By SGN | 17 Jun 2026
Nazim was born in Miami – the oldest of three – to parents who had moved from Pakistan to complete PhDs in mathematics. After graduating in computer science from Johns Hopkins University, he started his career with Citi in New York. “I enjoyed the city so much that I was sure I would live and work there for the rest of my life,” he recalls.
Three years in, however, he was offered a transfer to Asia – the company had just hired a managing director in Singapore. “I didn’t think I would survive the 18-hour flight,” he says. Expecting only peanuts and Coca-Cola, he was blown away by the Singapore Airlines service and wished the experience would never end.
In 2011, Nazim relocated to Singapore long-term. “We built Citi’s new risk function in the region to the point that it was best in class,” he says. What began as a month-long secondment led to the country becoming his home for the next 15 years.
The journey into fintech
After nine years with Citi, including roles in risk management, corporate banking and FX sales, Nazim made the leap from the trading floor to fintech.
At a pitch meeting with the Dutch payment company Adyen – which sounded uncannily like the name of his firstborn, Aiden – the potential client was so impressed that they wanted to hire him.
Intrigued, Nazim did some research and learned that Adyen’s clients included Uber and Netflix and that it had secured $250 million in fundraising from the likes of Temasek and General Atlantic. “I had to resign three times,” he shares. “My colleagues said, ‘You’re crazy. You’re throwing your career away.’”
During his time as APAC head of sales, the company went public, expanded into Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, and Nazim got to meet clients like Klook before they were household names. Following a stint at Airwallex, he was headhunted into JPMorgan’s payments division, yet interacting with tech operators made him itch to build something again.
Moses Lo, co-founder and CEO of the fintech Xendit, had wooed Nazim years earlier. “I knew I had more work to do before I could be a really good partner for him,” Nazim says. “2025 finally felt like the right time, and I joined as chief revenue officer.”
Why firms are eyeing Southeast Asia
Xendit is the largest payment infrastructure firm in Southeast Asia, which boasts a $300 billion digital economy. Nazim says the region is a huge opportunity for companies with a strong presence in G20 markets seeking their next wave of growth in emerging markets.
“You win margin-accretive business when you solve for payment complexity. There’s no shortage of that here,” he says. Indonesia has 5% credit card penetration, whereas the Philippines has more mobile phones than people. High-end consumers prefer credit cards, while the mass market favours QR-code transfers.
“Southeast Asia is not for the faint of heart,” Nazim jokes.
A decade ago, companies might count on one payments partner offering reach by way of a patchwork of white-labelled providers. Nowadays, Nazim says, there is a “flight towards quality,” and firms look for a best-of-breed partner in each region of operations.
To become a top-of-mind app or subscription service, tech companies need to provide a seamless, optimised payment experience. “For brands that want to take over the world, distribution matters,” he says.
In its first seven years, Xendit operated in Indonesia and the Philippines. Today, the company has expanded across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Last year, it began building in Mexico to cater to clients venturing into Latin America.
“In a way, Xendit reflects Singapore,” Nazim observes. “We want to work with the East and the West. We’re an Asian company with a tech stack that is as good as any in the West.”
By his second week at Xendit, Nazim was attending Singapore FinTech Festival and reconnecting with former colleagues, clients and partners. “Funnily, it was also a great recruitment ground,” he says. “I was able to get seven job offers out by Christmas.”
Embracing life in Singapore
Being in Asia has meant adapting to different cultures and working styles. Nazim has learned, for instance, that his dry sense of humour doesn’t always translate.
“When I’m in a meeting in Japan, I observe who everyone is looking at, what kind of questions they’re raising to get a sense of what they’re thinking about,” he says. “In Jakarta, I learn to be really understanding when people are battling traffic and running late for meetings.” In Singapore, Nazim has noticed a preference for consensus-based decisions, and that humility goes a long way.
But adaptation doesn’t mean mimicry, and Nazim believes it’s important to remain authentic. “In Singapore, I don’t add ‘lah’ at the end of sentences. That’s going to be fake. So you’ve got to be yourself while embracing cultural nuances,” he says.
Like any expat, Nazim regularly evaluates his situation and next move. “For me, every two to three years, when the dice rolled, they rolled up Singapore. Opportunities have kept it fresh,” he says.
Another major factor has been meeting his wife in Singapore and starting a family. “We’ve moved around the island quite a bit,” he shares. “We’ve lived in the city centre, Marine Parade, Woodlands, Novena, but last year we moved to Bukit Timah.”
On weekends, when the three kids aren’t at various activities – be it ballet or taekwondo – the family checks out restaurants and destinations that Nazim finds on the website Honeycombers. He has also discovered a love for cooking and grilling at home and having friends over. “We have a really nice community,” he says. “It’s a mix of expats, locals, folks from all over. It’s just a ton of fun.”
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About Nazim
Nazim Ali is chief revenue officer at Xendit, Southeast Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company. Previously, he was CEO of Airwallex Singapore, APAC head of sales at Adyen, and a managing director in the payments division of JPMorgan.
Connect with him here.
