Payments Are Eating The World! This week on the #couch, we had the chance to speak with Daumantas Grigaravicius, the new Head of the Middle East Region at Adyen. We had an insightful conversation about the current trends in payments, both regionally and globally, and the transformative power of payment orchestration.

How Stable Are Stablecoins? In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, recorded live at the Singapore FinTech Festival in partnership with Founders Peak, we chat with Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Policy at Circle. Dante shares how Circle is using digital assets like USDC (Stablecoin) and EURC to build a more inclusive financial system. Innovation is changing the way we think about global finance—tune in to learn more.

Kicking off a special series of Couchonomics with Arjun, recorded live at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2024 in collaboration with Founders Peak! In this first episode, we welcome Nate Clark, CEO of GoTyme Bank, to talk about the future of digital banking in the Philippines and beyond. We dive into the Filipino financial services sector, the rise of fintech, the impact of AI on banking, and so much more.

Super apps are the talk of the town and in the latest episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we’re diving into this hot topic with Kaniyet Rayev, CEO of Boxo. Based in Kazakhstan and Singapore, Kaniyet leads Boxo—a platform that empowers apps to become super apps by seamlessly integrating e-commerce, travel, and financial services.

The latest episode of Couchonomics with Arjun is now live from Riyadh, in collaboration with Jeel, Riyad Bank’s innovation center. Joining us are Morrad Irsane and Sharene Lee, co-founders of Takadao, a company redefining insurance through #blockchain and #Web3 technology. Their vision? To create a decentralized, transparent alternative to traditional insurance that aligns with #IslamicFinance principles and empowers underserved communities.

Couchonomics with Arjun is beaming its inaugural episode from its new home in KSA, at Jeel, Riyadh Banks Innovation Center in the heart of Riyadh. Our guest for this week’s special episode is Maher Loubieh, Co-Founder & CEO of Hala. During this episode, Maher shares Hala’s incredible journey from its beginnings as a peer-to-peer payment platform to then pivoting their business model to focus on the MSME sector in Saudi Arabia. We discuss Hala's strategic pivots, the trials and tribulations of evolving one's business model, the challenges of serving small businesses, and their vision for building a robust financial ecosystem tailored to MSMEs' unique needs.

This week on Couchonomics, Arjun sits down with Walter De Oude, the visionary Founder & CEO of Chocolate Finance—a high-yield cash management platform designed to bring better returns on idle cash. Joining from Singapore, Walter shares his inspiring journey from launching SingLife to creating Chocolate Finance, along with his vision for empowering “lazy savers” with higher returns.

Exciting plans for Season 4 are already in motion, and in this 100th-episode special, Arjun takes a turn on the other side of the #couch! Hosting this special edition is Vuk Zlatarov, Co-founder and CEO of Poddster, who delves into Arjun’s journey behind the scenes. Vuk leads Arjun through a candid discussion about the journey of building the show, from its early days to becoming a space for the region's most insightful conversations. They explore the challenges, standout moments, and the future direction of the show as it continues to grow.

We continue celebrating the 100th episode of Couchonomics with Arjun! For this milestone episode, we’re happy to welcome back Roelant Prins, Chief Commercial Officer at Adyen. Roelant and Arjun had an interesting conversation at the end of Season 1, where we filmed a special episode in Amsterdam. Today, Roelant joins us remotely to discuss the evolving payments landscape and explore the critical shifts happening in both Europe and the Middle East. Catch this insightful conversation with Roelant as we celebrate 100 episodes of learning innovation, and community!

We’re celebrating the 100th episode with the return of Ramana Kumar, CEO of Magnati! Ramana first joined us in Season 1, and now he’s back to share how Magnati has evolved into a leading cloud-based payments company. In this special episode, we explore the shift to tech-driven payments, the rise of embedded finance, cross-border payment challenges in the MENA region, the role of CBDCs, and the potential of stablecoins in transaction banking. Plus, how Magnati is navigating the regulatory landscape across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Celebrating the 100th episode of Couchonomics With Arjun with a special guest, Mr. FinTech himself, Sopnendu Mohanty, Chairman of the Board at Elevandi and Chief FinTech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). In our humble opinion, he's been the chief catalyst in turning Singapore into a FinTech powerhouse.

In this part of our 100th-episode special, Sopnendu and Arjun explore significant shifts in the FinTech landscape, including the evolution of digital assets and CBDCs, the impact of AI, and Singapore’s initiatives for a seamless digital finance ecosystem and cross-border payments. They also discuss Singapore’s role in the FinTech ecosystem and the upcoming 9th edition of the Singapore FinTech Festival (SFF), which has become one of the most influential FinTech events globally.

Joining us on the latest episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, all the way from Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪, is Salim Dhanani, founder and CEO of Pave Bank—the world’s first programmable bank. 

In our conversation, Salim explains how Pave Bank is shaping the future of financial services by leveraging blockchain and smart contracts to revolutionize trust and eliminate counterparty risks. We also dive into why they adopted the full reserve banking model, the impact of tokenization, and how evolving regulations are influencing the fintech space.

Joining us on the latest episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, all the way from Tbilisi, Georgia 🇬🇪, is Salim Dhanani, founder and CEO of Pave Bank—the world’s first programmable bank. 

In our conversation, Salim explains how Pave Bank is shaping the future of financial services by leveraging blockchain and smart contracts to revolutionize trust and eliminate counterparty risks. We also dive into why they adopted the full reserve banking model, the impact of tokenization, and how evolving regulations are influencing the fintech space.

India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) has broken records yet again, processing over 15 billion transactions in September alone—setting the global standard for faster payments.

In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we dive into the incredible success of UPI with Ritesh Shukla, CEO of NPCI International. Ritesh shares insights on how he's taking India's groundbreaking digital payments system to the world stage.

In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we're joined by Rahul Banerjee, Founder & CEO of Bondblox, to explore the future of bond trading. Rahul shares how Bondblox is transforming access to bonds, opening up opportunities for retail investors in a market traditionally controlled by institutions. Arjun and Rahul discuss the rapid growth of the bond market, particularly in Asia, and how technology is playing a key role in bridging the gap between institutional and individual investors.

In this episode, Arjun engages in a fascinating conversation with Mikhail Lomtadze, CEO and co-founder of Kaspi, the groundbreaking super app that is transforming daily life in Kazakhstan and beyond. 

Mikhail shares Kaspi's journey from traditional banking and financial services to becoming a super app that offers everything from shopping and payments to government services and even marriage registrations—all within one platform.

In this episode, Arjun sits down with Roger Rouhana, CEO of Alpheya, to explore the future of wealth management in the MENA region.

Their conversation delves into global wealth and asset management trends, highlighting the growing demand for innovative digital solutions and the crucial role of robo-advisors in making wealth management more accessible.

They also discuss Alpheya's mission and foundation, the evolving landscape of wealth management in the GCC region, and the impact of trading apps on the wealth tech industry.

Digital Leadership: Embracing the New Tech Age!

This week, we sit down with Pedro Sousa Cardoso, Chief Digital Officer at Emirates NBD, to explore the state of banking in the UAE. We have an in-depth conversation on the evolving role of CDOs, increasing collaboration between banks and fintechs, and venture building within banks, using Liv Bank as an example.

Tune in to discover how Emirates NBD is leading the charge in banking innovation.

Chit-fund with a digital twist!

Ahmed Wadi, Founder and CEO of Money Fellows is our latest guest on the show. Money Fellows is a pioneering startup from Egypt that has digitized the ancient financial concept of ROSCAs, where a group of individuals act as an informal financial institution. In our chat, Ahmed shares insights on Money Fellows' operational strategy, the challenges and opportunities of building a startup in Egypt, and the overall fintech landscape in the country.

Discover how Money Fellows is revolutionizing this millennia-old concept!

The Art of Transitioning from Legacy to Modern Technology!

Join us on Couchonomics with Arjun as we sit down with Vikram Suri, Managing Director for the Middle East and Turkey region at FIS. I

We discuss the ever-evolving world of fintech and payments, covering topics such as Payment Trends and Financial Inclusion, Banks and Payment Infrastructure, Biometrics and Contactless Payments, and FIS’s Approach to Security.

Don't miss this insightful conversation on the future of fintech and payments.