In this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun, we speak with Madiha Sattar, VP of Careem Pay, the fintech arm of Careem, the Middle East's first unicorn.

Madiha has had a versatile and ambitious career across finance, tech, and media. Prior to joining Careem, she worked in management consulting at McKinsey and in corporate strategy at JPMorgan. She also has experience as a journalist covering political, security, and social issues in Pakistan.

As VP of Careem Pay, Madiha is leading strategy development and key partnerships for Careem's fintech business and products. She envisions making Careem Pay the leading digital financial services provider in the region.

Careem Pay's mission is to provide essential financial services that simplify people's lives as part of an Everything app. The company is not trying to be a neobank, but a player that meets the daily financial needs of its users. While Careem has been facilitating payments for ride-hailing and deliveries for the past 11 years, it only became a regulated FinTech recently with the launch of its digital wallet in the UAE. The company has since launched a comprehensive suite of FinTech products, including a peer-to-peer money transfer service and international remittance starting with UAE and Pakistan as the first corridor. Careem Pay is determined to perfect its services before expanding into other corridors.

In this episode, we discuss building a fintech ecosystem in the Middle East and the challenges and opportunities that come with it. Madiha shares her insights on Careem Pay's role in shaping the region's fintech landscape and how they are working to establish industry-leading verticals but also:

• The transition from a ride-hailing brand to an everything app
• Geographic expansion plans for Careem
• The problem of diversity in fintech

Join us on this episode of Couchonomics with Arjun to learn more about the future of fintech in the Middle East and how Careem Pay is playing a pivotal role in driving innovation and growth in the industry.

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