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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
Can Stablecoins Scale Without Expanding Systemic Risk?
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
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 conversation moves beyond headlines and into how crypto crime actually works, why velocity of money matters, and whether regulation is finally catching up.
They explore the intersection of traditional finance and digital assets, stablecoins, tokenization, AI-driven fraud, and the systemic risks emerging as crypto integrates deeper into the global financial system.
🎙️ In this episode:
• Why crypto fraud is industrialized, not amateur
• The Lazarus Group and lessons from the Bybit incident
• How blockchain transparency changes crime investigation
• AI as a multiplier for scams and financial crime
• Why 24/7 markets clash with 9–5 regulatory systems
• Stablecoins, velocity of money, and systemic risk
• Tokenization: real utility vs liquidity illusion
• Regulatory arbitrage and geopolitical blind spots
• Financial inclusion vs vulnerability in emerging markets
• Scam Alert and how reporting fraud protects the ecosystem
If you care about the future of finance, financial inclusion, stablecoins, or institutional crypto adoption, this episode offers a clear-eyed view of where risk really sits.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
00:00 Fraud in the digital era and why crypto attracts it
01:00 What Crystal Intelligence actually does
05:00 Is crypto more opaque than traditional finance?
12:00 Industrial-scale scam compounds and modern fraud
16:30 The Lazarus Group and the Bybit hack
21:00 Velocity of money vs cost of fraud
26:00 Regulation catching up to digital assets
30:00 Stablecoins, custody, and institutional adoption
35:00 Exchanges, compliance, and global licensing gaps
38:00 Layer 1s, liquidity, and criminal behavior
44:00 AI, 24/7 markets, and systemic vulnerabilities
49:00 Tokenization, real world assets, and risk
52:00 Informal value transfer systems and financial inclusion
56:00 Scam Alert and collective responsibility
SOCIAL LINKS
Arjun’s LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/
Couchonomics LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/couchonomics-with-arjun-singh/
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/
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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