Couchonomics with Arjun

The FinTech industry is rapidly expanding and evolving. New innovations and inventions spring up every day at every point in the financial world. In all this excitement, some segments become overlooked. Insurance, bogged down by hundreds of years of tradition and legacy, is one of those neglected and forgotten segments. But Tanja Magas, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Democrance, believes otherwise.Democrance, a company initially founded to capitalize on the microinsurance market, has recently seen rapid expansion. Riding the wave of digitization brought on by the pandemic, the company has managed to double its size in the past two years. For Tanja, the secret to this success can be found in the numbers. Other topics for this episode include:- How digitization will transform insurance- “The digital attacker”: a new business model for a new world- Unlocking the hidden power of data for your businessTimeline:00:00 — Introduction01:38 — Creating space for innovation07:01 — Origin and development of Democrance13:17 — New engagement and distribution channels23:10 — Metaverse and insurance26:40 — Women in InsureTechFollow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/...PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/LOur 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

Over the past couple of years, digital transformation has continued to accelerate across all sectors, and commerce has been no exception. Even as society is getting back to normal, with restrictions lifting and offices reopening, habits adopted during the pandemic are sustained.Online and offline, spending has been transformed. While uncertainty and unpredictability are now expected, one thing that is clear is that the future of money is digital.Kartik Taneja is the Executive Vice President and Head of Payments at Mashreq Bank and together we went through different digital payment solutions and tried to figure out what the future holds for each one of them.As the Chairman of the board at Neopay, Mashreq Merchant Payment Solutions, Kartik has a unique insight into both global and local markets and he kindly shared his opinion on what we’ll experience going forward.Join us in this interesting conversation and find out:-          Is BNPL dead or is it just going through a transformation?-          Why without regulations Crypto is doomed to stay on the fringes?-          Should we forget about the paper money?Timeline:00:00 – Intro01:13 – Introducing Kartik Taneja01:54 – Key trends in payment solutions space14:44 – The disruption of APR19:40 – World of B2B payments23:09 – Blockchain and Crypto are here to stay31:53 – Is cash no longer a king?Follow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/Our 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

 It’s an open secret that credit, when leveraged intelligently, has the power to unlock incredible potential in your business. This is the major reason why credit is so easily accessible in many parts of the world. But, Pakistan, a nation with over 50 million active bank accounts, has been relatively slow to conform to the trend, with only 500 thousand credit cards nationwide.Omair Ansari, the founder of ABHI, takes this surprising statistic as a sign of great opportunity in the region. Without access to credit facilities, many employees across the nation have had limited options when it comes to stretching their paycheck. Omair’s solution to this is a remarkable easy wage access system that has drawn the attention of not just employees, but even the SMMEs which hire them.Beyond that, we also discuss other fintech topics such as:- SME financing in general- The Pakistani banking system and how it could better help SMEs- Gender equality in access to funding00:00 — Introduction02:40 — Identifying the target market07:30 — Developing a unique credit solution14:45 — Navigating risk and ethical concerns21:22 — Overcoming structural challenges25:27 — Benefits of digitisation32:55 — ConclusionFollow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comFINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/...PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: httpOur 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

BNPL payment industry in Africa & Middle East has seen huge growth over the last four quarters, supported by increased ecommerce penetration along with the impact of economic slowdown due to disruption caused by COVID-19 outbreak.According to the Q4 2021 BNPL Survey, the BNPL payment industry in the region is expected to grow by 99.8% on an annual basis to reach US$ 7187.8 million in 2022!To dig deeper into the BNPL market we invited Ibtissam Ouassif, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Cashew Payments, to address all Arjun's questions about this segment.They also spoke about Cashew's latest partnership with Mashreqbank in which Cashew has secured up to $10 million in debt and equity financing.Join us in the conversation about the evolution of the BNPL sector and find out more about:- Ibtissam’s view on the current and future regulations of the BNPL ecosystem- The non-profit Ibtissam is running in order to help the refugees and immigrants- Why we should focus on Web3 and Metaverse Timeline:00:00 – Intro01:14 – Introducing Ibtissam Ouassif02:49 – Partnering with Mashreqbank08:05 – Shifting from BNPL to financing16:32 – Need for regulation21:16 – Helping the immigrants and refugees24:51 – Web3 & MetaverseFollow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/Connect with Couchonomics:Website https://www.couchonomics.com/TikTok https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLQYGHoa/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/couchonomics/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/Our 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

Visa as the world leader in digital payments has a relentless commitment to innovation. It is widely considered that Visa is actually the first fintech in the world.That is why we're so excited to have on the couch Dr. Saeeda Jaffar, Senior Vice President & Group Country Manager – GCC, Visa.Saeeda is a chemical engineer who shifted into the fintech sector couple of years ago and in this conversation she pointed out some of the key trends in the digital payments space.Tune in and listen Dr. Saeeda talk about:Her transformation from chemical engineer and a consultant to a fintech expertCurrent state of digital payments and e-commerce marketCrypto and its role in the future of financesTimeline:00:00 – Intro01:12 – Introduction02:00 – Switch from consulting to fintech08:01 – Fintech in the MENA region13:01 – The end of “Fintech Party”?17:38 – Post-pandemic trends24:35 – Cybersecurity & sustainability38:00 – B2B and VisaFollow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/Our 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

Zand, the first digital bank to provide both retail and corporate banking is set for imminent launch in the UAE, subject to final regulatory approvals. Is Zand the way of future banking? Can traditional banks transform and catch up with fintech digital platforms that are emerging?Those are just some of the questions we got to ask Olivier Crespin, Co-Founder and CEO of Zand, and General Partner at True Global Ventures.Olivier explained the role of digital platforms like Zand in the future finance ecosystem and pointed out the challenges that the traditional banking sector is facing with the shift of the market towards digital natives.Listen to Olivier talk about:- Why Zand is not a bank but a digital platform with a banking license- The areas on which the Zand is focusing- What type of “banks” will survive the “Big Shift”Register your interest to be one of the first to experience Zand and get all the latest updates: https://www.zand.ae/enFollow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app where you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/ PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/ LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/ M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/Our 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

Over the past 25 years, Network International has built a business based on long-standing and trusted relationships with many of the leading merchants, financial institutions and payment networks operating in the Middle East and Africa.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun we are discussing the mission of the Network International, an overview of the MENA’s current state when it comes to the payment solutions and the vision of the future with Nandan Mer, Group Chief Executive Officer for Network International.Nandan kindly shared his assessment of the market shift towards alternative payments and different strategies fintech players can and should adopt when entering this region.Listen to Nandan speaking about:- How will the big competition help the whole industry thrive?- Critical differences in the African market- Planned expansion of Network International into Saudi ArabiaTimeline:00:00 – Intro01:13 – Introduction to Nandan Mer03:04 – State of the e-commerce in the UAE07:54 – Strategy behind the cooperation13:26 – The future of alternative payments in the UAE20:58 – Expansion to Africa27:20 – Entering the Saudi market31:17 – One last question & outroFollow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app where you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/ PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/ LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/ M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/Our 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

How to navigate and seize the opportunities in disruption that is happening in the banking industry and financial services?To uncover what the future holds for different players that are offering financial services, in this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun we have Philippe De Backer, Managing Partner and Leader of Global Financial Services Practice at Arthur D. Little.Together with Ignacio Garcia Alves and Juan Gonzalez, Philippe just published his fifth book: “Disruption: The future of banking and financial services – how to navigate and seize the opportunities”, in which they are analysing the current state of the financial sector and deciphering the future of banking.Listen to Philippe speaking about:- Fintech companies that are going to survive this disruption- The future of legacy banks and government initiatives- Different approaches to marketing in the digitally transformed worldCheck out Philippe's fifth book: https://www.amazon.com/Disruption-financial-services-navigate-opportunities/dp/1911671480Follow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app where you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/ PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/ LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/ M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/Our 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 markets are in free fall this month. To understand better what is behind recent events in the Crypto world we invited Anas Bhurtun & Danosch Zahedi, hosts of Crypto Sheikhs podcast, a fantastic show that is tracking and explaining what is going on with cryptocurrencies.For the first time we had two guests on the couch at the same time, which resulted in a super-insightful chat about the tremendous change that is happening right now in the world of finance, and the role of the blockchain in this new redistribution of wealth.Listen to Anas & Danosch speak about:- Why are Fiat currencies becoming obsolete?- Deep connection between art and NFTs- Arts DAO, a community of artists and NFT collectors based out of DubaiCheck out Arts DAO: https://artsdao.io/Follow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/ LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/ M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/ Connect with Couchonomics:Website https://www.couchonomics.com/ TikTok https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLQYGHoa/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/couchonomics/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/Our 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 OTT (over-the-top) streaming market in the MENA region has been rapidly increasing in the last couple of years, gaining more than 30% between 2020 and 2021 and reaching over 10 million subscribers in the 18 countries of the Arab MENA region. The trend should sharpen in the next five years, as the subscriber figure is expected to triple by 2026 and reach close to 30 million.In this episode of Couchonomics, the seat on the couch will occupy Maaz Sheikh, CEO of Starz Play, the no. 1 streaming platform in the MENA region.He’ll talk us through the ongoing rapid evolution of streaming platforms across the world. We'll also hear about the plans of Starz Play to stay on the top with big global players stomping the market.Find out more about:- Why offering different payment solutions is crucial?- How does co-operation with Telecom companies increase your visibility?- What type of content is wanted by subscribers?- Is hyper-localization key for local streaming services?Check out STARZPLAY: https://starzplay.com/Follow 'Couchonomics with Arjun Singh' on any app you listen to podcasts.Check out Couchonomics website for all new updates: www.couchonomics.comHOSTBased in Dubai, Arjun is actively engaged with the Fintech & Start-up ecosystem across the MENA Region and beyond - as a passive investor, an advisory board member and as a commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.FINTECH NEWSSubscribe to Arjun's LinkedIn newsletter Daily Fintech Crunch to receive daily interesting news from the world of Fintech, DeFI, Crypto and beyond: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/6899436665924837377/PARTNERSCouchonomics with Arjun Singh is brought to you by our partners from:Adyen, a reliable end-to-end payments solution that enables businesses to turn payments into a strategic growth driver: https://www.adyen.com/ LuLu Financial Group, a global financial services provider headquartered in Abu Dhabi and operating in 11 countries: https://www.lulufin.com/ M2P, Asia’s leading payment infrastructure company that enables businesses of any scale to embed financial products: https://m2pfintech.com/ Connect with Couchonomics:Website https://www.couchonomics.com/ TikTok https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMLQYGHoa/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/couchonomics/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/ Our 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