Couchonomics with Arjun
A podcast dedicated to dissecting the seismic shifts reshaping the global financial system. This season, we journey beyond the MENA region, focusing on Saudi Arabia and exploring the innovations transforming commerce and society today.
Whether you're in the industry or eager to learn, tune in weekly for exciting new episodes.
This podcast is sponsored by Adyen, ToYou, Mastercard, Geidea, Thunes, and M2P Fintech.
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
129 episodes
Special Episode: Japan FinTech Week and GFTN Forum
Japan has long been a leader in financial technology, from pioneering 24/7 ATMs to developing QR codes and digital payment systems. But in recent years, the country has struggled to keep up with the global fintech revolution. That might be abou...
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Season 3
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38:42
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Ep 110. Fintech Frontier: AI & Blockchain Leading the Future with Marwan Alzarouni
That’s a wrap on Season 3 of #Couchonomics! And we’re ending on a high note.In this season finale, we welcome Dr. Marwan Alzarouni, CEO of AI at the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, to the couch for an insightful discussion on how A...
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Season 3
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52:17
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Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 7
Can Capital Save the Planet? 🌍💰In this special Couchonomics x The Founders Peak episode from Singapore Fintech Festival 2024, we sit down with Oi Yee Choo, CEO of Climate Impact X (CIX), to discuss the future of sustainability finance a...
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Season 3
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25:55
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Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 6
Japan is making big moves in AI, blockchain, and digital asset regulation. In this special episode—filmed live at the Singapore Fintech Festival 2024 with The Founders Peak Unplugged—Arjun sits down with Ryosuke Ushida, Chief Fintech Officer at...
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Ep 109. Billionaire's Blueprint: Wealth, AI & Investing in the UAE with Fahd Iqbal
Is the Middle East set to be the ultimate billionaire’s playground by 2025?In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we're joined by Fahd Iqbal, CIO of UBS Middle East. We explore the influx of billionaires reshaping the UAE, the rise...
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Season 3
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55:49
Ep 108. Transforming Transactions: NETS CEO Lawrence Chan's Payments Vision
Can payments ever be truly invisible? Lawrence Chan, Group CEO of NETS, is beaming in virtually from Singapore to discuss how the world of payments is rapidly changing and what it means for businesses everywhere. Lawrence ...
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Season 3
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Episode 37
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Ep 107. PropTech in Saudi Arabia: Redefining Real Estate with Razwa Alharthi
PropTech Power in Saudi Arabia!In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we had an engaging conversation with Razwa Alharthi, Co-Founder of Nuzul, at Jeel, Riyadh Bank's innovation hub. Razwa shared how her PropTech startup is driving inn...
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Season 3
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Episode 36
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55:49
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Ep 106. Reinventing Wealth Management With Malaa Technologies
A New Era of Wealth Management! 💰Couchonomics with Arjun is coming to you straight from Saudi Arabia! 🇸🇦 In this episode filmed at Jeel, Riyadh Bank's innovation hub, we chat with Ali Alorainy and Faisal Alqarni, the founders of Malaa Techn...
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Season 3
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Episode 35
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Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 5
Future of crypto! 💱We’re honored to have Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, joining us for an exclusive conversation straight from the heart of the Singapore FinTech Festival. As one of the most influential leaders in the crypto space, Richard t...
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31:15
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Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 4
Tokenizing Trade Finance: A Glimpse into the Future of Digital Assets Live from SFF 2024, we had the privilege of sitting down with Wee Kee Toh, Global Head of Business Architecture for Coin Systems at Onyx by JPMorgan, to unpack the g...
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Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 3
Is AI a Boon or a Bane for Banks? What happens to those banks that arrive late for the party?Our special series from the Singapore Fintech Festival—created in collaboration with Founders Peak—continues with a must-watch episode!I ...
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Ep 105. The new Head of Adyen’s Middle East
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...
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Season 3
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57:40
Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 2
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...
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26:49
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Special Series at SFF 2024: Episode 1
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 fut...
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26:43
Ep. 104 How to launch a super app with Kaniyet Rayev
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 ...
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Season 3
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1:04:42
Ep 103. Shariah Finance Meets Blockchain: A New Era in Financial Services with Morrad Irsane and Sharene Lee
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 #blo...
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Ep 102. Hala’s ambitious vision to become the future bank of SMEs with Maher Loubieh
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 ...
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52:26
Ep 101. Optimizing cash returns with Walter De Oude
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 shar...
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Season 3
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48:08
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100 Episodes In Review
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...
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Season 3
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21:41
Ep 100 (part 3) Current changes in payments with Roelant Prins
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 ...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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46:43
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Ep 100 (part 2) Cross border payments solutions and more with Ramana Kumar
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 epis...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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Ep 100 (part 1) Leadership lessons with Sopnendu Mohanty
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 opinio...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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Ep 99. Time To Lead!!! with Sitoyo Lopokoiyit
Today we’re joined by Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CEO of M-PESA Africa, who has played a pivotal role in growing M-PESA across 8 African markets. Sitoyo shares the fascinating story behind M-PESA’s evolution from a mobile money service into ...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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Ep 97. Paving the future all the way from Georgia with Salim Dhanani
Joining us on the latest episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, all the way from Tbilisi, Georgia, is Salim Dhanani, founder and CEO of PaveBank—the world’s first programmable bank. In our conversation, Salim explains how PaveBank is s...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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Ep 96. How NPCI became a dominant and credible network with Ritesh Shukla
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 th...
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Season 3
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Episode 27
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