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Couchonomics with Arjun
Decoding the New World Order of Finance - Unfiltered, global, weekly
As tectonic shifts reshape the financial world, Couchonomics continues to explore the trends transforming commerce, capital, and culture. This season, we expand our lens - building on our deep focus in the MENA region while bringing in voices, stories, and innovations from around the globe.
Why? Because the future of finance is no longer regional - it’s interconnected.
Whether it’s AI in Asia, tokenization in Europe, or fintech policy experiments in Africa, today’s financial shifts cross borders, industries, and disciplines.
Whether you’re in the industry or just fintech-curious, tune in weekly as we decode the big moves, bold ideas, and brilliant minds shaping tomorrow’s economy.
Episodes drop weekly. Arabic subtitles available on YouTube: youtube.com/@couchonomicswitharjunsingh438
Learn more: www.couchonomics.com
Season 4 supported by:
Adyen | Mastercard | SC Ventures | Thunes | Hala | e& | Digit 9
About the host:
Arjun's expertise covers a broad range of areas including Fintech, Payments, Digital Assets, Embedded Finance, Application of Emerging Technologies, and the Emergence of New Business Models within the Financial Services Sector in the MEA region and globally.
Arjun is deeply engaged in the Tech Start-Up ecosystem. He serves as a passive investor, advisory board member, and a notable commentator on the rapidly evolving scene.
In recognition of his impactful contributions, Arjun was honored as a Top Voice of the region by LinkedIn in 2020.
Learn more at www.couchonomics.com.
Couchonomics with Arjun
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 credit across the region by avoiding the hype and building disciplined, anchor-based lending models that actually work.
💡 Why SME lending is a graveyard for most fintechs
💡 Why 90% of Validus' capital comes from banks, not VCs
💡 AI that serves the ops, not the pitch
💡 How they scaled across SEA without shortcuts
🎧 Full episode now live on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts. Watch if you're building real fintech — not just noise.
#CouchonomicsWithArjun #Validus #SMELending #Fintech #DigitalBanking #AnchorLending #SoutheastAsia #FutureOfFinance
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 Highlights
01:05 Meet Nikhilesh, CEO of Validus
01:56 The Genesis of Validus
03:05 Navigating the SME Financing Landscape
06:08 Challenges and Solutions in SME Lending
09:00 The Role of Technology in SME Financing
11:32 Supply Chain Financing Model
18:57 The Future of SME Financing
29:05 Building Relationships with SMEs
31:13 Anchor-Based Lending
32:07 Regulatory Challenges in Indonesia and Thailand
37:04 Ethical Lending Practices
42:57 Competition in the FinTech Space
49:40 Exportability and Future Plans
51:42 Impact of Global Supply Chain Disruptions
52:31 Adopting AI and Frontier Technologies
56:24 Final Thoughts and Future Directions
Our website 👉 https://bit.ly/3jk7UH0
Find 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
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