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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
Why Islamic Fintech Is Still Being Underestimated
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Islamic finance is growing globally, but the companies pushing it forward are not always the ones talking about it the loudest.
In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, Abdullo Kurbanov, CEO and Co-founder of Ayan Capital, shares how he helped build Alif from a $200,000 start in Tajikistan into a profitable fintech processing $1.2 billion in transactions every month, and why he is now building again from scratch in the UK.
They unpack what Islamic finance actually changes for customers, why Sharia-compliant fintechs still need to compete on speed, pricing and experience, how building technology in-house became a major advantage, and why Abdullo believes the next big Islamic fintech opportunity could come from Central Asia or the UK.
🎙️ In this episode:
Why successful Islamic fintechs do not need to lead with the Islamic label
How Alif grew from $200,000 in capital to $1.2 billion in monthly transactions
Why expanding into Pakistan required years of perseverance
How building technology in-house became a competitive advantage
What actually separates Islamic finance from conventional finance
Why Sharia compliance can become a moat
Why Ayan chose UK car finance as its starting point
What Islamic fintech needs to reach its global potential
⏱️ CHAPTERS
02:29 Why successful Islamic fintechs do not lead with the Islamic label
08:23 Building Alif in a cash-first banking market
13:54 Why Alif expanded into Pakistan
19:06 Why Alif built its technology stack in-house
22:57 What actually makes Islamic finance different?
30:08 Is Islamic finance only relevant to Muslims?
35:02 Why Abdullo started again in the UK
40:43 Why Ayan started with car finance
46:28 The vision for a global digital Islamic bank
48:32 What Islamic fintech needs to reach its potential
SOCIAL LINKS
Arjun's LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/arjunvirsingh/
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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/
#CouchonomicsWithArjun #IslamicFinance #IslamicFintech #DigitalBanking #Fintech #Banking #FinancialServices #AyanCapital
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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