Longbridge Names Gavin Chia as Singapore and Regional CEO, Southeast Asia, Marking a New Chapter for the AI-powered digital Brokerage

SINGAPORE, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Longbridge, the AI-powered digital brokerage, has appointed Gavin Chia as Singapore and Regional CEO, Southeast Asia, effective 5 May 2026. Chia brings more than 18 years of experience in financial services and was instrumental in building moomoo Singapore from a startup into one of the country's leading retail brokerages.

The hire is the most senior local appointment Longbridge has made since and comes as the firm consolidates a series of strategic moves, including obtaining a Capital Markets Services licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and announcing its first physical location — into a coherent push for market leadership in the region.

An Executive Move with Industry Significance

Singapore is one of Asia's most fiercely competitive digital brokerage markets, with several leading platforms, such as Longbridge, moomoo, Tiger Brokers and Webull. Industry observers are largely in agreement that in the next few years, the landscape will be shaped by AI and technological capability, and the ability to localize and adapt to each country's local environment.

With Gavin joining Longbridge, this clearly demarcates Longbridge's dedication towards improving on both fronts.

A Proven Builder for a New Growth Phase

Gavin Chia is one of Singapore's most experienced digital brokerage executives. As moomoo's CEO in Singapore, he led the business from inception to become one of the leading digital brokerages in the market. He subsequently served as CEO of IG Singapore & Emerging Markets, deepening his track record of driving growth, product expansion, and market leadership across the region.

His deep familiarity with the MAS regulatory landscape, local retail investor behaviour, and the operational realities of scaling a brokerage in Southeast Asia makes him a highly strategic appointment for Longbridge at this stage of its growth.

At Longbridge, Gavin will have full ownership of operations, regulatory affairs, product localization, and team-building across Singapore and Southeast Asia.

"What attracted me to Longbridge is its strong technology foundation and clear ambition to redefine the brokerage experience through AI. I see a strong alignment between Longbridge's vision and my own belief that the future of investing lies at the intersection of technology, product innovation, and user experience. The opportunity to build and scale this in the region, together with a forward-looking team, was particularly compelling."

— Gavin Chia, Singapore and Regional CEO, Southeast Asia, Longbridge

What "AI-First" Means in Practice

For Gavin, an AI-first brokerage goes beyond a product feature, it is a foundational philosophy about how the entire client experience is designed and delivered.

"To me, an AI-first brokerage is one where AI is not just a feature, but embedded across the entire client journey, from onboarding and education, to idea generation, execution, and risk management. AI is fundamentally reshaping how people invest. It lowers the barrier to entry by simplifying complex information, enables more personalised insights at scale, and helps investors make more informed decisions in real time. Over time, we hope to see investing become more intuitive, data-driven, and accessible, where technology augments, rather than replaces, human judgement."

— Gavin Chia, Regional CEO, Southeast Asia, Longbridge

Longbridge is among a small number of digital brokerages globally to have embedded AI at the product architecture level, across investment research, trading assistance, and customer insights. This commitment to innovation extends beyond AI. Longbridge made history in 2025 by launching the world's first U.S. stock options pre-market trading, a milestone that underscores its position at the frontier of brokerage technology. A central part of Gavin's mandate will be to bring these capabilities to investors across Southeast Asia, in a form that is locally relevant and meets the regulatory requirements of each market.

"We are delighted to have Gavin on board. Over the past few months, we have laid a great deal of groundwork for this Singapore chapter, including our MAS licence, platform infrastructure, product suite, and the Longbridge Cafe Singapore physical space. But to weave all of that into a business that is truly rooted locally, we needed a leader who both understands Longbridge's global vision and is deeply familiar with Singapore's local landscape."

— Nowa Zhu, Group CEO, Longbridge

Longbridge's Growing Footprint in Singapore

Gavin's appointment is the latest milestone in a series of concrete moves Longbridge has made in Singapore over the past six months:

• Licensed operations: Long Bridge Securities Pte. Ltd. holds a Capital Markets Services licence (CMS Licence No. CMS101211) issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and operates as an Exempt Financial Adviser.
• Physical presence: On 30 April 2026, Longbridge announced the launch of Longbridge Cafe Singapore — located above Guoco Tower / Tanjong Pagar MRT station and expected to open in September 2026. It will be Longbridge's first physical overseas location.
• Local leadership: On 5 May 2026, Gavin Chia joined as Regional CEO, Southeast Asia.

Taken together, Longbridge has established what observers are calling a complete "localization loop" in Singapore: a licensed entity, a physical space, and a local leader with the mandate and experience to execute. This combination remains uncommon among digital brokerages operating in the market.

About Longbridge Securities Singapore

Longbridge Securities is an AI-Powered online brokerage headquartered in Singapore. By building global trading infrastructure and a trading network, it delivers best-in-class trading experiences to investors worldwide. Founded in March 2019, Longbridge holds 22 financial regulatory licenses or qualifications across the U.S., Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, and other markets, and has secured more than US$150 million in strategic investment from leading financial institutions and investment firms. Long Bridge Securities Pte. Ltd. is a licensed entity regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) (Capital Markets Services Licence No.: CMS101211), holding a Capital Markets Services Licence and operating under an exempt financial adviser status.

Disclaimer

Long Bridge Securities Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 202111825D) provides an execution-only service. All investments carry risk. Please refer to the Risk Disclosure Statement on our website for details. This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

This commitment to innovation extends beyond AI — Longbridge made history in 2025 by launching the world's first U.S. stock options pre-market trading, a milestone that underscores its position at the frontier of brokerage technology.

source: Longbridge