For more than two decades, my career has taken me across Southeast Asia, where I have had the privilege of living and working alongside people from many different cultures. What began as a profession gradually became something far more personal.
Living in Thailand for more than thirteen years gave me the opportunity to experience the region beyond tourism. Through work and countless journeys, I came to appreciate the unique character of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and the wider Southeast Asian region. Every country had its own stories to tell—through its people, architecture, traditions, languages, art and history. The more I explored, the more I realised these places were no longer simply destinations. In their own quiet way, they had become part of my life.
There was one thought that stayed with me throughout those years.
We are only born once. We inherit one nationality, one culture and one history. Yet there were so many cultures I had come to admire and appreciate.
I realised that while I could never truly belong to every country, perhaps I could still carry a small part of them with me.
Over time, I began to see historical banknotes and coins differently.
They are far more than currency.
Each piece is a miniature work of art, carefully created to reflect the identity of a nation at a particular moment in history. Every engraved portrait, every symbol, every typeface, every intricate pattern and every choice of material—whether paper, silver or copper—captures the spirit of its era. They are fragments of history, quietly frozen in time.
Collecting these pieces became my way of staying connected to the places that had become part of my life. Whenever I hold a banknote from Laos, a silver coin from Cambodia, a note from the Straits Settlements or a piece from British Malaya, I am reminded not only of the history they represent, but also of the journeys, friendships and cultures that continue to shape the way I see the world.
That is why I founded Straits & Indochina.
It is not simply a collection, nor merely a place to buy and sell historical currency.
It is a reflection of the journeys, places and cultures that have shaped my life.
Because history is more than something we read.
Sometimes, we can hold it in our hands.