The NIUM Podcast

Singapore-headquartered Aspire, is a Y-Combinator backed technology company that serves small and medium businesses (SMEs) with convenient & inclusive financial services across Southeast Asia. In this episode, host Taneia Bhardwaj sits down with co-founder Joel Leong to talk about what sets Aspire apart in an increasingly crowded neobank space.

In 2017, the oldest bank in the UAE launched the newest. Mashreq Bank created Mashreq Neo – a digital-only bank for retail customers. In a clear sign that the digital commitment was paying off, Mashreq extended its digital offering to small businesses in 2019. In this episode, Rohit Garg, head of digital business banking at Mashreq sits down with host Taneia Bhardwaj to talk about the learnings along the way and how the bank is getting future-ready to compete with nimbler entrants

Open banking is poised to be the next wave of digital transformation in the financial sector. One of the key components to open banking is banking-as-a-service (BaaS), in which banks open up their systems and allow fintechs and other third parties to build offerings on their regulated infrastructure. Mexico’s Accendo Banco has been an early adopter to this trend. Host Taneia Bhardwaj chats with Francisco Perales, Director-Consumer Banking, Accendo Banco to understand if the BaaS bet has paid off.

Tune in to discover:

Why BaaS is the future

White-label banking strategy

How open banking is driving financial inclusion in Latin America

Whether you’re a small family-run business testing out a few markets or a large multi-national enterprise with well-established overseas operations, you’ll agree -  receiving money internationally is complicated. On this week’s episode, Nium’s Chief Product Officer, Rajesh Venkatesh talks to host Taneia Bhardwaj on how a smart payment processing strategy can help your business not only increase revenue but also enhance your competitiveness.

On this week’s episode we put the spotlight on the digital payments revolution that is underway in Indonesia. Vadyo Munaan, Country Head – Indonesia, NIUM talks to host Taneia about how fintech players are bringing innovation to traditional financial services and in turn fueling economic growth.

As start-up funding dries up due to the COVID-19 slowdown, what can founders do to stretch their dollars and ride out the drought? On this week's episode, Taneia turns to Carlos Camacho, Head of Investments Development, Fundnel for some answers. Fundnel is a private investment platform that leverages technology and data to match investors with private firms seeking funds outside traditional channels. Since its inception in 2015, Fundnel has closed 41 deals worth $1.8 billion - including Moovaz (logistics tech start-up), Marcopolo (edtech company), and Hatcher+ (a venture capital firm), at an average deal size of $20 million.