Scaling with confidence: How BIPO is helping HR teams navigate global growth

The Singapore-headquartered company plans to invest in AI and product development as cross-border growth raises the demands on payroll and HR teams.

This article is brought to you by BIPO.

As businesses scale their operations across new global markets, HR leaders are navigating a more complex workforce landscape. BIPO combines local expertise, connected HR technology and new investment in AI to help companies manage that complexity with greater confidence.

For companies expanding overseas, the challenge does not end when they enter a new market. It starts with building the workforce to support that growth – hiring talents, running payroll, meeting local employment regulations and managing teams across countries with very different rules and business environments.

As that footprint grows, so does the complexity. A regional HR team may be managing different payroll cycles, statutory requirements and workforce practices across multiple markets, while still needing a clear view of its people and costs.

The question is no longer simply how to hire internationally, but how to build the infrastructure to support a workforce that spans borders.

That is becoming increasingly relevant as businesses expand across Southeast Asia and beyond. BIPO’s recent US$50mn investment from Apis Partners is aimed at strengthening the company’s global payroll and HR technology platform, with further investment in AI, product development and R&D.

The timing reflects a broader shift in how companies are growing. For business leaders, every new market adds its own employment regulations, statutory obligations and pay cycles for HR and payroll teams to manage.

“Southeast Asia brings mature economies and high-growth markets within reach of businesses operating across the region,” said Albert Liew, Managing Director, Southeast Asia at BIPO (pictured below). “The organisations that succeed are the ones that can scale their workforce as quickly as they scale the business.”

That challenge was also a recurring theme at an exclusive, in-person leadership exchange hosted by BIPO at The Westin Singapore on 14 October, where more than 100 C-suite executives and senior HR professionals discussed the realities of managing workforce growth across the region.

For BIPO, that is where its investment in connected infrastructure and AI comes in.

Payroll built for local requirements

BIPO has built its business around 26 proprietary payroll engines covering markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, mainland China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Each reflects local statutory regulations, such as CPF contributions in Singapore, EPF contributions in Malaysia, and BPJS contributions in Indonesia. When regulations change, BIPO updates the relevant payroll engines, so the new requirements apply accurately in the clients' next payroll run.

Connecting people data and payroll

The company connects payroll with its cloud-based HR Management System (HRMS), giving HR teams a shared view of employee records, time and attendance, leave management and claims across markets. Employees can access payslips and key information through its mobile app, while managers can use BIPO’s Athena BI to review workforce data.

Now, BIPO is taking that connected approach one step further, using its investment in AI and product development to enhance how its technology and services are delivered. The aim is to shorten onboarding and payroll processing times for companies operating in multiple countries – with AI taking on more routine tasks, while payroll specialists bring the local expertise needed for compliance decisions.

Recognition across Asia Pacific

The company has also been named a Major Contender in Everest Group’s Multi-Country Payroll Solutions PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025 for the fourth consecutive year.

Most recently, BIPO won three Gold awards at HR Vendors of the Year Singapore 2026, for Best HR Automation Solution, Best HRMS (Enterprise), and Best HRMS (SMB), adding to the recognition it has received at the awards across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia since 2018.

For senior HR leaders managing a regional workforce, one priority stands out: having a single, connected view of people, payroll, and workforce data across markets, without losing the flexibility to meet each country’s specific requirements. BIPO unites HR technology, global payroll outsourcing and Employer of Record (EOR) solutions on one platform, giving HR teams greater visibility, stronger local support and more room to focus on the people decisions that come with growth.

To learn more about BIPO’s global payroll and HRMS solutions, visit: www.biposervice.com

All photos / BIPO