Couchonomics with Arjun

ตอน

• Can AI Build Fintech Unicorns Faster? 30.06.2026 49นาที

  Can Europe build the next generation of global fintech leaders? In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Stefan Klestil, General Partner Fintech EMEA, joins the show to discuss venture capital, fintech investing, AI, digital assets, founder psychology, and why the Middle East and Africa have become one of the world's most compelling investment opportunities. Stefan explains why Speedinvest launched its dedicated EMEA fund, what separates exceptional founders from everyone else, and why v...
• Why Open Finance Could Change UAE Banking 23.06.2026 54นาที

  Is digital banking really about technology anymore? It is becoming a battle for customer relationships, trust, data, and who owns the financial experience. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Raheel Ahmed, Group CEO of RAKBANK, returns to discuss open finance, AI, stablecoins, SME banking, regulation, and the future of financial services in the UAE. Raheel explains why open finance is being built for customers rather than banks, why products and pricing are becoming increasingly co...
• Why Uzbekistan May Be Digital Banking’s Next Big Story 26.05.2026 49นาที

  Digital finance is no longer only about banking apps and payments. It is becoming a question of infrastructure, trust, customer behaviour, and how financial systems evolve in emerging markets. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Nika Kurdiani, CEO of TBC Uzbekistan, joins the show for a sharp conversation on digital banking, AI, open banking, and why Uzbekistan is becoming one of the most interesting financial markets to watch. Nika explains how TBC built one of the largest digital...
• When Hackers Understand Banks Better Than Banks Understand Hackers 14.05.2026 54นาที

  Cybersecurity is no longer just a technical issue, it is now a human, business, and financial system challenge. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Ralph Echemendia, Ethical Hacker and Cyber Security Expert, for a sharp conversation on hacking psychology, cybercrime, AI-driven fraud, and why financial institutions need to rethink security. Ralph explains why some of the most dangerous attacks are not built on complex code, but on human vulnerability, trust, and so...
• What Happens When Trading Infrastructure Starts Changing the System 14.04.2026 47นาที

  Before a trading app reaches a user, there is an entire system underneath it doing the real heavy lifting. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Yoshi Yokokawa, Co-Founder and CEO of Alpaca, for a sharp and wide-ranging conversation on brokerage infrastructure, on-chain finance, market access, and what it really takes to build financial products at global scale. It is a grounded look at how trading has shifted from web to mobile to on-chain, why financial access sti...
• What Happens When Stablecoins Start Competing With Banks? 07.04.2026 47นาที

  Money is no longer just held. It is moving, earning, and quietly reshaping the system around it. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Anton Golub, Founding Member of RWA Labs, for a sharp, grounded conversation on what is actually happening beneath the surface of crypto, stablecoins, and tokenization. It is a clear breakdown of how liquidity, leverage, and market structure are shaping Bitcoin cycles, why stablecoins are becoming impossible to ignore, and what happe...
• Can Stablecoins Scale Without Expanding Systemic Risk? 31.03.2026 59นาที

  Fraud is not new. But the scale, speed, and sophistication have changed. In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Arjun is joined by Navin Gupta, CEO of Crystal Intelligence, and Nick Smart, Chief Intelligence Officer at Crystal Intelligence, to unpack the evolving world of crypto-related fraud, institutional risk, and the uncomfortable truth about financial crime in a 24/7 digital economy. From the Lazarus Group and the Bybit hack to scam compounds operating at industrial scale, this co...
• How AI Agents and Stablecoins Are Reshaping Modern Banking 26.02.2026 57นาที

  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,...
• How Tokenization and Stablecoins Will Change Money Movement 17.02.2026 53นาที

  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-...
• Why Japan’s Payments Are About to Change Fast 10.02.2026 42นาที

  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...
• How Deep Payments Infrastructure Creates Real Fintech Advantage 05.02.2026 32นาที

  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...
• What It Really Takes to Launch a Fintech in Qatar 04.02.2026 27นาที

  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...
• What It Takes to Scale a Tech Company Like Snoonu From Qatar 03.02.2026 32นาที

  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...
• Why Ecosystem Design Matters More Than Funding in Startup Growth 02.02.2026 38นาที

  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...
• What the Data Actually Says About Venture Capital in MENA 27.01.2026 54นาที

  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...
• What It Really Takes to Build World-Class Startups Outside Silicon Valley 20.01.2026 57นาที

  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...
• How Allica Bank Is Rebuilding SME Banking From Scratch 13.01.2026 53นาที

  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...
• What It Really Takes for Banks to Innovate Without Breaking Trust 16.12.2025 57นาที

  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...
• How CBD Is Reshaping Banking in the UAE 09.12.2025 48นาที

  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 Why...
• How One Platform Went From 5,000 Cards to Powering Global Banks 03.12.2025 42นาที

  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...