# AI startup aiming to be banks’ ‘top-to-bottom operating system’ sets up Singapore hub > Source: > Published: 2026-08-26 03:59:41+00:00 # AI startup aiming to be banks’ ‘top-to-bottom operating system’ sets up Singapore hub Rogo has became popular for taking on much of the grunt work done by junior bankers AN AI startup that counts some of the world’s largest investment banks among its clients is hiring staff in key Asian hubs, betting that more of the region’s financial firms are ready to embed the technology deeper into their operations. Rogo Technologies has made Singapore the hub of its Asia-Pacific expansion strategy, according to John Willett, the New York-based firm’s co-founder and chief operating officer. The platform, which became popular for taking on much of the grunt work done by junior bankers such as automating spreadsheets and slide work, is opening an office in Singapore and hiring staff as it grows to tackle other areas in banking. It is also recruiting in Tokyo and Sydney and plans to have a total headcount of 150 to 200 in the region by the end of 2027. The move comes with Asia-Pacific being ahead of the rest of the world in adopting AI in the workplace. The shift is [especially pronounced in Singapore.](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion-features/how-singapore-can-run-global-ai-race-its-own-terms) The financial hub tops the International Monetary Fund’s AI Preparedness Index among 174 countries, while 64 per cent of its financial institutions are actively deploying AI across key business functions, according to a 2026 survey by London-based financial software firm Finastra. The amount of talent in Singapore is “really compelling,” Willett, 28, said. He also pointed to the city’s connectivity across the region and its long record as a landing point for Western firms expanding into Asia. Rogo was valued at US$2 billion in April in a fundraising round led by Kleiner Perkins. It has more than 350 clients globally, with over 50,000 bankers and investors using the platform, according to its website. Rogo, which has users in more than 100 countries, has its Asia presence concentrated in India, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, according to Willett. He said Asia is a market where the firm believes it needs local staff to better serve its customers. In Asia, Nomura Holdings’ investment banking division and Daiwa Securities Group are among those using Rogo’s platform, the startup and the firms said. Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC is also a client, people familiar with the matter have previously said. Barclays has rolled out Rogo across its Asian offices, according to other people. Representatives for GIC and Barclays declined to comment, as did Rogo. SEE ALSO Rogo began as an undergraduate project at Princeton University in 2019, when Willett and Gabriel Stengel started working on the idea. By 2022, they had both left their banking jobs to build it full time. Stengel from Lazard and Willett from JPMorgan Chase joined computer scientist Tumas Rackaitis as co-founders. The Singapore push comes as Rogo’s ambitions widen. Willett said it is now selling something larger to banks. “We want to be the top-to-bottom operating system for the whole bank.” Large banks are now buying an organising layer for AI agents across governance, compliance, token optimisation and to get visibility into how the technology is being used inside the firm, Willett said. He said Rogo’s Asia team will span corporate and commercial banking, asset management and wealth management, not just mergers and sector coverage, reflecting the mix of the region’s firms. BLOOMBERG Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free. Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services