Couchonomics with Arjun
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.
Couchonomics with Arjun
What It Really Takes to Launch a Fintech in Qatar
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 designed as a financial management layer that sits between spending and understanding money. A digital wallet built around insights, behaviour, and literacy rather than just transactions.
Mohammed explains why Qatar’s wallet landscape still leaves a gap for mass-affluent users, how Karty is approaching savings and financial awareness as a bundled experience, and why monetisation in fintech only works when usage comes first.
A grounded discussion on fintech realism, ecosystem maturity, and why building the right foundations matters more than rushing to market.
🎙️ In this episode:
• Why Qatar still needs independent digital wallets
• The gap between telco wallets and traditional banking
• Financial literacy as a bundled product, not a standalone feature
• How wallets monetise without pushing lending too early
• Multi-rail payments and the future of wallet infrastructure
• Round-ups, savings nudges, and behaviour-led product design
• Building fintech under evolving regulation in Qatar
• Talent, infrastructure, and the realities of building in-house
• AI in fintech, where it works and where it is overhyped
• Scaling through partnerships vs direct market expansion
• Why Karty sees itself as a layer after banking, not a replacement
👉 Watch the full conversation to understand how fintech is actually being built in Qatar, before the headlines, before the hype, and before launch.
SOCIAL LINKS
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Twitter → https://twitter.com/Arjun_Vir_Singh
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@couchonomics
Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3WI4A6E
CHAPTERS
00:00 Qatar Development Bank series and context
02:00 Why Qatar needs another digital wallet
05:30 The gap between telco wallets and banks
09:00 Financial literacy as a product, not content
13:30 Monetisation, margins, and wallet realities
17:00 Multi-rail payments and infrastructure thinking
21:00 Regulation, licensing, and ecosystem support
25:00 Talent, tech, and building in-house in Qatar
29:00 AI in fintech and practical constraints
33:00 Expansion strategies and infrastructure plays
37:00 Launch readiness and what comes nex
Our website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0
Find us on our social media platforms:
- Arjun's LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/
- CCN LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/couchonomics-with-arjun-singh/
- Instagram https://www.instagram.com/couchonomics/
- Twitter https://twitter.com/Arjun_Vir_Singh?s=20
- TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@couchonomics
Subscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter, Couchonomics Crunch: https://bit.ly/3WI4A6E
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