RFI Expands Leadership with Four Executive Fellows, Elevates Patrick Loh to Co-Founder

Responsible Fintech Institute Appoints Four Executive Fellows

The Responsible Fintech Institute (RFI) has strengthened its leadership structure with the appointment of four Executive Fellows and the elevation of Distinguished Professor Patrick H. M. Loh to Co-Founder, positioning the Singapore-based organization to address the governance challenges of mainstream digital finance.

The nonprofit, which launched in September 2025 at the inaugural Digital Assets Summit in Singapore, announced that Professor Lawrence Loh, Associate Professor Eugene K.B. Tan, Professor Louis Chen and Ms Farah Jaafar will join as Executive Fellows. Professor Loh, who was appointed as an Executive Fellow alongside Professor Tek Yew Chia in April 2026, has been elevated to Co-Founder in recognition of his strategic contributions to the Institute.

The appointments come as regulators, financial institutions and technology providers seek frameworks to govern innovation in digital assets, artificial intelligence and cross-border payments. The new Executive Fellows will engage with regulators and standard-setting bodies while contributing to principles-based industry frameworks across the region.

Chia Hock Lai, Chairman of RFI, said the appointments bring expertise in law, governance, digital policy and capital market development. He congratulated Professor Patrick Loh on becoming a Co-Founder, recognizing his central role in building the Institute.

Governance and Transparency Expertise

Professor Lawrence Loh serves as Director of the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School, where he leads the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index, a collaboration between CPA Australia, NUS Business School and the Singapore Institute of Directors that assesses corporate governance practices of Singapore Exchange-listed companies. He also oversees the ASEAN Corporate Governance Scorecard project, which was launched in 2011 by the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum in partnership with the Asian Development Bank to assess publicly listed companies across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Holding a PhD in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor Loh regularly provides commentary on governance and sustainability for international media including the BBC, Bloomberg, CNN and The Straits Times. He said trust in financial systems is built on transparency and good governance, and expressed his commitment to supporting responsible and sustainable industry growth.

Legal and AI Policy Leadership

Associate Professor Eugene K.B. Tan brings constitutional and administrative law expertise to RFI. An advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore, he serves as Associate Professor of Law at Singapore Management University and specializes in the ethics and policy of artificial intelligence.

Educated at the National University of Singapore, the London School of Economics and Stanford University as a Fulbright Fellow, Associate Professor Tan served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2012 to 2014. From 2019 to 2026, he represented Singapore at the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, a body inaugurated in October 2009 and composed of representatives from the 10 ASEAN member states to promote and protect human rights in the region.

Associate Professor Tan said that as AI and digital assets reshape financial services, the critical questions concern accountability and public trust rather than technology alone. He expressed his commitment to developing frameworks that are principled, practical and grounded in the rule of law.

Digital Governance and Regional Markets

Professor Louis Chen is recognized for contributions to digital governance, sustainable digital economy development and cross-sector institutional collaboration. Through his leadership at the Digital Governance Association, he has advanced dialogue on responsible innovation, AI governance and the future of digital ecosystems. He said trusted digital finance depends on governance that keeps pace with technology and looked forward to bringing together policymakers, academics and industry towards a secure, interoperable digital economy.

Ms Farah Jaafar brings close to 30 years of experience across capital markets, offshore finance, fintech and digital assets. As former Chief Executive Officer of Labuan IBFC Inc., she led the international positioning of Malaysia's international business and financial centre, which was established in 1990 and has grown into a significant regional hub. She has chaired risk committees in regulated brokerages and pioneered licensed fintech and digital asset infrastructure in Asia.

Ms Jaafar chairs the Women in Fintech Group of the Asia Fintech Alliance, which represents fintech associations across 15 Asian markets. She said digital finance can widen access and create opportunity, but only if it earns the confidence of regulators, investors and the public.

Distinguished Leadership

Distinguished Professor Patrick H. M. Loh was conferred the inaugural Singapore Distinguished Professor title by Murdoch University, Australia, in 2024. He serves as Senior Fellow and Advisory Board Member at the Centre for Governance and Sustainability at NUS Business School, and chairs the Advisory Board at Murdoch University in Singapore. He has been awarded the Public Service Star and the Public Service Medal by the President of the Republic of Singapore.

Professor Loh said the calibre of leaders joining RFI demonstrates that responsible innovation requires collaboration across law, governance, industry and policy. He expressed his commitment to expanding RFI's impact across the region and beyond.

The RFI Executive Fellowship is designed for senior leaders with at least 20 years of experience in executive leadership and a demonstrated track record in shaping financial policy or institutional strategy. Fellows are expected to operate with institutional neutrality while contributing to globally aligned and responsible financial systems.

RFI was founded with members including Bison Group, OKG Technology, Remi Technology, VerifyVASP and SlowMist. The organization aims to create a safe, trustworthy and reliable future for digital finance by building digital utilities that support responsible innovation and bringing together public and private sector stakeholders to develop frameworks for sustainable and inclusive digital asset sectors.