Couchonomics with Arjun

Omair Ansari, Co-Founder & CEO of Abhi, shares insights from Pakistan’s dynamic fintech landscape. He dives into the evolution of Abhi, emphasizing cash flow over hype and the importance of profitability during fintech's challenges. Omair discusses scaling from earned wage access to a full-stack working capital platform and the significant role of compliance in fintech success. He explores the untapped potential of Pakistan's market and highlights strategies for growth in the GCC region, creating a roadmap for sustainable fintech in emerging markets.

Dhruv Arora, Founder & CEO of Syfe, shares insights from his digital wealth management platform overseeing over $10B. He highlights the shift from traditional wealth management to more inclusive, transparent digital solutions. Trust emerges as the key competition in this space. Dhruv elaborates on the differences between robo-advisors and true digital platforms, and stresses the importance of localization and adaptation in new markets. He also discusses how integrating saving and investing can shape the future of finance.

💡 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 Furaha Financial (part of SC Ventures by Standard Chartered). Yustus is now on a mission to unlock education financing and opportunity across Sub-Saharan Africa.We unpack:💸 Why capital inflows into African fintech lag behind the opportunity📱 How mobile money became the blueprint for financial inclusion worldwide🛠 The frictions of regulation, repatriation, and cross-border flows👥 Why human capital and local talent could be Africa’s ultimate advantageFuraha isn’t just another fintech — it’s building infrastructure that bridges capital and impact in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions.🎧 Watch the full episode now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:Adyen https://www.adyen.com/Thunes https://thunes.com/Mastercard https://mastercard.com/E& https://www.eand.com/Digit9 https://www.digitnine.com/SC Ventures https://scventures.io/Hala https://hala.com/Chapters:00:00 Episode Highlights02:40 State of FinTech in Sub-Saharan Africa08:11 Challenges and Opportunities in African FinTech10:48 The Role of Mobile Money and Digital Banks15:00 Investment Dynamics and Regulatory Challenges17:57 Affordability and Financial Inclusion21:46 Alternative Financial Services in Africa27:46 High Cost of Borrowing and Risk-Based Pricing28:36 Purpose-Driven Financing33:37 Addressing the Education Financing Gap35:43 Building an Ecosystem for Education Loans37:42 Why Uganda?45:29 Future Expansion and Challenges48:04 Business Model and Partnerships52:25 Vision for the Future55:26 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsOur website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0Find 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

Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Global Policy at Circle, explores the pivotal role stablecoins are playing in global finance. He discusses how smart regulation enhances trust and adoption, and the distinct futures of stablecoins and CBDCs. Dante highlights MENA's rise as a digital asset hub, fueled by innovation in payment systems. The episode emphasizes the urgent need for effective legislation to navigate the complexities of digital currencies and their potential to revolutionize cross-border payments.

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 joined by Simon Taylor, Head of Strategy at Sardine and Co-Founder of 11:FS. Together, we unpack how fraud has evolved, why it’s so hard to stop, and what financial institutions, fintechs, and regulators must do now.Inside the episode:- Why faster payments = faster fraud- Deepfakes, fraud-as-a-service, and industrialised scam call centres- Why liability shifts and reimbursements can fuel crime instead of stopping it- The missed open banking opportunity: building a global “fraud utility”- Stablecoins, AI agents, and the next wave of attack surfaces- How to protect customers without killing innovationWhether you work in banking, fintech, payments, or policy, this episode will change how you think about fraud prevention in the age of AI and real-time payments.🎧 Listen now and stay ahead of the Scamdemic.Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:Adyen https://www.adyen.com/Thunes https://thunes.com/Mastercard https://mastercard.com/E& https://www.eand.com/Digit9 https://www.digitnine.com/SC Ventures https://scventures.io/Hala https://hala.com/Chapters:00:00 Episode Highlights02:04 The Scam Epidemic: An Overview06:33 The Impact of Fraud on Financial Institutions14:14 Introducing Sardine: AI-Powered Financial Crime Platform19:17 Global Fraud Typologies and Real-Time Payments22:47 Global Reactions to the Pandemic23:46 The Impact on Wealthy Individuals and Businesses24:43 The Need for Transparency and Best Practices25:23 Regulatory Responses and Fraud Prevention26:34 The Role of Social Media in Fraud27:38 Challenges in Fraud Prevention and Coordination29:42 Opportunities in Open Banking and Data Sharing34:31 Digital Assets and Stablecoins39:08 The Role of AI in Fraud Prevention42:10 Future of Financial Crime and ConclusionOur website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0Find 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

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’s UPI and  Account Aggregator framework, to unpack the vision for Finternet — a universal financial infrastructure layer designed to empower users, build trust, and unlock global interoperability.We explore how fragmented rails, legacy systems, and a lack of verifiability are holding back progress, and how Finternet could be the solution that brings it all together.👉 What you’ll learn:- Why identity, credentials & asset control need to shift back to users- How Finternet coexists with CBDCs, stablecoins & real-time payment systems- The role of governments vs private sector in future infrastructure- Middle East leapfrogging, tokenization & AI-driven transactions🔗 Watch, learn, and join the conversation about the future of digital finance.Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:Adyen https://www.adyen.com/Thunes https://thunes.com/Mastercard https://mastercard.com/E& https://www.eand.com/Digit9 https://www.digitnine.com/SC Ventures https://scventures.io/Hala https://hala.com/Discover how the Finternet is reimagining finance for a connected world. Tap the link in the show notes to learn more. 👇https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qIw8wSbw26mw8uLXIK8SohmGvvJobcPX/view?usp=sharing Explore Finternet Labs: https://finternetlab.io/Chapters:00:00 Episode Highlights01:58 Exploring Finternet Labs03:01 Understanding Financial Infrastructure05:33 The Vision of Finternet Labs13:19 Governance and Dispute Resolution25:02 Future of Financial Systems27:07 Web3 and Coexistence with Traditional Financial Systems29:15 Interoperability Challenges and Solutions31:42 Cross-Border Transactions and Emerging Technologies36:12 The Role of Digital Identity in Financial Ecosystems40:45 Centralization vs. Decentralization in Digital Identity44:13 Introduction to Finnet and Its Objectives46:34 The Finternet Labs: Structure and Goals50:21 Opportunities for the Middle East in Digital Finance53:01 Conclusion and Future EventsOur website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0Find 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

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 global payments network across 130+ markets, from wallets to banks to mobile rails.What’s inside:- Why real-time payments still face real-world friction- How Thunes is turning compliance into a competitive edge- The rise of B2B payouts — and why corporates are driving the volume- Why MENA is now a proving ground for wallet innovation- The growing role of stablecoins in global financeIf you're building in fintech, infrastructure, or cross-border payments, this one’s essential listening.🎧 Watch or listen on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:Adyen https://www.adyen.com/Thunes https://thunes.com/Mastercard https://mastercard.com/E& https://www.eand.com/Digit9 https://www.digitnine.com/SC Ventures https://scventures.io/Hala https://hala.com/Chapters:00:00 Episode Highlights00:48 Introduction01:34 State of the Payments Industry03:39 The Rise of B2B Payments05:33 Real-Time Payments and Global Trends11:26 The Role of Stablecoins in Modern Payments20:34 Regulation and the Future of Stablecoins23:27 Cost and Efficiency of Modern Payment Systems23:52 Regulatory Evolution and Market Disruption24:17 Thunes' Recent Milestones and Future Plans24:50 Challenges and Strategies in the US Market25:30 Investment and Growth Focus26:29 AI Integration in Financial Services29:41 Navigating Complex Regulatory Environments38:37 Middle East Expansion and Local Strategies42:23 Conclusion and Future OutlookOur website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0Find 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

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 how OKX is building for scale, trust, and regulation - especially in the UAE, where crypto is becoming infrastructure, not just innovation.🎯 What’s inside: • Post-FTX trust rebuild: custody, compliance & proof-of-reserves • Stablecoins, CBDCs & the future of programmable money • Tokenization with real-world utility • Why the UAE is leading the global charge in crypto regulationFull episode out now on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:Adyen https://www.adyen.com/Thunes https://thunes.com/Mastercard https://mastercard.com/E& https://www.eand.com/Digit9 https://www.digitnine.com/SC Ventures https://scventures.io/Hala https://hala.com/Chapters:00:00 Episode Highlights00:56 Welcome to Couchonomics01:48 Exploring OKX and Crypto Basics03:29 Why the UAE for Crypto?06:34 Understanding Crypto Terminology09:37 State of Crypto in 202512:57 Institutional Adoption of Crypto17:04 Bitcoin: Proof of Value19:24 Centralized vs Decentralized Finance24:00 Regulatory Landscape and Challenges28:59 Regulatory Challenges in Blockchain31:00 Innovating in the Crypto Space32:32 Educating and Differentiating in the Market41:04 Stablecoins and Their Impact45:06 The Future of CBDCs and Stablecoins49:46 Tokenization of Real-World Assets54:50 OKX's Future Plans and Market Expansion57:45 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsOur website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0Find 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

Nikhilesh Goel, Co-Founder & CEO of Validus, leads Southeast Asia's top SME financing platform, driving $5B+ in credit through sustainable practices. He discusses why SME lending often fails for fintechs and reveals that 90% of Validus' funding comes from banks, not VCs. Nikhilesh emphasizes the role of AI in operations, the importance of anchor-based lending models, and the benefits of building strong relationships with SMEs. He also navigates regulatory challenges across Southeast Asia, providing insights into ethical pricing and the future of SME financing.

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, tokenization, and infrastructure transformation are reshaping the banking stack from the inside out.We unpack:- Why "rip and replace" is a myth and what real legacy evolution looks like-How Mashreq is deploying AI across KYC, onboarding, and customer insights-The role of tokenized assets, CBDCs, and smart contracts in wholesale banking- How Neo Ventures is exporting IP and scaling infrastructure beyond capital- Why culture,  not technology, is the biggest barrier to digital transformation🎧 Full episode now streaming on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts.🎧 Watch now and subscribe for more conversations on the future of finance.Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by our partners:Adyen https://www.adyen.com/Thunes https://thunes.com/Mastercard https://mastercard.com/E& https://www.eand.com/Digit9 https://www.digitnine.com/SC Ventures https://scventures.io/Hala https://hala.com/Chapters:00:00 Episode Highlights00:43 Welcome to Couchonomics01:48 Aligning Dual Roles in Banking04:11 Challenges in Wholesale Banking06:51 The Role of AI in Banking11:14 FinTech and Digital Assets25:14 The Future of Tokenization27:04 CBDCs and Stablecoins: A Comparative Analysis29:14 Exploring Digital Assets in the Lab29:47 Introduction to New Ventures30:49 Venture Building and Investment Strategies35:45 Scouting and Partnerships with Fintechs39:08 Challenges and Opportunities in the VC Landscape46:17 Advice for Institutions Entering the CVC Space48:34 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsOur website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0Find 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