Join us in Season 02 of Couchonomics as we go beyond fintech and payments, and embark on the journey into the future of financial services, a future which will be shaped by existing and new developments in technology and innovation, including and not limited to the likes of embedded finance, open banking, ESG, various versions of metaverse, decentralized finance, digital currencies, and other trends. On the couch, we're going to have the most influential and progressive-minded founders, executives, investors, regulators, innovators and industry commentators from across the MENA region and beyond. Join us as we unravel a multitude of layers of the financial services industry and try to learn how technology will continue to impact the world that we live in.

Madhusudanan Rangarajan and Prabhu Rangarajan are the Co-founders of M2P, an innovative, India-born fintech company with ambitious expansion goals for Dubai. They reveal what sets them apart from other fintech companies and offer valuable insights into which fintech companies have what it takes to make it through this difficult time.

Many would say that investing is like gambling. But is it? Feras Jalbout, Founder and CEO of Baraka, built a commission-free investment platform to empower the next generation of Middle East investors.  

Abdullah Al-Othman joins Couchonomics to share his views on an ever-evolving fintech landscape. He shares his view on what makes fintech in Saudi Arabia unique from other places in the world.

Nameer Khan is the Chairman of the MENA Fintech Association. Drawing on the support of an impressive panel of local and global partners, the Association has quickly proven itself as an integral force in the vitalization of the fintech world.

Although investing seemed to be showing signs of recovery, recent trends have seen investment into some sectors take a nose-dive. Tammer Qaddumi, founding partner of VentureSouq, shares how investment companies can not only survive, but thrive.

To discuss the need for disruption in the insurance sector, we have invited Ambareen Musa, Souqalmal.com Founder and CEO. She underlined the disruption that is about to happen in insurance and InsureTech and the need for government regulations that must be implemented for these changes to happen.

Insurance, bogged down by hundreds of years of tradition and legacy, is one of those neglected and forgotten segments in the fintech disruption. But Tanja Magas, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Democrance, believes otherwise.

What is the current state of digital payments and e-commerce market and what role Crypto has in the future of finance? Find out from Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager – GCC, Visa.