With a mission to “create a world where every small business has easy access to finance,” Malaysia-based Bee Informatica launched its proprietary digital lending platform in April 2025.

Supporting this bold endeavor with its expertise in service design is FOURDIGIT.

We sat down with Bee Informatica’s Founder & CEO Fumiko Inada and CBO/CPO Syed Asif, along with FOURDIGIT’s leadership team, to explore the origins of the business, the power of cross-border collaboration, and their shared vision for the future.

— Ms. Inada, could you tell us about the origins of Bee Informatica?

Inada
While volunteering at shelters for street children in Vietnam and Cambodia during my student years, I felt a strong desire to work on solving social issues in developing countries. I began my career in finance to gain specialized knowledge, spending about 11 years in the sector. Then I came across the news that Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank had won the Nobel Peace Prize, and it hit me—this is it. That moment sparked my decision to pursue microfinance, where my financial background could intersect with my passion for social impact.

Later, I encountered a Japanese tech company that helped me recognize the potential of combining microfinance with technology. That led me to establish Bee Informatica in Malaysia in 2018, a country with a strong digital infrastructure and robust support for startups.

— Why did you choose Malaysia as your base among so many possible countries?

Inada
After evaluating options with our CTO, who is from Bangladesh, we found that Malaysia offered excellent government support for startups and solid digital infrastructure. English is widely spoken, the cost of living is relatively low, and the business environment is highly favorable. While some microfinance companies already existed, I wanted to expand access by leveraging digital convenience—Malaysia was the perfect place to do that.

— A few years into the business, Bee Informatica began scaling up. That’s when Mr. Asif joined as CBO. How did that come about?

Asif
I met Ms. Inada around 2024, when the company was gaining momentum and preparing for its seed funding round. I was introduced by Kenny, who was advising her at the time. Hearing about her mission—how she wanted to support small business owners in Southeast Asia struggling with access to finance—deeply resonated with me. It aligned with the challenges I had long felt in the fintech industry. I instantly thought, I want to bet on her vision. I also saw enormous potential in the lack of digitization in Malaysia’s financial services sector.

— How did you first connect with FOURDIGIT?

Yokoyama
We met Ms. Inada at a local event in Malaysia in July 2024. I was struck by the depth of her mission and her passion.

Suenari
At FOURDIGIT, we’ve worked on service design for major Japanese corporations, but we also devote ourselves to using design to address social challenges. With our background in finance-related projects, we immediately felt that Ms. Inada’s vision of financial inclusion was an area where we could truly contribute.

Inada
The timing was almost fateful—we were right in the final stages of our seed fundraising. Just one week after our first conversation, they made the decision to invest. I was genuinely amazed at how fast they moved.

Taguchi
Having started FOURDIGIT as a startup ourselves, we understand how tough it is to allocate resources and prioritize design—even when you know how critical it is. Hiring dedicated designers at that stage is often unrealistic. So we knew our role needed to be more than a vendor.

As Suenari mentioned, we also strongly believe in solving social issues through design. That’s why we chose to support Bee Informatica both as an investor and as a committed design partner.

— Ms. Inada, what was your perception of “design” at that point?

Inada
Honestly, I hadn’t given it a single thought! (laughs) At the time, securing our digital lending license was our top priority. The government’s requirements focused solely on functionality. Even though I was familiar with terms like UI/UX, I didn’t see it as critical.

Suenari
That’s a common challenge for many startups. Which is exactly why early involvement from external design experts like us is so valuable. When you embed a user-centric mindset into business strategy from the start, you avoid costly rework later and increase the likelihood of success.

— In April 2025, your platform officially launched. What happened next in your collaboration with FOURDIGIT?

Inada
The moment we released the system, we were hit with reality. During the manual phase, issues were hidden—but once the system began interacting with customers, we saw significant drop-offs during the application process. Even if people landed on our page, they didn’t proceed. That’s when we realized we needed to rethink the entire experience from the user’s perspective.

Asif
Our target users—micro business owners—don’t necessarily have high digital literacy. What they wanted wasn’t a sleek design, but something that felt familiar—images of Malaysian streets and families, and an emphasis on “quick and easy.” Simplicity was everything.

Yokoyama
We haven’t yet redesigned the interface itself, but perfection isn’t the goal at first release. It’s about observing users, making adjustments through trial and error, and staying close to their needs—that’s what really matters.

Suenari
One of the biggest advantages startups have is speed. If leadership feels something isn’t working, they can pivot quickly. We’ve matched that pace by building design systems, creating UI components, and even supporting pitch decks and PR materials—providing the right design resources for every stage. That level of agility simply wouldn’t be possible in a typical outsourced project.

Inada
One more big discovery: in Malaysia, a fully digital process can actually seem suspicious. When we relied only on chatbots, drop-off rates skyrocketed. Even if 90% of the process is digital, keeping one human touchpoint can make a huge difference in building trust.

— Finally, what’s next?

Inada
We’re now entering our “second phase.” As product owners, we’ll define strategy and work with FOURDIGIT to realize it through design. Our key focus areas are: enhancing UI/UX, optimizing AI-based assessments, obtaining Shariah compliance for Muslim customers, and our biggest challenge—expanding into the Indonesian market.

Asif
From a business development perspective, our focus is on how to bridge the gap with users through the power of design. There’s a lot to do, and we have high hopes for FOURDIGIT’s continued support.

Suenari
Our understanding of the business keeps deepening as we work together. With startups, plans rarely go exactly as written—things change by the day. But by staying close, stumbling together, and proposing the best solutions each time, we add real value through the process itself.

Taguchi
We’ve conducted extensive user research across Asia, helping organizations truly understand their users. We’re excited to bring that experience into Bee Informatica’s ongoing journey.

— It’s a true co-creation partnership. Thank you all for sharing your insights with us.