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PODCAST

Couchonomics with Arjun

Decoding the New World Order of Finance - Unfiltered, global, weeklyAs 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

business management

All Episodes

57:27

How AI Agents and Stablecoins Are Reshaping Modern...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/26

Is banking really changing at the core, or are we just putting better apps on old rails? In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined in studio by Jayesh Patel, CEO of Wio Bank PJSC, to unpack what real transformation inside a bank actually looks like, how AI is reshaping operating models, and why stablecoins may compress time in money movement far more than most people realize. They break down the difference between digitizing processes and restructuring around the customer,...

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53:27

How Tokenization and Stablecoins Will Change Money...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/17

Technology is changing what people expect from money, and stablecoins are turning that into reality. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined from New York by Stephen Richardson (CSO and Head of Banking at Fireblocks) to break down why digital assets are back at the center of banking strategy, what stablecoins are really unlocking, and where banks are at risk of getting disintermediated if they treat this like “just another rails upgrade.” They unpack the on-chain vs off-...

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42:12

Why Japan’s Payments Are About to Change Fast

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/10

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...

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32:42

How Deep Payments Infrastructure Creates Real Fintech...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/05

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...

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27:52

What It Really Takes to Launch a Fintech in Qatar

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/04

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...

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32:12

What It Takes to Scale a Tech Company Like Snoonu...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/03

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...

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38:34

Why Ecosystem Design Matters More Than Funding in...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/02/02

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...

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54:48

What the Data Actually Says About Venture Capital in...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/01/27

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...

en-us

57:19

What It Really Takes to Build World-Class Startups...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/01/20

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...

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53:00

How Allica Bank Is Rebuilding SME Banking From Scratch

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2026/01/13

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...

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57:37

What It Really Takes for Banks to Innovate Without...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/12/16

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...

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48:29

How CBD Is Reshaping Banking in the UAE

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/12/09

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

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42:52

How One Platform Went From 5,000 Cards to Powering...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/12/03

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...

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46:48

How AI and Stablecoins Are Rewiring the Future of...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/11/25

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 -...

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51:08

Why Stablecoins Could Redefine Global Trade and Banking

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/11/11

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

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55:43

The End of Bank Accounts: How Money Is Moving On-Chain

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/11/04

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...

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47:06

The Next Decade of FinTech: AI, Tokenization &...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/10/28

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

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46:45

How AI and Stablecoins Are Rewriting Payments

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/10/21

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 - ...

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42:28

When AI Becomes the Banker: Inside Vietnam’s Cake...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/10/14

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

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51:26

The Future of Wealth: AI, Trust & the Great $80...

Couchonomics with Arjun ·

2025/10/07

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...

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177 results

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