iPay88 Co-Founder Chan Kok Long reflects on over 20 years building one of Malaysia’s pioneering fintech companies; sharing lessons from the exit, self-actualisation, and his new beginnings in MedTech.

Chan looks back on overcoming early skepticism toward digital payments in 2006, navigating a strategic acquisition by Japan’s NTT Data in 2015, and what made it a “good exit”, in this view. He also explains why he stayed on for nearly a decade post-acquisition.

We also explore Chan’s next chapter, a new mission in medical technology aimed at making healthcare, especially wound care, more accessible and affordable for all Malaysians. Drawing from personal experiences, Chan shares why this pivot matters to him and his vision of positioning Malaysia as a medical tech hub for Southeast Asia.