtree

Fresh out of the studio, James Crabtree, executive director from International Institute of Strategic Studies Asia, joined us in a conversation on the current flashpoints in Asia Pacific from the China and Taiwan issue to India and what these tensions will mean for businesses and the global supply chain. James dived into the current dynamics of the region specifically the semiconductors shortage and provided potential scenarios in how the supply chain will be reconfigured or recalibrated due to the current world order. Last but not least, James examined if we are still going to see the Asian century in the midst of the current developments in the next few decades. 

Podcast Information:The show is hosted and produced by Bernard Leong & Carol Yin. Sound credits for the intro and end music: "Energetic Sports Drive" and the episode is mixed & edited by Geoffrey Thomas Craig.

Flashpoints & Supply Chain Challenges in Asia Pacific with James Crabtree

Fresh out of the studio, David Hardoon, Global Head of AI Enablement at Standard Chartered Bank, joins us in a conversation to explore how financial institutions can adopt AI responsibly at scale. He shares his unique journey from academia to government to global banking, reflecting on his fascination with human behavior that originally drew him to artificial intelligence. David explains how his time at Singapore's Monetary Authority shaped the groundbreaking FAIR principles, emphasizing how proper AI governance actually accelerates rather than inhibits innovation. He highlights real-world implementations from autonomous cash reconciliation agents to transaction monitoring systems, showcasing how banks are transforming operations while maintaining strict regulatory compliance. Addressing the biggest misconceptions about AI governance, he emphasizes the importance of integrating AI frameworks into existing structures rather than creating entirely new bureaucracies, while advocating for use-case-based approaches that build essential trust. Closing the conversation, David shares his philosophy that AI success ultimately depends on understanding human behavior and asks the fundamental question every organization should consider: "Why are we doing this?"

"[Question: So what was the biggest misconception for most business leaders usually when it comes to operationalizing AI governance?]
Based on my interactions and conversations, now suddenly they think they have to erect a whole set of new committees, that they have to have these new programs. You almost hear a sigh from the room. Like, oh, we have now this whole additional compliance cost because we have to do all these new things. The reason I see that as a bit of a misconception, because building on everything that was just said earlier, you already have compliance, you already have committees, you already have governance. It's an integration of that because otherwise guess what's gonna happen? We all know that this is the next thing around the corner that's gonna pop up, whatever it's gonna be called. Are you gonna have to set up a whole new committee just because of that? Then the next thing, another one." - David Hardoon

Episode Highlights: 
[00:00] Quote of the Day by David Hardoon #QOTD - "AI governance isn't new bureaucracy."
[00:46] Introduction: David Hardoon from Standard Chartered Bank.
[02:02] How David's AI journey started with human behavior curiosity.
[07:26] Governance accelerates innovation, like traffic rules enable fast driving.
[10:31] FAIR principles in MAS Singapore born from lunches with compliance officers.
[14:23] Don't reinvent governance wheel for AI implementations.
[24:17] Banks already manage risk; apply same discipline to AI.
[28:40] AI adoption problem is trust, not technology.
[34:21] Autonomous AI agents handle cash reconciliation with bank IDs.
[36:00] AI reduces transaction monitoring false positives by 50%.
[39:54] AI requires full supply chain from infrastructure to translators.
[41:52] Organizations must reward intelligent failure in AI innovation.
[44:47] AI hallucination is a feature, not bug for innovation.
[47:35] Measure AI ROI differently for innovation versus implementation teams.
[56:27] Final wisdom: People always ask "why" about AI initiatives.

Profile: David Hardoon, Global Head of AI Enablement, Standard Chartered Bank 
Personal Site: https://davidroihardoon.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrh/

Enabling AI at Scale: Governance as Competitive Advantage with David Hardoon

The Truth About China's Generative AI Revolution Nobody Talks About with Grace Shao

Fresh out of the studio, Doug Burger, Technical Fellow and Corporate Vice President at Microsoft Research, joins us to explore Microsoft's bold expansion into Southeast Asia with the recent launch of the Microsoft Research Asia lab in Singapore. From there, Doug shares his accidental journey from academia to leading global research operations, reflecting on how Microsoft Research's open collaboration model empowers over thousands of researchers worldwide to tackle humanity's biggest challenges. Addressing the intersection of three computing paradigms: logic, probability, and quantum, he emphasizes that geographic diversity in research labs enables Microsoft to build AI that works for everyone. Closing the conversation, Doug shares his vision of what great looks like for Microsoft Research with researchers driven by purpose and passion to create breakthroughs that advance both science and society.

"If you're going to be running a very elite research institution, you have to have the best people. To have the best people, you have to trust them and empower them. You can't hire a world expert in some area and then tell them what to do. They know more than you do. They're smarter than you are in their area. So you've got to trust your people. One of our really foundational commitments to our people is: we trust you. We're going to work to empower you. Go do the thing that you need to do. If somebody in the labs wants to spend 5, 10, 15 years working on something they think is really important, they're empowered to do that."

Episode Highlights:
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Doug Burger 
[01:08] Doug Burger's journey from academia to Microsoft Research
[03:07] Launch of Microsoft Research Asia in Singapore: Tapping local talent and culture for inclusive AI development
[04:13] Singapore lab focuses on foundational AI, embodied AI, and healthcare applications
[06:19] AI detecting seizures in children and assessing Parkinson's motor function
[08:24] Embedding Southeast Asian societal norms & values into Foundational AI research
[10:26] Microsoft Research's open collaboration model 
[12:42] Generative AI's rapid pace accelerating technological innovation and research tools
[16:24] Open versus closed source AI models debate and Microsoft's platform approach
[19:35] Multiple scaling dimensions in AI beyond traditional data scaling laws
[26:26] Balancing blue-sky foundational research with application-driven initiatives at scale
[35:26] Research leadership secret: Curiosity across fields enables unexpected connections
[40:04] Microsoft Research's vision: Becoming Bell Labs for AI era
[42:22] Steering AI models for mental health and critical thinking conversations

How Microsoft Research Balances Exploration and Impact Globally with Doug Burger

Fresh out of the studio, Feon Ang, Managing Director of LinkedIn Asia Pacific, joins us to explore how the platform is transforming professional networking and career development across the region's 343 million members. She shares her career journey from publishing to tech leadership, reflecting on the evolution from typewritten CVs to AI-powered job searches today. Feon explains LinkedIn's unique approach combining scale, trust, and member-first philosophy, emphasizing how their AI tools enable professionals to find opportunities through natural language while companies streamline hiring processes. She highlights the platform's remarkable growth metrics—47 hires per minute and 36% video engagement growth—showcasing how organizations are re-engineering recruitment and learning through AI coaching and personalized pathways. Addressing the challenges of AI adoption and skills gaps, she emphasizes the importance of three key actions: fluency, agency, and action, while advocating for accessible AI integration into daily workflows. Closing the conversation, Feon shares her vision for creating even greater economic opportunity across Asia Pacific as professionals and businesses navigate the AI transformation together.

"AI is in the minds of a lot of people right now and naturally with such big technological shift, you find that there is a big skill gap. You know, there is companies demanding skills in this area, and yet naturally in the marketplace, they might have difficulty finding that skills that is required for companies. So, you know, job seekers need to be a lot more conscious in terms of how they are equipping themselves. One of the things is that LinkedIn courses are there [to help]. I always talk about the three affirmative actions that you can do. One is making sure that you are fluent in this area. I think what are the things that you can do to actually get your hands on all these tools so that you become fluent in just playing around with the tool and making sure that you feel comfortable. The second area that I advise people is to make sure that you feel that you have the agency to master your destiny. The third thing will be to take action. If you have learned all these skills, find a way to showcase it and find a way to actually talk about it so that you are, you can actually surface your capabilities in this space." - Feon Ang

Profile: Feon Ang, Managing Director of LinkedIn Asia Pacific: https://www.linkedin.com/in/feonang/

Episode Highlights: 
[00:00] Quote of the Day: Feon Ang 
[01:06] Feon's career journey from publishing to tech
[03:00] Three key lessons from Feon's career journey: members first, scale, trust
[00:05:18] LinkedIn's mission: creating economic opportunity globally
[00:06:28] Asia Pacific: 343 million members, fastest growing
[00:08:19] Business milestone: crossed 17 billion globally
[00:09:50] Highest engagement rate across social platforms
[00:11:00] Video content growing 36% year-on-year
[00:12:24] Real-time hiring: 47 hires per minute, 10,000 applications every minute
[00:14:00] AI job search using natural language
[00:15:42] LinkedIn hiring assistant streamlines recruitment
[00:17:18] AI coaching creates personalized learning pathways
[00:19:10] Skill gaps demand conscious professional development
[00:21:00] Advice for Professionals in the age of AI: Fluency, Agency, Action
[23:13] Community partnerships supporting workforce development
[25:12] How CEOs are using social media via LinkedIn
[27:02] What does great look like for LinkedIn in the Asia Pacific? 
[28:00] Closing

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

Creating Economic Opportunity in the era of AI: LinkedIn's Mission in Asia Pacific with Feon Ang

Fresh out of the studio, Paul Harapin, Chief Revenue Officer for Asia Pacific and Japan at Stripe, joined us in a conversation discussing Stripe's explosive growth in the region that represents 40% of global GDP. Paul dived deep into how Stripe is revolutionizing commerce through AI and stablecoins, sharing fascinating customer stories in the Asia Pacific and Japan. He delved into Stripe's current innovations specifically on agentic commerce toolkits, virtual card issuing, and adaptive pricing solutions that are transforming how businesses scale across the dynamic Asia Pacific region. Last but not least, Paul shared the key trends in AI-powered payments and stablecoin adoption, defining what great would look like for Stripe's user-first approach to building the financial infrastructure of the internet economy in APAC.

"APAC represents 40% of global GDP. So you can see that there's huge opportunity in a very, very diverse region. The needs of Japan are different to the needs of China. India is exploding with SaaS, software, AI. Australia one of our larger markets, again, very different. And so Southeast Asia, the complexities of Asia make it a joy to work in." - Paul Harapin

Episode Highlights
[00:00] Quote of the Day by Paul Harapin
[02:30] Building tech companies, helping Silicon Valley expand Asia
[03:27] How Paul talked himself into Stripe role
[04:30] Key career lessons: people and passion matter most
[07:05] Stripe's mission to increase GDP of internet
[09:00] Asia represents 40% of global GDP opportunity
[12:42] AI transformation like discovering fire, very early cycle
[14:12] Agentic commerce toolkits downloaded thousands times weekly
[18:04] Virtual card issuing for secure AI transactions
[19:00] Stripe Link enables six second checkout process
[21:26] Adaptive pricing increases conversion by 18 percent
[24:23] Bridge acquisition brings stablecoin payment capabilities
[26:00] Stablecoin enables stability in volatile currency markets
[27:00] Japanese car exporter Zimbabwe cash bag example
[29:20] Digital currency adoption growing at consumer level
[31:00] Working closely with regulators across Asia Pacific
[33:40] Asia's fast digitizing economy leads global innovation
[34:05] India's UPI 10 billion transactions forecasted 100 billion
[36:30] How Stripe helps businesses in Asia Pacific to scale
[38:42] User-first founding principle drives everything at Stripe
[40:20] Closing

#stripe #stablecoins #bridge #agenticai #generativeai #payments 

Profile: Paul Harapin, Chief Revenue Officer, Asia Pacific & Japan, Stripe https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulharapin/

Podcast Information: Bernard Leong hosts and produces the show. The proper credits for the intro and end music are "Energetic Sports Drive." G. Thomas Craig mixed and edited the episode in both video and audio format. Here are the links to watch or listen to our podcast.

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Transforming Asia's Financial Infrastructure: Stripe's AI and Stablecoin Strategy with Paul Harapin

A weekly podcast dissecting the pulse of business, technology & media in Asia. Hear our host interviewing leading journalists, senior executives, respectable authors & thinkers, entrepreneurs & thought leaders to discuss the most important issues that move and shake the business landscape in the Asia Pacific. The show is originally created and hosted by Bernard Leong.