Hong Kong fintech Lendela taps banking veteran and ex-FundPark executive in bid to expand loan matching model

The appointment marks Lendela’s push to accelerate growth and strengthen partnerships in the region.

Hong Kong — Lendela, Hong Kong’s first and only loan matching platform, has appointed banking veteran Johnson Tsang as its new General Manager to lead its next phase of growth in the region. 

With over a decade of experience across financial services, fintech, and consumer tech, Johnson’s appointment underscores Lendela’s confidence in Hong Kong’s market potential and signals its commitment to offering safer, quicker, and more transparent loan options to borrowers.

Johnson joins Lendela after serving in the leadership team at FundPark, a Goldman Sachs and HSBC-backed fintech lender, where he played a key role in driving fundraising and strategic projects, resulting in significant profit growth. 

Before FundPark, he spearheaded the launch of Zenyum’s consumer business in Hong Kong, where he successfully scaled revenue by over 20 times and grew the customer base to more than 20,000 in less than two years. His earlier banking career at MUFG Bank saw him leading strategic initiatives in digital transformation and process improvement across multiple markets.

Johnson’s unique experience melding traditional banking expertise with startup execution sets him up well to accelerate Lendela’s expansion in Hong Kong, deepen its partnerships with financial institutions, and further enhance its platform’s customer experience. 

Lendela’s Hong Kong General Manager, Johnson Tsang said: “Lendela’s mission to put borrowers in control of their financing options while radically reducing acquisition costs for lenders is an innovation that the market really needs. With Hong Kong’s financial ecosystem becoming increasingly diverse and complex, and within the context of an uncertain global economy, I see a real opportunity for Lendela to scale its reverse auction model and enable a more transparent and equitable lending industry.”

Apart from deeper partnerships with financial institutions, Johnson’s appointment is expected to bring fresh strategic direction and operational excellence to Lendela as it continues to disrupt Hong Kong’s lending landscape.

Empowering borrowers & lenders

Since the start of 2024, Lendela has grown its global headcount by nearly 30 percent with a series of hires across all levels, and scaled its operation in Hong Kong to serve a rapidly growing user base, having facilitated HK$4.3 billion in loans requested over 2024. 

The fintech platform has facilitated over 400,000 loan applications to date and counts well over 100 lenders across the region as partners, including some of the largest lenders in Hong Kong and Singapore—proving the model’s ability to empower borrowers and lenders alike.

By providing borrowers with real, personalised loan options instead of generic advertised rates, Lendela has saved its users a combined HK$243 million in interest on average in 2024 alone, helping hundreds of thousands of borrowers secure their most competitive financing options at a time when Hongkongers have had to borrow to cope with the rising cost of living.

In 2024, the company became the first and only fintech headquartered outside Hong Kong to join the portfolio of Wings Capital Ventures, a prominent Hong Kong-based venture capital firm focused on fintech startups, including most prominently, Insurtech giant Bowtie and fintech unicorn WeLab.

The personal lending markets in Hong Kong and the broader Asia Pacific region are undergoing significant transformation, driven by digital innovation, shifting consumer behaviours, and macroeconomic dynamics. Hong Kong’s licensed money lending sector has demonstrated steady growth, with unsecured personal loans reaching HK$108 billion in mid-2024, while the Asia Pacific alternative lending market is projected to expand from HK$2.3 trillion in 2023 to HK$3.5 trillion by 2028.

For media inquiries, interviews, or expert commentary on fintech, financial services, and digital lending, please contact:

Jason Yip
Head of Marketing (Hong Kong)
[email protected]

About Lendela
Founded in 2018, Lendela is a fast-growing fintech on a mission to simplify financing and enable greater financial access. The platform matches borrowers with personalised loan options through a simple application, empowering borrowers with choice and transparency while offering an alternative to the cumbersome and opaque traditional lending landscape. Since its inception, Lendela has facilitated over 400,000 loan applications alongside more than 100 lending partners. In 2023, Lendela successfully raised US$5 million in an oversubscribed Series A to scale its unique model across Asia Pacific. The company’s backers include Singlife co-founder Walter de Oude’s Chocolate Ventures as well as prominent Hong Kong fintech VC firm Wings Capital Ventures. Lendela currently serves customers in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Australia.