As economies crash, Sea stands tall on its three pillars

Sea has built a US$74 billion business on the back of its gaming, e-commerce, and fintech verticals. As it looks to forge ahead on all three fronts, it's proving why it’s the world’s hottest tech stock right now

Sea’s stock has surged 675% since March 2019—better than any other blue-chip stock

Covid-19 helped its e-commerce arm Shopee grow orders and revenue by over 100%

Its gaming business Garena, buoyed by battle royale hit Free Fire, is the cash cow funding Shopee’s growth

Its fintech arm is focussing on Southeast Asia’s largest economy, Indonesia, while also hoping to win a digital bank licence in Singapore

A few years ago, it seemed unthinkable that the world’s hottest tech stock could hail from anywhere other than the US. That it could be Southeast Asian was an even more preposterous idea. In 2020, though, Singapore-based Sea Ltd is giving the likes of Google, Tesla, and Facebook a run for their money.

The 11-year-old consumer internet company went public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in October 2017, raising over US$1 billion. But it wasn’t until last year that it truly began to take off.

A 675% surge in its stock price since March 2019 betters any other blue-chip stock.

AUTHOR

Jon Russell

Jon Russell is Southeast Asia editor for The Ken based in Bangkok. Originally from the UK, Jon moved to Thailand in 2008. He’s passionate about telling thoughtful business stories, and tracking the impact of the internet in his adopted home of Southeast Asia.

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