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Notes from the finance seat

Written from inside client engagements rather than from a marketing calendar, which is why there are not many of them.

Most of what is written about finance in this region is either a compliance checklist or a sales page wearing a blog post as a disguise. These are neither. They are the answers we end up giving repeatedly on first calls: why a dormant Thai company still costs money every year, why the Singapore audit exemption is easier to lose than to gain, and why almost any company can close its books in five working days without hiring anyone.

If you want the statutory detail for a specific market rather than an argument, the country pages carry the filing calendars in full: Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. If you want a view on your own numbers, the financial health check is free.

  • Leadership · October 2026

    Crisis management: five lessons from the prosecutor of the Paris attacks

    François Molins led the judicial response to the 13 November 2015 attacks in Paris. At The French Catalyst in Bangkok, he shared how his office held together that night. Five lessons on crisis plans, delegation, stakeholders and communication, what they look like in an SME's finance function, and a one-page finance crisis plan. Also in French.

  • Tax · October 2026

    Thailand tax agenda 2027: my takeaways from the Revenue Department session

    My notes from the FTCC CFO Committee session with the Revenue Department. Transfer pricing documentation notices have started, end-user software fees are no longer royalties, Pillar 2 filings are due in June 2027, and VAT refunds still mean an audit. What to do about each. Also in Thai and French.

  • ERP migration · September 2026

    Why ERP migrations (almost) always fail

    Go-live is where the risk starts, not where it ends. Invoices stuck in draft, banks unreconciled for months, opening balances that miss the audited accounts, and Thai VAT and withholding tax rebuilt by hand in a spreadsheet. What goes wrong in the six months after, and the order to fix it in. Also in Thai.

  • ERP migration · September 2026

    Migrating a chart of accounts to a new ERP without losing the history

    The chart of accounts is the finance team's job, not the implementer's. How to map old codes to new, cut over the balances on one date, and keep five years of history readable. Also in Thai.

  • Regional groups · September 2026

    Does a subsidiary need its own audit? Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong

    A group audit does not replace the local statutory audit. Thailand audits every company, Hong Kong nearly every company, and Singapore tests the group as well as the entity.

  • Keynote · September 2026

    The Fractional Growth Engine

    Slides and summary of the afternoon keynote at Finance ReImagined Thailand 2026: how on-demand CFOs drive expansion in an uncertain economy, and why the CFO seat is becoming modular. The deck is free to download.

  • AI & automation · August 2026

    What rebuilding our own website taught us about AI in finance

    We took smecfo.asia from sixth to first on Google for "fractional CFO Thailand" in a day, without writing code. The method behind it is the one we now use inside client finance functions.

  • Financial Clarity & Reporting · May 2026

    How to close the books on the fifth working day

    Most SMEs can reach a fifth working day close within a quarter without hiring. The constraint is rarely headcount. It is an unwritten close calendar.

  • Singapore compliance · April 2026

    Audit exemptions in Singapore: easy to qualify for, easy to lose

    Singapore's small company audit exemption is tested on the group and on two preceding years. Growing companies cross it and find out far too late.

  • Thailand compliance · March 2026

    Your dormant Thai company still needs an audit

    Thailand requires every registered company to file audited accounts yearly, including dormant ones. What that means, what it costs, and the options.

  • Financial Clarity & Reporting · January 2026

    Financial Clarity in 2026: A Fractional CFO View

    Most companies are not short of data. They are short of clear, decision-ready financial insight. A fractional CFO perspective for SMEs across Asia.