My first week in Singapore has been nothing short of exciting, both professionally and culturally. I’m currently interning at OrionW, a law firm based in the heart of the city, and the experience has already exceeded my expectations.
I kicked off my internship with a project conducting market research on the largest fintech firms in Singapore and the United States. This assignment was especially interesting for me because it has improved my knowledge of the financial technology sector, both in the United States and Singapore. By mapping out the fintech landscape in both countries, I’ve started building a strong foundation for the work I’ll be doing throughout the semester. It’s also helped me draw some early comparisons between how fintech ecosystems evolve in different regulatory and economic environments.
Shortly after, I was assigned a second research project focusing on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the U.S. and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), specifically regarding their approaches to the rapidly growing open finance sector. This topic couldn’t be more interesting to me, specifically because I will be joining the Federal Reserve Bank of New York this summer to work in auditing. Researching the regulatory structures and authorities of both countries has increased my understanding of how financial systems are governed and how innovation is balanced with oversight.
Of course, no blog post about Singapore would be complete without mentioning the food. Working near Raffles Place has given me access to some of the best local eats. My favorite hawker center is just a 10-minute walk from the office, Pierce ,the other intern working at OrionW, and I have made it our goal to try as many different types of food during our experience as we can. One of my recent favorites comes from a hawker chain called Hong Kong Chicken—their scrambled egg over rice with pork is my favorite meal and reminds me of the scrambled eggs my father used to make me as a child.
This weekend, we finished off the week with a bus/walking tour of the protected areas in Singapore, including little India and China town. Here we experienced the deep multicultural roots of Singapore and witnessed beautiful Chinese murals, amazing India architecture and a variety of different cultures.
As I continue my internship, I’m looking forward to learning more about the APAC region’s approach to finance, regulation, and innovation. Singapore is the perfect place to do just that—and I feel incredibly lucky to be here.