With a growing focus on ESG innovation, UOB Finlab Thailand is helping to scale green technology startups through a regional platform that connects fintechs with pressing sustainability priorities
As banks increasingly become enablers of sustainable transformation, the intersection between environmental and social governance (ESG) goals and fintech innovation is coming into sharper focus. UOB Finlab Thailand, through its active participation in its parent company UOB’s GreenTech Accelerator 2024 programme, is building a collaborative model that brings startups, corporates and financiers into the same room to co-create solutions across carbon tracking, waste management and climate-conscious growth.
Climate meets capital
The GreenTech Accelerator spans Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, with over 350 fintech and green tech applications across 46 countries. UOB Finlab Thailand played a leading role in structuring the Thailand chapter of the programme, working alongside 27 partners and more than 30 mentors to deliver pilot-ready solutions in areas including energy efficiency, sustainable urban design and emissions reporting.
Unlike conventional accelerators, this initiative was grounded in specific sustainability challenges posed by SMEs and corporates. Finalists were paired with mentors from UOB Finlab Thailand and ecosystem players such as Techsauce, the National Innovation Agency and Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, enabling access to funding, customers and technical expertise.
UOB Finlab Thailand’s leadership was not limited to mentorship. With multiple senior executives directly engaged – including mentors from both Thailand and group-wide functions – the bank positioned itself as a key orchestrator of Thailand’s green fintech ecosystem. Its involvement extended from strategy to execution, underscoring a whole-bank commitment to innovation.
Financing impact
Through the GreenTech Accelerator 2024, UOB Finlab has contributed more than just guidance; it has created scalable access to green finance and real-world pilots, with up to SGD100,000 ($74,518) in funding available for deployable solutions. The bank is leveraging its broader ASEAN presence and fintech network to give visibility and opportunity to early-stage innovators working in ESG. In doing so, the accelerator has reinforced fintech’s role in advancing a broader ESG agenda in the ASEAN region, aligning directly with the region’s climate transition goals.
This proactive partnership model positions UOB Finlab Thailand as a conduit between sustainability imperatives and startup innovation, reaffirming its role as an ESG and fintech enabler in the region. These efforts have been formally recognised with the Best Fintech Partnership award at the Retail Banker International Asia Trailblazer Awards 2025.