Interview with Steven Lee - CSO of Empowex
Today we had the chance to have a brief chat with the Chief Sales Officer of Empowex.
-They specialize in assisting brokers to obtain licenses and setting up their trading platforms.-
Steven was kind enough to answer a few questions for us, here is what we spoke about:
·Geographic Strategy & Target Markets
L24: Hong Kong has long served as the premier gateway for Asian financial services, but cross-border demand is shifting rapidly. Which specific jurisdictions—such as the UAE (DFSA/VARA), South East Asia, or European hubs—are you prioritizing for your firm’s physical and operational expansion, and what market signals driven that decision?
S: Hong Kong remains an important base for us because of its credibility and strong connection with the Asian financial-services market. However, as a licensing service provider, our business is naturally cross-border, and our team can support clients from different locations without requiring a large physical office in every jurisdiction.
Asia is currently our strongest market. We have built a strong network and reputation there, and many of our clients come through referrals. This gives us a solid foundation, especially among brokers, crypto exchanges, and other financial-services companies with an Asian background.
For expansion, we are paying close attention to the UAE, Southeast Asia, and selected European jurisdictions. The UAE is particularly interesting because of its growing role in digital assets, fintech, and international financial services. We also see demand from clients who want to establish regulated structures in credible jurisdictions as they expand internationally.
Our goal is not to focus only on companies from a particular country. We focus on the jurisdictions where clients need licences and where market demand is growing. Going forward, we plan to increase our visibility outside Asia through international exhibitions, partnerships, and targeted marketing, while continuing to maintain close, in-person relationships with key clients and industry contacts.
·Adapting to Regulatory Evolution & Digital Assets –
L24: Regulators globally are tightening standards around retail trading, leverage limits, and virtual asset service provider (VASP) frameworks. How are you positioning your advisory services to help brokerages navigate these shifting compliance hurdles without sacrificing their speed-to-market?
S: Regulation is becoming much more important for both brokerages and crypto businesses. Regulators are focusing more on investor protection, transparency, AML controls, governance, and proper risk management.
At the same time, clients and traders are becoming more sophisticated. They do not only look at marketing offers or trading conditions. They also look at whether a firm is credible, well managed, and able to protect clients properly. This is why a regulated structure can make a real difference to long-term trust and business sustainability.
Our role is to help clients turn regulatory requirements into a practical market-entry strategy. First, we study their business model, including their target clients, products, target markets, leverage model, and whether their activities involve traditional brokerage services, virtual assets, or both.
Then, we help them select a suitable jurisdiction and build the right structure from the start. This may include preparing the corporate structure, business plan, compliance manuals, AML and KYC policies, risk-management framework, and other application documents.
To maintain speed-to-market, we focus heavily on early preparation and clear project management. We identify potential gaps at an early stage, organise the workstream efficiently, and coordinate all relevant parties. We do not try to bypass regulatory requirements. Instead, we help clients avoid delays by making sure they are properly prepared before submitting an application.
·Service Stack Diversification
L24: Brokerage clients increasingly seek turnkey solutions that go beyond initial license acquisition to include risk operations, bridge routing, and ongoing regulatory reporting. How is your firm expanding its service portfolio to capture value across the entire operational lifecycle of a brokerage?
S:Licensing is our core expertise, but we understand that a brokerage needs much more than a licence in order to operate successfully.
After licensing, clients may need technology providers, trading platforms, bridge and liquidity solutions, payment providers, compliance support, risk-operation support, and assistance with ongoing regulatory reporting. We do not try to provide every service ourselves. Instead, we have developed a trusted network of specialist partners in these areas.
Our role is to understand the client’s business model and operational needs, then connect them with suitable providers. Where appropriate, we also help coordinate the initial discussions so that the licensing structure, technology setup, payment solution, and operational model are aligned from the beginning.
This allows us to support clients throughout their journey—from licence application to operational launch and ongoing compliance—while remaining focused on what we do best: licensing and regulatory advisory.
·Competitive Positioning & Moat
L24: The market for corporate service providers and licensing advisories ranges from boutique regional agencies to global magic circle firms. What core operational or strategic advantage sets your firm apart when competing for mandates from institutional and high-growth retail brokers?
S: In our industry, reputation and credibility are everything. Clients are not simply buying a licence application service. They are choosing an adviser for an important part of their market-entry and long-term regulatory strategy.
Our advantage is that we combine a strong reputation in the Asian brokerage and digital-asset market with practical licensing experience and a very hands-on service approach. A large part of our business comes from repeat clients and referrals, which we believe reflects the trust clients place in our team.
We are also a focused and agile team. Clients can speak directly with experienced people who understand both the licensing process and the commercial needs behind it. We do not offer a one-size-fits-all solution. We look at the client’s products, target market, business model, operational setup, and expansion plan before recommending a regulatory route.
Finally, we take a long-term approach. We support clients not only during the licence application, but also by connecting them with trusted industry partners when they need technology, payment, liquidity, compliance, or other operational support.
Our moat is therefore built on trust, specialised knowledge, speed of communication, and a strong referral ecosystem. These are difficult to replicate quickly, even for larger firms.
·Operational Scaling & Advisory Tech
L24: Scaling a high-touch advisory business often creates tension between customized consultancy and operational efficiency. How are you leveraging technology, automation, or specialized platforms to streamline application pipelines as your client volume grows?
S: We see technology as an enabler, not a replacement for professional advisory.
Our clients are often founders, directors, and C-level executives. For a licensing project, they need more than automated updates. They need experienced advisers who understand their business model, regulatory risks, and long-term commercial strategy.
Therefore, we use technology mainly to improve the operational side of the process. This includes tracking application progress, managing documents, monitoring deadlines, using internal checklists, and following up on missing information. These tools reduce administrative work, improve consistency, and help us manage a larger number of projects efficiently.
However, the strategic and relationship-driven parts of the work remain personal. Jurisdiction selection, regulatory strategy, complex structuring, and key client discussions are handled directly by our team.
So our model is simple: we automate repetitive processes, but we keep professional judgment and client relationships human.
·Growth Delivery: Organic vs. Strategic Alliances
L24: As you execute this growth plan, is your strategy focused primarily on organic expansion—such as establishing regional offices—or are you actively exploring joint ventures, M&A with local compliance outfits, and formal distribution partnerships with trading technology providers?
S: Our current strategy is mainly organic growth, supported by strategic alliances.
We believe our first priority is to maintain and strengthen the trust we have built with existing clients. In our business, reputation, repeat clients, and referrals are the foundation of sustainable growth.
At the same time, we are building stronger partnerships with payment providers, technology providers, liquidity providers, and other industry specialists. These partnerships help us support clients beyond licensing, while also creating a healthy referral ecosystem.
For now, we are not rushing to open offices in every market or to pursue M&A simply for growth.
We prefer an asset-light and relationship-driven approach: first build market awareness, meet clients and partners, understand the local market, and establish a trusted network. Once there is sufficient client demand and a clear strategic case, we can consider a more permanent local presence.