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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
How Tokenization and Stablecoins Will Change Money Movement
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
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-chain convergence, why stablecoins became the real “killer app” for blockchain UX, and why the next wave isn’t just crypto trading, but new product models: stablecoin acceptance, payouts, FX orchestration, stablecoin clearing, tokenized deposits, and tokenized assets that can move and settle with fewer constraints.
🎙️ In this episode:
• Why digital assets momentum is rising again in 2026
• Stablecoins as the “money on-chain” unlock (and why that changed everything)
• TradFi + DeFi convergence: where the customer actually feels it
• Real-time payments vs 24/7 money movement: what banks still miss
• What banks should do first: acceptance, payouts, FX, clearing, interoperability
• Why “40 stablecoins” is a UX problem (and who solves it)
• Stablecoin-as-a-Service vs Banking-as-a-Service: what gets leapfrogged
• Tokenization explained: native on-chain assets vs digital twins
• What’s next to tokenize: gold, treasuries, and trade foundations
• What Fireblocks is building towards: commercially viable use cases, not demos
👉 Watch the full episode if you want a clear, non-hype view of how stablecoins and tokenization can reshape banking operating models, and what banks and fintechs should do before the new rails become the default.
SOCIAL LINKS
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Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/couchonomics/
Twitter (X) → https://twitter.com/Arjun_Vir_Singh
TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@couchonomics
Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3WI4A6E
PARTNERS
Couchonomics with Arjun Season 04 is brought to you by:
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/
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Stablecoins, fintech platforms, and “money on-chain”
01:00 Who Stephen Richardson is + what Fireblocks does
02:10 Why digital assets now: what changed since the last cycle
05:00 Stablecoins as the killer UX unlock for blockchain
08:05 On-chain + off-chain convergence: where it’s heading
14:40 Real-time payments vs 24/7 money: visibility, trust, orchestration
17:30 What banks must shift to: platform mindset + on-chain products
25:05 First moves banks can make: accept, convert, payout, FX
33:45 What holds st
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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