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.
Episodes
161 episodes
The End of Bank Accounts: How Money Is Moving On-Chain
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 d...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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55:43
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The Next Decade of FinTech: AI, Tokenization & Quantum Finance
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, an...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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47:06
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How AI and Stablecoins Are Rewriting Payments
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 p...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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46:45
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When AI Becomes the Banker: Inside Vietnam’s Cake Digital Bank
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 custome...
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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42:28
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The Future of Wealth: AI, Trust & the Great $80 Trillion Shift
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 ...
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Season 4
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Episode 20
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51:26
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Latin America’s Fintech Giant: The Rise of PicPay with 60M Users
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 w...
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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54:56
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From Crowdfunded Startup to Europe’s Fastest-Growing Wealth Platform
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 epi...
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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57:10
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Build Cashflow, Not Hype: Abhi’s Liquidity Playbook
Most fintechs chased hype. Abhi chased cash flow.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we sit down with Omair Ansari, Co-Founder & CEO of Abhi, one of Pakistan’s fastest-growing fintechs.Abhi began with earned wage acc...
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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53:50
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Digital Wealth Platforms vs Robo-Advisors: What Investors Need to Know
Wealth management is no longer just champagne perks and 2% fees. The new generation of investors demands digital, transparent, and affordable solutions.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we’re joined by Dhruv Arora, Founder &am...
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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51:42
Africa’s Fintech Boom: From Mobile Money to Purpose-Driven Lending
💡 Africa’s fintech story is no longer a local experiment — it’s a global test case for the future of inclusion, innovation, and capital flows.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we’re joined by Yustus Aribariho, Co-Founder of Fu...
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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55:48
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The New Rails of Money: Stablecoins, CBDCs & Tokenisation
Stablecoins are no longer on the sidelines — they’re stepping into the core of global finance.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we're joined by Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Global Policy at Circle, for ...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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57:11
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Fraud-as-a-Service, Stablecoins & the Future of Financial Crime
Fraud just had its AI upgrade.It’s faster than your payments and industrialised at a global scale. Welcome to the Scamdemic — a global wave of scams and financial crime growing faster than almost any asset class.We’re joine...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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43:25
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How Finternet Labs Is Building the Internet Layer for Finance
Is today’s financial system fit for a digital-first world?Not quite — and Siddharth Shetty is here to tell us why.In this episode of Couchonomics, Arjun speaks with Finternet Labs CEO Siddharth Shetty, one of the architects behind India...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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54:16
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Stablecoins, Wallets, and the Rise of Embedded Cross-Border Payments
The future of payments won’t be card-swiped or cash-counted — it’ll be fast, digital, and deeply integrated.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Floris de Kort, CEO of Thunes, joins to unpack what it really takes to build a globa...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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43:44
Stablecoins, Tokenization & Regulation: Crypto’s Next Chapter
Crypto isn’t dead, it’s going institutional. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Rifad Mahasneh, CEO of OKX MENA, joins the show to unpack what real digital asset adoption looks like beyond the headlines.We explore ...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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58:31
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Scaling SME Lending Without Burning Capital
💸 What’s the real fintech miracle? Lending to SMEs — and staying alive 9 years later.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we’re joined by Nikhilesh Goel, Co-Founder & CEO of Validus, Southeast Asia’s largest SME financing pla...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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Neo Ventures, Tokenized Assets & the Future of Wholesale Banking
AI isn’t a campaign. It’s a core banking reset.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we’re joined by Amith Rajan, CEO of Neo Ventures and Head of Digital Wholesale Banking at Mashreq, for a candid conversation on how AI, tokenizat...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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49:12
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Fixing the Core: Why Legacy Banking Infrastructure Can’t Be Patched
The core of banking is broken, and duct-taping legacy systems won’t fix it.This week on Couchonomics with Arjun, I’m joined by Myles Bertrand, CEO of Tuum, the modular core banking platform built in Estonia and now scaling across Europe and...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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52:43
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What VCs Get Wrong About Building Durable Startups with Tim Levene
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we sit down with Tim Levene, CEO of Augmentum Fintech, the UK’s only publicly listed fintech venture capital firm.From going public to backing infrastructure instead of hype, Tim shares what p...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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56:57
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Why Most Digital Banks Fail - And How Engine by Starling Is Flipping the Script
The next banking stack won’t just be fast — it has to be human.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Nick Drewett, Chief Commercial Officer at Engine by Starling, joins the conversation to share what it actually takes to launch an...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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45:20
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Beyond the Buzz: Beehive’s Real Playbook for SME Lending
There’s a $260B SME financing gap in MENA, and most players are still offering copy-paste solutions.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Craig Moore, Founder and CEO of Beehive, shares how one of the region’s original fintechs is...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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56:25
Conviction Over Hype: What Great VCs Look Like Now
The Venture Model Broke. But Startups Are Still Building.In this episode, Arjun is joined by Devin Kohli, General Partner at Outward VC, for a candid conversation on what’s next for venture capital.They unpack:- Shifting VC tren...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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0:51
Reinventing Banking: Tyme’s CEO on Scale, Strategy & Survival
Phygital is the new digital.On Episode 2 of Couchonomics with Arjun Season 4, we sit down with Coenraad Jonker — Founder & Group CEO of Tyme — a digital banking pioneer who’s built real scale across emerging markets.Tyme raised ...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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50:36
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From Bank to Builder: How SC Ventures Launches 30+ Startups
Season 4 of Couchonomics with Arjun kicks off with a venture builder shaking up the system — Gautam Jain from SC Ventures by Standard Chartered.From launching digital banks in Asia to building full-stack ventures in the GCC, Gautam’s no...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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