Being able to spend on the little things keeps this exec motivated

He looks for liquidity, stability and flexibility when building his investment portfolio

- Annabelle Liang Correspondent

As a child, Mr Kevan Chow would save up to buy stickers, playing cards and erasers emblazoned with country flags.

He also put part of the money he received for getting good grades towards a treat at McDonald's.

The 43-year-old group chief financial officer at MariBank, a digital bank subsidiary of global consumer internet company Sea, said he has brought the essence of these practices into adulthood.

Some spending, he believes, has helped keep him on the path to reaching his financial goals, which include having enough money to retire without worries.

He said: “I’ve always felt that being able to spend on the little things that make me happy is important. It keeps me motivated, in the sense that I am able to afford certain things that I like, trivial as they may be. At the same time, I make sure that my future self is taken care of.”

Now, he enjoys buying posters featuring the Japanese anime franchise Dragon Ball. He has also amassed a collection of Nike Jordan sneakers, a nod to his love for playing basketball.

Mr Chow holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the National University of Singapore. He spent more than a decade at traditional financial institutions Citi and Standard Chartered before joining Sea in 2021.

He now oversees the finance function at MariBank and the firm’s April 2025 acquisition, MariBank Philippines, with the goal of providing banking products to digital natives and small businesses.