How Money Forward Turned Innovation
from a Value into a Daily Experience
Money Forward, Chennai
Design & Build
19,874 SFT
the initial space was functional, but uninspiring.
The Challenge
In the world of digital finance, where disruption moves faster than regulation, a company’s competitive edge lies in its ability to scale talent and accelerate product development across borders. For Japan-headquartered fintech Money Forward, expanding into India was a strategic move, not to cut costs, but to build a high-impact Global Capability Centre (GCC) that could drive core technology and innovation.
But soon after setting up its Chennai office, a challenge surfaced: How do you attract the best tech talent when your office feels like an outpost, not an innovation hub?
The initial space was functional, but uninspiring. It lacked spatial cues for collaboration, didn’t reflect the brand’s purpose, and offered no connection to the cultural or personal aspirations of its growing India team.
In the world of digital finance, where disruption moves faster than regulation, a company’s competitive edge lies in its ability to scale talent and accelerate product development across borders. For ...read more
decoding the team’s real needs: flexibility, identity, and inspiration
The Solution
Recognising that talent experience is central to capability-building, the leadership redefined their GCC, not as a cost centre, but as a value centre. The new design journey began by decoding the team’s real needs: flexibility, identity, and inspiration.
Key moves included:
Open, high-energy zones to support rapid team collaboration and ideation.
Quiet focus areas to enable deep, uninterrupted problem-solving.
This dual-mode environment mirrored how innovation happens, through cycles of convergence and concentration.
Traditional materials, such as raw timber, were paired with vibrant accent colours to visually express Money Forward’s identity in Chennai: deeply Japanese, boldly future-facing, with a touch of Indian culture. The design wasn’t just beautiful, it was intentional, telling a story of tradition and transformation.
Smart lighting, modular systems, and sustainable materials created a space that could flex as the organisation grew. The office was built not just to house teams, but to empower them—with the tools, systems, and spatial freedom they needed to operate at speed.
Throughout, every choice laddered back to the original challenge: converting innovation from a brand pillar into a lived, spatial experience for the India team.
Recognising that talent experience is central to capability-building, the leadership redefined their GCC, not as a cost centre, but as a value centre. The new design journey began by decoding the team...read more
cultural alignment, increased pride in the workplace, and helped attract top-tier talent who resonated with the brand’s forward-looking values
The Result
The result was a high-functioning, deeply human environment that aligned space with strategy.
Employees didn’t just talk about Money Forward’s mission, they experienced it. The space deepened cultural alignment, increased pride in the workplace, and helped attract top-tier talent who resonated with the brand’s forward-looking values.
No longer just an office, the new workplace became a value centre, supporting scaling ambitions, increasing productivity, and enhancing the company’s competitive edge in a fast-evolving fintech landscape.
The partnership between Money Forward and Space Matrix resulted in a space that doesn’t just follow the company’s journey, it accelerates it.
The result was a high-functioning, deeply human environment that aligned space with strategy.Employees didn’t just talk about Money Forward’s mission, they experienced it. The space deepened cultural ...read more
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