Standard Chartered: Tech & Digital Banking Trends

Standard Chartered’s Rene Michau, Global Head of Digital Assets, and Alaa Alaabed, Director, Group Islamic FM Products join CJ Doherty on Lending Lowdown to explore the future of Islamic finance in the digital assets era.   They discuss how Sharia requirements can be embedded into digital infrastructure, which Islamic asset classes are ready for tokenisation and how stablecoins, tokenised deposits and central bank digital currencies could support settlement and cross-border payments.   This podcast was recorded on 25 August 2026.   This podcast is provided for informational purposes only. It does not constitute a personal offer, recommendation, or solicitation to enter into any transaction or adopt any hedging, trading or investment strategy, nor does it constitute any prediction of likely future movements in rates or prices. Please see Terms & Conditions - Standard Chartered Global Research for full disclosures or email us at [email protected] for any questions.

How has the pandemic accelerated finance and treasury transformation? Hear from Nicola Gear, Finance Director, Greater China and Singapore, and Suki Teh, Senior Finance Transformation Manager, at Inchcape as we explore real-world challenges encountered and processes that had to be re-engineered. This podcast is part of a special three-part series accompanying A Treasurer’s Guide to Centralisation, jointly developed by AFP and Standard Chartered.

What does the future of digital treasury look like? Hear from Scott Engle, Group Treasurer at AIA Group Ltd, as we discuss futureproofing treasury through digitisation, which types of digitisation waves have the highest impact, and what the future holds. This podcast is part of a special three-part series accompanying A Treasurer’s Guide to Centralisation, jointly developed by AFP and Standard Chartered.

What should you consider when you’re looking to enhance liquidity management? Hear from Foong Ling Kit, Head of Cash and Banking for Asia Pacific at BP, as we discuss improvements to working capital and share tips for fellow treasurers looking to enhance liquidity management. This podcast is part of a special three-part series accompanying A Treasurer’s Guide to Centralisation, jointly developed by AFP and Standard Chartered.

The pandemic has accelerated the shift to online shopping, increased the use of digital payments, and forced institutions and consumers around the world to re-think the use of cash. As corporations take their businesses online and expand into new and emerging markets, they are confronted with an ever-growing list of payment options and service providers. In this podcast, you’ll hear from Lim Weijern, the Head of Finance and Corporate Development at YouTrip, the Singapore-based mobile payments start-up and Mahesh Narayan, Global Product Lead for Mobile Money and eCommerce at Standard Chartered, about how these customer expectations varies across countries and regions, the challenges they pose to multinationals operating across the globe, and ideas on how these challenges can be effectively managed.