In a commentary, Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) Executive/Academic Director and SMU Professor of Quantitative Finance (Practice) David Lee Kuo Chuen was quoted as saying that the rise of FinTech companies has increased awareness of disruption and opportunities in areas such as digital banking, Internet finance and blockchain. Prof Lee estimated that global investments in FinTech ventures have grown three times from US$4.05 billion in 2013 to US$12.21 billion in 2014. Working with SKBI Research Fellow Dr Ernie Teo, Prof Lee has identified some crucial factors for the success of FinTech ventures and termed LASIC (Low margin, Asset light, Scalable, Innovative, and Compliance easy). The research conducted by Prof Lee and Prof Teo concluded that the application of FinTech will result in lower business costs and profit margins. Hence, companies will need to expand their business by embracing financial inclusion, as well as the delivery of financial services at affordable costs to sections of disadvantaged and low-income segments of society.