Jul 2025
Scaling SME Lending Without Burning Capital
💸 What’s the real fintech miracle? Lending to SMEs — and staying alive 9 years later.In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we’re joined by Nikhilesh Goel, Co-Founder & CEO of Validus, Southeast Asia’s largest SME financing platform.We unpack how Validus scaled to $5B+ in c ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2025
What VCs Get Wrong About Building Durable Startups with Tim Levene
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we sit down with Tim Levene, CEO of Augmentum Fintech, the UK’s only publicly listed fintech venture capital firm.From going public to backing infrastructure instead of hype, Tim shares what permanent capital allows that traditional VC ... Show More
56m 57s
May 2025
Programmable Money, Real-Time Payments & What Comes Next
Re-architecting Finance with Blockchain - Not Just Hype, But Real-World Infrastructure
We’re wrapping up this special Tokyo series of Couchonomics, filmed at the GFTN Forum — and what better way to close than with a bold conversation on the future of financial systems?
In this fi ... Show More
22m 31s
Dec 2023
EP 66: Wealth Management Gets An AI Makeover: Mehdi Fichtali of FinaMaze
In the latest episode of Couchonomics, Arjun was joined on the couch by Mehdi Fichtali, CEO & Founder of FinaMaze, MENA's first AI digital wealth manager.Founded by a highly experienced team with decades of track record in capital markets and asset management, their hybrid human/ ... Show More
51m 47s
Jun 2025
From ChatGPT to Instagram to Uber: The quiet architect behind the world’s most popular products | Peter Deng
Peter Deng has led product teams at OpenAI, Instagram, Uber, Facebook, Airtable, and Oculus and helped build products used by billions—including Facebook’s News Feed, the standalone Messenger app, Instagram filters, Uber Reserve, ChatGPT, and more. Currently he’s investing in ear ... Show More
1h 55m
Mar 2025
Insiders React: Return of Digg + Wall Street Panic, Bitcoin Strategic Reserve, Apple Delays AI
<p>Is the stock market's recent nosedive just the beginning of a larger economic shift? As tariffs and political uncertainty rock Wall Street, tech giants like Apple are facing unexpected hurdles in the AI race. Meanwhile, an old internet favorite is poised for a surprising c ... Show More
55m 54s