Charis Liau

Ms. Charis Liau is the Chief Investment Officer of IFS Asset Management, where she leads the firm’s private credit strategies, unlocking growth opportunities across Asia through secured, alternative lending solutions. With over 20 years of experience spanning finance, technology, and innovation, Charis is recognized for her ability to structure complex transactions, shaping capital strategies, and steering businesses through transformational growth.

Her career spans leadership roles across both fintech and institutional banking. Before to joining IFSAM, she served as Regional Executive Director at Carsome Capital, where she spearheaded private credit solutions for corporates across Southeast Asia within the Carsome ecosystem. In 2016, she co-founded and served as CEO of SDAX Financial, a digital asset platform that connects issuers and investors through investment products—enabling access to institutional-grade real asset opportunities via digital infrastructure.

Earlier in her career, Charis spent 13 years with Standard Chartered Bank, specializing in corporate and structured finance. She advised and financed a diverse portfolio of corporate and institutional clients across Singapore, China and the wider Asia region – delivering tailored capital solutions and risk management strategies that supported growth and cross-border expansion.

A strong advocate for innovation and the future of finance, Charis has been recognized for her leadership and impact. She was named among Singapore’s 100 Women in Tech by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) in 2021, and in 2020, she was honored as a Top 12 Fintech Leader and Top 5 Women in Fintech by the Singapore Fintech Association (SFA). She is also a founding Member of the Marketplace Lending sub-committee under the SFA.

Charis currently serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). She holds a First Class Honours degree in Accountancy from NTU, a Certificate in Fintech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a Certificate in AI for Healthcare from NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. She is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.