Claim OwnershipCouchonomics with Arjun
Subscribed: 15Played: 184
Subscribe
© 2026 Couchonomics with Arjun
Description
Decoding the New World Order of Finance - Unfiltered, global, weekly
As tectonic shifts reshape the financial world, Couchonomics continues to explore the trends transforming commerce, capital, and culture. This season, we expand our lens - building on our deep focus in the MENA region while bringing in voices, stories, and innovations from around the globe.
Why? Because the future of finance is no longer regional - it’s interconnected.
Whether it’s AI in Asia, tokenization in Europe, or fintech policy experiments in Africa, today’s financial shifts cross borders, industries, and disciplines.
Whether you’re in the industry or just fintech-curious, tune in weekly as we decode the big moves, bold ideas, and brilliant minds shaping tomorrow’s economy.
Episodes drop weekly. Arabic subtitles available on YouTube: youtube.com/@couchonomicswitharjunsingh438
Learn more: www.couchonomics.com
Season 4 supported by:
Adyen | Mastercard | SC Ventures | Thunes | Hala | e& | Digit 9
About the host:
Arjun's expertise covers a broad range of areas including Fintech, Payments, Digital Assets, Embedded Finance, Application of Emerging Technologies, and the Emergence of New Business Models within the Financial Services Sector in the MEA region and globally.
Arjun is deeply engaged in the Tech Start-Up ecosystem. He serves as a passive investor, advisory board member, and a notable commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.
In recognition of his impactful contributions, Arjun was honored as a Top Voice of the region by LinkedIn in 2020.
Learn more at www.couchonomics.com.
174 Episodes
Reverse
Japan is often seen as a “mature” financial market. But the real story is in what’s quietly shifting underneath. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined from Tokyo by Pieter Franken (Co-Founder & CEO at GFTN Japan) to unpack what’s actually changing in Japan’s fintech and digital assets landscape and what it means for founders, investors, and global players looking at the Japan opportunity. They go deep on stablecoins and why Japan may be ahead on regulation, the upc...
Payments in emerging markets are often discussed as infrastructure. But the real differentiation happens in how deeply payments are embedded into business operations. In the final episode of this special Qatar Development Bank series of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun sits down in Doha with Saad Ishfaq, CEO of TESS Payments, to unpack how a payments company built for Qatar is scaling by solving real operational pain, not just processing transactions. TESS Payments is a QCB-licensed payment s...
Financial innovation in the GCC is often framed around payments, licenses, and launch timelines. But the harder work happens long before a product goes live. In this special Qatar Development Bank series of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun sits down in Doha with Mohammed Suleiman, Co-Founder and CEO of Karty, to unpack what it really takes to build a regulated fintech company from the ground up in Qatar. Karty is not trying to out-bank banks or outscale telco wallets. Instead, it is being des...
Most startup stories focus on what companies become. This one focuses on how they are built. In this special Qatar Development Bank series of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun sits down in Doha with Hamad Al-Hajri, Founder and CEO of Snoonu, to explore how one of Qatar’s most successful tech companies was built and why its journey matters for the region. Hamad explains why Snoonu was never meant to be just a delivery app, but a speed-led business designed for small, fragmented markets. F...
Innovation ecosystems in the GCC are often judged by funding numbers and startup announcements. But the real work happens in how institutions, capital, and regulation move together. In this special Qatar Development Bank series of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun sits down in Doha with Mohammed Al-Emadi, Executive Director of Incubation and VC Investment at QDB, to unpack how Qatar is intentionally building its startup and venture capital ecosystem. Rather than operating as a single funding b...
Venture capital is often discussed through funding totals and headline deals. But the real signal sits underneath the numbers. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Philip Bahoshy, Founder and CEO of MAGNiTT, to break down what the latest venture data actually says about emerging markets and where capital is really moving. Drawing from MAGNiTT’s newest annual report, Philip unpacks the divergence across emerging markets, the growing dominance of the GCC in venture fun...
Startup success is often explained through geography, capital, or timing. But the real story is about people, resilience, and long-term commitment. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Allen Taylor, Managing Partner at Endeavor Catalyst, to unpack how world-class companies are being built far beyond Silicon Valley. Allen shares how Endeavor identifies and backs the top 1% of founders across emerging and underserved markets, why venture outcomes are shaped over decade...
Banking innovation usually gets reduced to apps and features. But the real changes are happening underneath. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Richard Davies, CEO of Allica Bank, joins the couch to talk about how challenger banks are actually rebuilding SME banking in the UK. Richard breaks down why established SMEs need a very different banking model, why go-to-market is harder than building the technology, and how value, trust, and low cost structures become the real advantage ove...
Innovation in banking is often talked about, but rarely understood. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Giovanni Everduin, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer and Head of Ventures at Commercial Bank International, joins the couch to unpack what innovation really looks like inside a regulated bank. From legacy systems and institutional mindsets to AI, digital assets, and on-chain finance, this conversation goes beyond buzzwords to explore where real value is being created and where t...
Banking in the UAE is entering a phase where digital expectations, AI, and trust are forcing banks to rethink everything from processes to culture. Arjun sits down with Dr. Bernd van Linder, CEO of Commercial Bank of Dubai, to unpack how customer experience, technology and trust are reshaping the future of banking. 🎙️ In this episode: Why customer experience has become the only real competitive advantage in banking How digitization moved from a COVID era surprise to a baseline expectation Why...
Core banking is no longer a back-office topic. Cloud, payments, AI and digital assets are forcing banks to rethink the foundations of how money moves. In this episode, Arjun sits down with Vishal Dalal, Global CEO of Pismo, to unpack the evolution of modern core banking, the rise of cloud-native architectures, and why migration, resilience and payments complexity are the real bottlenecks shaping the future. From a startup getting thrown out of buildings in Brazil to powering global banks acro...
Fintech is entering a new phase where technology, regulation and global markets are reshaping value at a deeper level. Arjun sits down with Sandeep Patil, Partner and Head of Asia at QED Investors, to break down how fintech is evolving beneath the surface. 🎙️ In this episode: -Why the global fintech reset isn’t over - How stablecoins are becoming the quiet rails of global trade - How AI will reshape underwriting and distribution - Why regulatory fluency is now essential for founders -...
What if the future of money isn’t about new currencies, but about rebuilding how value moves? Arjun sits down with Keith Grose, Senior Country Director at Coinbase UK, to explore how crypto is moving from hype to real infrastructure. They talk about the UK’s second-mover advantage in regulation, the role of stablecoins in global trade, and how Coinbase is building the bridge between traditional finance and the on-chain world. 🎙️ In this episode: → Why Coinbase’s mission is to increase econo...
What if the future of money isn’t about creating new currencies, but redefining what money really is? In this episode, Arjun sits down with Tony McLaughlin, CEO and Founder of Ubyx Inc, to talk about why he believes the bank account is dead and how the next version of money could live on public blockchains. They break down what stablecoins, tokenized deposits, and CBDCs really mean, and how they could quietly replace the systems we’ve used for decades. 🎙️ In this episode: → Why block...
What if the next decade of finance isn’t about disruption, but inclusion? In this episode, Arjun sits down with Sopnendu Mohanty, Group CEO of GFTN and Advisor to the Monetary Authority of Singapore, to explore how technology, policy, and people are shaping the future of global finance. 🎙️ In this episode: → The three pillars that defined the first wave of fintech: APIs, DPIs, and cloud → Why inclusion remains the biggest unfinished story in finance → How AI and tokenization could rebuild f...
When money moves faster than ever, who really controls it? In this episode, Arjun sits down with Arik Shtilman, Founder and CEO of Rapyd, to explore how AI and stablecoins are rewriting the rules of global payments. From powering transactions across 100+ countries to building an AI-first infrastructure, Rapyd is proving that the next financial revolution is already underway. 🎙️ In this episode: - Why payments companies that aren’t AI-first may not survive the next three years - ...
What if AI ran your bank? 🤯 In this episode, Arjun sits down with Quang Nguyen, CEO of Cake Digital Bank, Vietnam’s AI-first bank that’s redefining what digital finance looks like. With only 300 employees serving 6 million customers, Cake has become one of Southeast Asia’s most efficient and innovative financial institutions — proving that the future of banking is lean, intelligent, and fully automated. 🎙️ In this episode: - How Cake uses AI to power 70% of its operations - Building trust ...
Over $80 trillion in global wealth is moving to a younger, more digital generation. But who will manage it—and how will AI, trust, and technology reshape investing? In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Caesar Sengupta, Co-Founder and CEO of Arta Finance (backed by Eric Schmidt, Peak XV, and Ribbit Capital), shares how his company is democratizing wealth management—bringing institutional-grade investing to millions worldwide. Discover how AI is redefining advice, why trust matters mor...
Episode 150 of Couchonomics with Arjun is here — and it’s a milestone. For the very first time, we go to Latin America. My guest: Eduardo Chedid, CEO of PicPay — Brazil’s biggest super app and one of the fastest-scaling fintechs in the world. With 60M+ customers, $1B+ in revenues, profits up 7× YoY, and 4,500 employees, PicPay is rewriting the rules of digital banking in one of the most competitive markets on earth. We cover: - Brazil’s fintech revolution and the role of regulation - How P...
Turning Savings into Wealth — Inside Chip’s Fintech Playbook UK fintech is entering a new chapter. While funding slows, savers poured £103bn into ISAs — proving that trust, not downloads, is the real currency. In this episode, Arjun speaks with Alex Latham, Co-Founder & CMO of Chip, one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintechs, on: - The future of UK fintech beyond banking apps - How Chip grew from a crowdfunded startup to a wealth platform managing billions - Why trust, community, an...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States