Curious Log

Notes from the intersection of technology and finance

I’ve worked at the intersection of technology and retail finance, across banks, card networks and startups – for over 25 years. And most of that time has been spent close to new technology waves and figuring out how they can drive real sustainable growth.

I’ve worked across digital payments, lending, marketplaces and banking in India – within payments, lending and insurance.

I write about things I find interesting, questions I’m trying to figure out, and what I’m learning along the way.

I am extremely curious by nature, and have a lot of questions around anything new I stumble upon. These days, a lot of that curiosity is around AI and what it could mean for financial services.

More about me →

Start here

AI in Financial ServicesThe Human-in-the-Loop ParadoxWhy I think the industry is betting on the wrong long-term architecture for AI. TL;DR For the last two years, “Human in the Loop” (HITL) has become the default answer to almost every AI…AI in Financial ServicesEscalators vs Elevators: What Are You Building?Payments & Banking InfrastructureVarying rates of digital adoption across send and receive-sides impact payment-flowsFintech Growth & DistributionUnit Economics in the times of Auction Marketing ModelsLeadership & ExecutionFactory and Lab mindsets in product management teams

Topics

AI in Financial Services

AI adoption across banking, payments, lending. Solving for trust, reliability in a regulated space. Human-in-the-loop to human-on-exception, assisted journeys vs early adopters of DIY.

Fintech Growth

Sustainable Growth requires a lot of things to come together. Understanding those from first principles. Why distribution beats product: acquisition vs growth, unit economics, aggregators and trust.

Payments

Money movement is a leading indicator for commerce. Solving for trusted flow of money across use-cases remains foundational to any financial ecosystem. Payments, UPI, OCEN, API banking, and how banks and fintechs actually work together.

Leadership

Leadership lessons abound – from military to sports to day-to-day experiences. As I discover my own leadership style, my notes on building teams, crafting strategy, decision-making, spiritual side of work and much more.

Latest writing