S5 E4 Fintech Files - Disrupting Traditional Payments

Hear from PayTabs CEO Abdulaziz Al Jouf on how his company transformed the Middle East’s cash-reliant landscape through cultural insight, regulatory collaboration, and fintech innovation.
Podcast
December 3, 2025

What does it take to create payment infrastructure from the ground up in one of the world’s fastest-growing fintech regions?

‍

Recorded live at Money20/20 in Riyadh — one of the world’s premier stages for global money ecosystem leaders — PayTabs CEO and Founder Abdulaziz Al Jouf reflects on how the company helped establish one of the Middle East’s earliest fintechs.

‍

In this conversation, we navigate through the challenges of launching in a cash-reliant market, the role of cultural understanding in earning trust, and how partnerships with banks and regulators created the foundation for secure growth.

‍

From embedded finance to cross-border expansion, listen in to understand how PayTabs is shaping the next chapter of digital payments in the Middle East here.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/QAg48XnoIX8
No items found.

Featured

Phil Gerrard

Manager Director
London, United Kingdom

Tom is an Engineering Lead based in the London office. He has vast experience delivering products and services with a human centered approach – including artificial intelligence solutions at scale and new startup ventures across a wide range of industries. Covering topics ranging from privacy enhancing AI to digital consortium design, he brings expertise in open innovation’s evolving role in solving high impact issues such as climate action, healthcare and online privacy.

Annika Melchert

Riyadh
,
Saudi Arabia

Annika Melchert is a Principal in the Riyadh Office and the podcast co-host of Fintech Files Podcast.

‍

As an expert in modern banking, she guides fintechs and incumbent banks on their technology build, integration strategies, and digital transformations.

Nora Hocke

Sydney
,
Australia

Nora is a member of the BCG Platinion Agile chapter and the Neobank and FinTech initiative and Co-Host of the Fintech Files Podcast.

‍

Nora is an expert in IT strategy and agile ways of working. By combining her expertise in banking and emerging technologies, she has delivered IT strategies, next-gen target architectures, and agile operating models for fintech and incumbent banks across the globe.

Bianca Lopes

,

Originally from Brazil and currently based in Denmark, Bianca is an entrepreneur and economist with a remarkable background in digital identity and biometrics.

‍

Throughout her career, Bianca has supported over 40 financial institutions and 8 governments, reshaping their approach to technology, reimagining identity, and driving innovation agendas.