The newly minted CEO of TradingKey on why accessibility is the biggest stumbling block in financial freedom

“How They See It” is where we delve into the minds of those shaping the future of today’s most dynamic companies. In this instalment, we ask Ming Feng about his work as CEO of TradingKey, a platform that makes investing more accessible and intuitive for everyday investors. He shares an insightful perspective on bridging the knowledge gap in financial markets, the evolving landscape of retail investing, and why empowering individuals with the right tools has never been more important.

“I often tell people that inflation is like a slow leak in a tyre — unnoticed at first, but before you know it, your ride has changed entirely. Leave your money sitting idle, and it quietly loses value. Meanwhile, the cost of living surges ahead, outpacing most interest rates, leaving many to wonder how to keep up.

Unless you've found a guaranteed way to win the lottery (a one-in-14-million chance if you're playing Singapore's Toto), your best bet is to invest wisely. But investing, as I quickly realised, is a labyrinth many struggle to navigate. That's where my work comes in.

My mission as CEO of TradingKey is to make investing accessible. I lead a platform designed to help everyday investors make smarter decisions. We provide real-time market data, financial news, and educational tools to bridge the gap between uncertainty and confidence. Investing shouldn't feel like a high-stakes gamble; it should be an informed decision backed by clarity and the right resources.?

Every day, my team and I work to simplify the financial markets, making them less intimidating and more intuitive. Some days that means fine-tuning our algorithms; on others, it means rethinking how financial education is delivered to those who need it most.

The past few years have transformed retail investing. Technology has opened new doors, making financial markets more accessible, yet the challenges remain significant. Market volatility has become the norm, requiring investors to react with speed and insight. Social media has flooded the space with financial advice — some helpful, much of it noise. And for many, the complexity of investing keeps them on the sidelines, unsure of where to begin.

At TradingKey, we're tackling these issues head-on. We’ve built a one-stop platform where users can educate themselves, stay informed, and develop investment strategies that suit their risk appetite. More importantly, we want to make investing enjoyable — not in how a casino entices gamblers, but by demystifying the process and empowering users to take control of their financial futures.

Bridging the gap

One of the gaps we identified early on was accessibility. Most financial content is tailored to English-speaking audiences. Platforms like Investopedia, Business Insider, and Seeking Alpha dominate the space, but millions of investors speak Mandarin, Thai, Vietnamese, Spanish, or Portuguese.

We knew that to democratise investing truly, we had to meet people where they were — in their language, with content that resonated culturally. So, we built TradingKey to bridge that divide, ensuring financial literacy wasn’t limited to English speakers.

Another challenge we sought to address was... (Read more here)