Writing on fintech, payments & digital assets.
Long-form thinking on the infrastructure, deals and policy shaping the future of money. 9 perspectives, newest first.
Everyone Is Building for the Wrong Customer
The fintech industry raised $500B in a decade — and most of it chased customers who already had bank accounts. Here's why that's the biggest strategic error in financial services history, and who's starting to fix it.
CBUAE's Five Principles for AI Governance: What UAE Financial Institutions Must Do Now
CBUAE issued responsible AI guidance in February 2026, covering five principles for governance, fairness, transparency, oversight, and data management.
Sept 2026 · 8 min read ↗
Real World Asset Tokenization in GCC: How the Gulf Is Building the Infrastructure for a $500 Billion Market
GCC's $500B RWA tokenization opportunity: how UAE is building the infrastructure for blockchain-based capital markets through 2030.
Sept 2026 · 8 min read ↗
mBridge at $55 Billion: The Multi-CBDC Rail Reshaping MENA Payment Corridors
Project mBridge cleared $55.49B across 4,047 transactions. With UAE and Saudi Arabia aboard, here is what this means for MENA cross-border payment corridors.
Sept 2026 · 9 min read ↗
UAE's Three-Layer Payment Stack: What Aani, Jaywan and the Digital Dirham Mean for Every Business Operating in the Region
UAE's three-layer payment stack — Aani, Jaywan and the Digital Dirham — represents the most comprehensive domestic payment infrastructure built by any GCC central bank in a single cycle.
Sept 2026 · 9 min read ↗
Three Doors, One Market: A Practitioner's Guide to UAE Digital Asset Licensing in 2026
The UAE now has three parallel licensing regimes for digital assets — VARA, DIFC, and ADGM. Here is how to navigate them without guessing.
Sept 2026 · 11 min read ↗
The Digital Dirham Is Live. Six Months In, the Region Still Hasn't Fully Grasped What That Means.
The UAE's Digital Dirham has been live for retail payments since March 2026 — six months in, here's what MENA businesses and payment infrastructure leaders need to understand now.
Sept 2026 · 10 min read ↗
The GCC Isn't Doing Open Banking. It's Doing Open Finance — And That Changes Everything.
The GCC is bypassing open banking entirely, racing to open finance — what this structural leap means for payments infrastructure, financial inclusion, and regional competitiveness in 2026.
Sept 2026 · 11 min read ↗
The Multi-Money World: Why Mastercard's $1.8 Billion BVNK Bet Changes Everything for Payments Infrastructure
Mastercard's $1.8B BVNK acquisition signals a structural shift to multi-money payment rails — stablecoins, fiat, and tokenized assets converging on one global network.
Aug 2026 · 10 min read ↗Have a question about any of these topics? Ask the AI trained on Punit's writing.
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