SOFT LANDERS: "Expatriate Expenses Consolidated into One Invoice without Advance Out-of-Pocket Payments"
SOFT LANDERS: "Expatriate Expenses Consolidated into One Invoice without Advance Out-of-Pocket Payments"
Posted May. 23, 2026 12:25,
- SOFT LANDERS simplifies overseas assignments by consolidating expatriate-related expenses into a single One-Invoice platform, reducing out-of-pocket payments and manual HR and finance work.
- Currently used by more than 250 corporate clients, including NAVER, KOGAS, LUNIT, and KT, the platform improves operational efficiency for enterprises and payment predictability for relocation service providers. SK hynix also began using the service this year.
- Building on accumulated settlement data, the company is preparing an AI-based expatriate compensation benchmarking service while expanding its diversified fintech-enabled revenue model.
Expatriates heading overseas prepare basic living arrangements, such as housing and vehicles, as well as payment methods in advance. Even with thorough preparation, unexpected situations always arise. Among these challenges, expense issues cause the greatest distress for expatriates. These include situations when corporate spending limits or early-stage eligibility issues make credit card use difficult just as cash runs short, when large expenses must be paid out of pocket, or when receipts required for expense verification are lost.
Companies face similar difficulties when dispatching expatriates. Every country handles relocation support service costs—including monthly rent, vehicles, insurance, education, flights, and visas—differently. Settling these monthly expenses through various channels, such as receipts, tax invoices, and overseas remittance records, creates a significant administrative burden. While companies can use relocation service providers, processing times can extend beyond expectations if communication is inefficient or if these providers use invoices with varying types and formats.
The startup SOFT LANDERS resolves these inconveniences through a global corporate payment and settlement platform that conveniently bundles essential elements for expatriate relocation and settlement, including visas, moving services, insurance, housing, vehicles, education, consulting, and airline tickets.
Manju Han, who leads SOFT LANDERS, previously worked as an expatriate in Australia and Ireland. While personally researching vehicles, housing, and insurance, he happened to meet a German expatriate. This individual easily resolved issues surrounding vehicles, housing, and insurance through an expatriate relocation support service, facilitating seamless payments while also enjoying leisure activities. Realizing that several relocation support service companies overseas were already publicly listed—some with histories spanning more than a century—Manju Han decided to establish his own business.
Upon returning to South Korea, CEO Manju Han researched corporate global expansion and dispatch support strategies during his master's and doctoral studies, while carrying out human resources projects for major domestic enterprises, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Company. Throughout this process, he precisely analyzed the distinct pain points experienced by expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers. Based on these insights, he envisioned a global corporate payment and settlement platform.
The global corporate payment and settlement platform developed by SOFT LANDERS assists expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers alike. When moving abroad, expatriates often pay large upfront expenses out of pocket for housing, insurance, and relocation before submitting reimbursement claims to their employers. This directly translates into a significant financial burden. In some instances, this burden can even lead to an unexpected tax liability. Expatriates also face the inconvenience of long waiting periods to open local bank accounts and obtain credit cards.
Corporations must manually process monthly expenditure approvals, receipts, and tax verification documents for their expatriates. Performing these tasks manually naturally increases the workload for responsible staff and leads to frequent errors. Relocation service providers also face various hardships. Although they require immediate funds for labor and operating costs, corporate clients often settle payments much later, often putting these providers under cash-flow pressure. Because they provide intangible services, securing operating capital through loans remains a significant hurdle.
SOFT LANDERS consolidates all expatriate-related expenses into a single invoice and unified payment method through its global corporate payment and settlement platform. This allows expatriates to handle payments easily via the platform without upfront out-of-pocket payments or financial strain, enabling them to focus entirely on their work. Finance and human resources departments of dispatching corporations can also use this platform to execute and settle monthly payments more easily.
Relocation service providers receive monthly settlements through SOFT LANDERS rather than requiring upfront payments from expatriates. Transacting within standardized processes for quotations, ordering, verification, and settlement facilitates seamless integration with large conglomerates and public institutions. Early settlement options can also be used following the necessary internal review.
After building its global corporate payment and settlement platform, SOFT LANDERS provided the service to conglomerates, mid-sized enterprises, small-and-medium businesses, public institutions, and startups dispatching expatriates to over 50 countries worldwide. Today, the platform is used by more than 250 corporate clients, including NAVER, KOGAS, LUNIT, and KT. SK hynix also began using SOFT LANDERS this year. Through these transactions, the company has accumulated operational data related to expatriate expense settlement. CEO Manju Han noted that repeat usage is high because the platform improves both operational efficiency and convenience for recurring expatriate expenditures.
Powered by these achievements, SOFT LANDERS is systematically executing its expansion roadmap. First, the company advanced its global corporate payment and settlement platform by leveraging the intellectual property of its expatriate dispatch data and integrated settlement architecture. A prime example includes features that interpret corporate dispatch policies alongside actual relocation and living-cost data to evaluate total costs, while establishing budgets and limits customized to an expatriate's rank, host country, and type of stay. Under the same mechanism, it can deliver tailored support for airline tickets, vehicles, insurance, and living conveniences optimized by corporate rank.
The company has also strengthened its financing pipeline. The objective is to provide expatriates and corporations with higher spending and settlement limits, more flexible settlement terms, and a highly competitive cost structure. This pipeline also creates faster, more convenient settlement opportunities and smoother cash flow for relocation service providers. An EarlyPay service is already operational to support this initiative. Consequently, SOFT LANDERS operates a diversified revenue model encompassing corporate memberships, transaction-based settlement fees, deferred-payment service fees, and EarlyPay structures. CEO Manju Han expressed his commitment to further optimizing the financing pipeline to deliver stability to expatriates and corporations, alongside scalability for relocation service providers.
Cooperation with global lifestyle service providers is also being strengthened. Historically, expatriates purchased or leased traditional housing and vehicles. Today, modern lifestyle services—such as Airbnb for renting specific accommodations for flexible durations and Uber for ride-hailing and mobility services—have surged in popularity. SOFT LANDERS plans to widen its relocation service partnerships to incorporate these lifestyle tech companies, providing greater convenience for both expatriates and corporations.
A particularly noteworthy aspect of the platform's advancement is the ‘Expatriate Compensation Data Benchmarking Subscription Service’. When assigning an expatriate, corporations must assemble appropriate compensation packages. Employees departing for overseas assignments also expect fair and equitable remuneration. However, the industry has historically lacked reliable benchmarks to align the compensation packages offered by corporations with the expectations of expatriates. Excessive compensation results in corporate cost waste, while inadequate packages can lead to diminished morale and talent attrition among expatriates.
CEO Manju Han has set out a plan to leverage artificial intelligence to analyze historical data from the global corporate payment and settlement platform for benchmarking purposes. The service analyzes anonymized and aggregated data encompassing corporate dispatch policies, expatriate ranks, host countries, cost-of-living categories, and actual settlement histories to benchmark appropriate compensation standards and expense levels.
For instance, suppose Company A needs to determine the appropriate allocation for housing, vehicles, insurance, education, and relocation costs when dispatching a manager-level expatriate to New York City. The Expatriate Compensation Data Benchmarking Subscription Service from SOFT LANDERS compares cost levels by country, rank, and category based on accumulated settlement data, helping corporations avoid packages that are either excessive or insufficient.
This benchmarking subscription service serves not only corporations but also prospective expatriates and individual professionals. Prior to departure, it empowers individuals to benchmark and propose compensation terms to their employers that reflect their rank, responsibilities, and personal circumstances.
This naturally bridges to another convenient feature of the platform: the AI-Driven Expense Optimization Service. Under this mechanism, artificial intelligence analyzes corporate and expatriate dispatch histories to forecast appropriate country-specific expenses, while automatically checking for excessive or missing convenience items. If this service is provided, SOFT LANDERS is expected to establish a holistic platform where expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers can grow together.
SOFT LANDERS has designated this year as its inflection point, mapping out growth strategies that include securing venture capital and applying for TIPS support. The firm is actively recruiting partners to execute individual growth initiatives, such as platform advancement, data commercialization, AI service development, and the optimization of its financing pipeline.
“By assisting with expatriate assignments across a diverse clientele—including startups, conglomerates, and public institutions—we have solidified the foundation of our global corporate payment and settlement platform,” stated CEO Manju Han. “Consequently, we have reduced the out-of-pocket spending burden on expatriates while delivering an integrated, single-invoice settlement structure to corporations. Leveraging the actual settlement datasets gathered through this process, we are currently advancing AI services that support corporate expatriate dispatch decisions and compensation benchmarks. We will continue evolving into a global payment and settlement platform that delivers differentiated value to expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers alike.”
By Joo-kyung Cha (racingcar@itdonga.com)
- Currently used by more than 250 corporate clients, including NAVER, KOGAS, LUNIT, and KT, the platform improves operational efficiency for enterprises and payment predictability for relocation service providers. SK hynix also began using the service this year.
- Building on accumulated settlement data, the company is preparing an AI-based expatriate compensation benchmarking service while expanding its diversified fintech-enabled revenue model.
Expatriates heading overseas prepare basic living arrangements, such as housing and vehicles, as well as payment methods in advance. Even with thorough preparation, unexpected situations always arise. Among these challenges, expense issues cause the greatest distress for expatriates. These include situations when corporate spending limits or early-stage eligibility issues make credit card use difficult just as cash runs short, when large expenses must be paid out of pocket, or when receipts required for expense verification are lost.
Companies face similar difficulties when dispatching expatriates. Every country handles relocation support service costs—including monthly rent, vehicles, insurance, education, flights, and visas—differently. Settling these monthly expenses through various channels, such as receipts, tax invoices, and overseas remittance records, creates a significant administrative burden. While companies can use relocation service providers, processing times can extend beyond expectations if communication is inefficient or if these providers use invoices with varying types and formats.
The startup SOFT LANDERS resolves these inconveniences through a global corporate payment and settlement platform that conveniently bundles essential elements for expatriate relocation and settlement, including visas, moving services, insurance, housing, vehicles, education, consulting, and airline tickets.
Manju Han, CEO of SOFT LANDERS / Source = SOFT LANDERS
Manju Han, who leads SOFT LANDERS, previously worked as an expatriate in Australia and Ireland. While personally researching vehicles, housing, and insurance, he happened to meet a German expatriate. This individual easily resolved issues surrounding vehicles, housing, and insurance through an expatriate relocation support service, facilitating seamless payments while also enjoying leisure activities. Realizing that several relocation support service companies overseas were already publicly listed—some with histories spanning more than a century—Manju Han decided to establish his own business.
Upon returning to South Korea, CEO Manju Han researched corporate global expansion and dispatch support strategies during his master's and doctoral studies, while carrying out human resources projects for major domestic enterprises, including Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor Company. Throughout this process, he precisely analyzed the distinct pain points experienced by expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers. Based on these insights, he envisioned a global corporate payment and settlement platform.
CEO Manju Han introducing SOFT LANDERS at the SparkLabs Demo Day / Source = SOFT LANDERS
The global corporate payment and settlement platform developed by SOFT LANDERS assists expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers alike. When moving abroad, expatriates often pay large upfront expenses out of pocket for housing, insurance, and relocation before submitting reimbursement claims to their employers. This directly translates into a significant financial burden. In some instances, this burden can even lead to an unexpected tax liability. Expatriates also face the inconvenience of long waiting periods to open local bank accounts and obtain credit cards.
Corporations must manually process monthly expenditure approvals, receipts, and tax verification documents for their expatriates. Performing these tasks manually naturally increases the workload for responsible staff and leads to frequent errors. Relocation service providers also face various hardships. Although they require immediate funds for labor and operating costs, corporate clients often settle payments much later, often putting these providers under cash-flow pressure. Because they provide intangible services, securing operating capital through loans remains a significant hurdle.
SOFT LANDERS participating in the 2025 Singapore FinTech Festival / Source = SOFT LANDERS
SOFT LANDERS consolidates all expatriate-related expenses into a single invoice and unified payment method through its global corporate payment and settlement platform. This allows expatriates to handle payments easily via the platform without upfront out-of-pocket payments or financial strain, enabling them to focus entirely on their work. Finance and human resources departments of dispatching corporations can also use this platform to execute and settle monthly payments more easily.
Relocation service providers receive monthly settlements through SOFT LANDERS rather than requiring upfront payments from expatriates. Transacting within standardized processes for quotations, ordering, verification, and settlement facilitates seamless integration with large conglomerates and public institutions. Early settlement options can also be used following the necessary internal review.
After building its global corporate payment and settlement platform, SOFT LANDERS provided the service to conglomerates, mid-sized enterprises, small-and-medium businesses, public institutions, and startups dispatching expatriates to over 50 countries worldwide. Today, the platform is used by more than 250 corporate clients, including NAVER, KOGAS, LUNIT, and KT. SK hynix also began using SOFT LANDERS this year. Through these transactions, the company has accumulated operational data related to expatriate expense settlement. CEO Manju Han noted that repeat usage is high because the platform improves both operational efficiency and convenience for recurring expatriate expenditures.
SOFT LANDERS operating an exhibition booth at 2025 Try Everything / Source = SOFT LANDERS
Powered by these achievements, SOFT LANDERS is systematically executing its expansion roadmap. First, the company advanced its global corporate payment and settlement platform by leveraging the intellectual property of its expatriate dispatch data and integrated settlement architecture. A prime example includes features that interpret corporate dispatch policies alongside actual relocation and living-cost data to evaluate total costs, while establishing budgets and limits customized to an expatriate's rank, host country, and type of stay. Under the same mechanism, it can deliver tailored support for airline tickets, vehicles, insurance, and living conveniences optimized by corporate rank.
The company has also strengthened its financing pipeline. The objective is to provide expatriates and corporations with higher spending and settlement limits, more flexible settlement terms, and a highly competitive cost structure. This pipeline also creates faster, more convenient settlement opportunities and smoother cash flow for relocation service providers. An EarlyPay service is already operational to support this initiative. Consequently, SOFT LANDERS operates a diversified revenue model encompassing corporate memberships, transaction-based settlement fees, deferred-payment service fees, and EarlyPay structures. CEO Manju Han expressed his commitment to further optimizing the financing pipeline to deliver stability to expatriates and corporations, alongside scalability for relocation service providers.
Cooperation with global lifestyle service providers is also being strengthened. Historically, expatriates purchased or leased traditional housing and vehicles. Today, modern lifestyle services—such as Airbnb for renting specific accommodations for flexible durations and Uber for ride-hailing and mobility services—have surged in popularity. SOFT LANDERS plans to widen its relocation service partnerships to incorporate these lifestyle tech companies, providing greater convenience for both expatriates and corporations.
SOFT LANDERS in a partnership meeting with a Japanese credit card company / Source = SOFT LANDERS
A particularly noteworthy aspect of the platform's advancement is the ‘Expatriate Compensation Data Benchmarking Subscription Service’. When assigning an expatriate, corporations must assemble appropriate compensation packages. Employees departing for overseas assignments also expect fair and equitable remuneration. However, the industry has historically lacked reliable benchmarks to align the compensation packages offered by corporations with the expectations of expatriates. Excessive compensation results in corporate cost waste, while inadequate packages can lead to diminished morale and talent attrition among expatriates.
CEO Manju Han has set out a plan to leverage artificial intelligence to analyze historical data from the global corporate payment and settlement platform for benchmarking purposes. The service analyzes anonymized and aggregated data encompassing corporate dispatch policies, expatriate ranks, host countries, cost-of-living categories, and actual settlement histories to benchmark appropriate compensation standards and expense levels.
For instance, suppose Company A needs to determine the appropriate allocation for housing, vehicles, insurance, education, and relocation costs when dispatching a manager-level expatriate to New York City. The Expatriate Compensation Data Benchmarking Subscription Service from SOFT LANDERS compares cost levels by country, rank, and category based on accumulated settlement data, helping corporations avoid packages that are either excessive or insufficient.
CEO Manju Han introducing SOFT LANDERS at a demo day / Source = SOFT LANDERS
This benchmarking subscription service serves not only corporations but also prospective expatriates and individual professionals. Prior to departure, it empowers individuals to benchmark and propose compensation terms to their employers that reflect their rank, responsibilities, and personal circumstances.
This naturally bridges to another convenient feature of the platform: the AI-Driven Expense Optimization Service. Under this mechanism, artificial intelligence analyzes corporate and expatriate dispatch histories to forecast appropriate country-specific expenses, while automatically checking for excessive or missing convenience items. If this service is provided, SOFT LANDERS is expected to establish a holistic platform where expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers can grow together.
SOFT LANDERS has designated this year as its inflection point, mapping out growth strategies that include securing venture capital and applying for TIPS support. The firm is actively recruiting partners to execute individual growth initiatives, such as platform advancement, data commercialization, AI service development, and the optimization of its financing pipeline.
CEO Manju Han introducing SOFT LANDERS / Source = SOFT LANDERS
“By assisting with expatriate assignments across a diverse clientele—including startups, conglomerates, and public institutions—we have solidified the foundation of our global corporate payment and settlement platform,” stated CEO Manju Han. “Consequently, we have reduced the out-of-pocket spending burden on expatriates while delivering an integrated, single-invoice settlement structure to corporations. Leveraging the actual settlement datasets gathered through this process, we are currently advancing AI services that support corporate expatriate dispatch decisions and compensation benchmarks. We will continue evolving into a global payment and settlement platform that delivers differentiated value to expatriates, corporations, and relocation service providers alike.”
By Joo-kyung Cha (racingcar@itdonga.com)
About Dong-A Ilbo