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/
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Mastercard https://mastercard.com/
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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 Highlights
01:58 Exploring Finternet Labs
03:01 Understanding Financial Infrastructure
05:33 The Vision of Finternet Labs
13:19 Governance and Dispute Resolution
25:02 Future of Financial Systems
27:07 Web3 and Coexistence with Traditional Financial Systems
29:15 Interoperability Challenges and Solutions
31:42 Cross-Border Transactions and Emerging Technologies
36:12 The Role of Digital Identity in Financial Ecosystems
40:45 Centralization vs. Decentralization in Digital Identity
44:13 Introduction to Finnet and Its Objectives
46:34 The Finternet Labs: Structure and Goals
50:21 Opportunities for the Middle East in Digital Finance
53:01 Conclusion and Future Events
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