Chapters

• 00:00 – Opening
• 00:59 – Curiosity & Formula One Lessons
• 05:20 – Thinking Like a Founder in a Bank
• 08:17 – Bureaucracy, Innovation & Navigation
• 12:47 – Building Islamic Finance
• 16:46 – Partnership with Merchant Capital
• 20:26 – Advice for Fintechs Partnering with Banks
• 23:53 – Trigger Events & Inflection Points
• 27:10 – Lifelong Learning & AI
• 30:23 – Dream Garage
• 31:20 – Looking Ahead: Lessons & Legacy

00:00 – Opening

Dov: Welcome to Here We Grow. I’m your host, Dov Girnun. We share real stories, bold moves, and the tough truths behind business growth. It feels like you’re more of a friend than a partner. When you arrive at our Merchant Capital offices, our barista Mondi already knows your coffee order.

Ameen: It does feel like home. Over time we’ve built not only a business relationship with you, Dov, and the Merchant Capital team, but a real friendship. You know it’s a friendship when someone gets invited to the wedding.

Dov: It’s a privilege.

00:59 – Curiosity & Formula One Lessons

Dov: You call yourself a banker by day, car guy by night, and a student of everything in between. How does that curiosity fuel creativity and problem-solving in banking?

Ameen: Learning from other industries is key. Take Formula One — the pinnacle of automotive engineering. Red Bull Racing is an energy-drinks company that built a dominant F1 team by assembling world-class engineering, power units from Honda and Renault, and top drivers. They adapted competencies from across the ecosystem to win.
Finance is similar: with embedded finance, we’re integrating capabilities across partners to create better products. Curiosity lets you borrow ideas and translate them into your environment.

Dov: I’m more into driving than watching F1, but that recent Brad Pitt film showed how much technical work sits behind what looks simple on race day — tyre temps, pit-stop timing, everything.

Ameen: Exactly. You need a little “cowboy energy” to chase success, but a counter-balance to channel it.

Dov: Same in fintech. At Merchant Capital we aim for a simple, frictionless customer experience — but it takes a lot of technical work to make it feel simple.

Ameen: Consumers often don’t see the grit behind big retailers, FMCG companies, or banks. It’s easy to lose appreciation for the people doing the hard work.

05:20 – Thinking Like a Founder in a Bank

Dov: Working with you at Standard Bank has been refreshing because you think like a founder inside Africa’s largest bank. There’s red tape for good reasons — it’s a bank — yet you still execute. How?

Ameen: Entrepreneurs have a wider risk appetite. Inside a bank, I learned we carry profound trust: 17 million clients — from billionaires to blue-collar workers and pensioners — go to sleep expecting their money to be safe. We’re also custodians of ~R380bn in shareholder value. You can’t be reckless with that trust.
If you frame entrepreneurial vision within those constraints, you win support from decision-makers.

08:17 – Bureaucracy, Innovation & Navigation

Dov: The balance matters. You’ve delivered as an intrapreneur without “risking the house,” and banks still need innovators to serve clients.

Ameen: If we don’t evolve, we die. South Africa’s banking sector is an oligopoly; globally it’s more competitive, so the innovation rate abroad can be higher. The upside here is strong regulation — e.g., during the 2008 financial crisis, SA banks were well-capitalised and consumers were protected.
Bureaucracy is real but purposeful. Standard Bank is huge — 23 countries, ~55,000 employees. Success requires navigation: knowing vertical and horizontal structures, finding the true decision-makers, and aligning them. Don’t fear starting at the top; good leaders won’t shut the door on a solid idea.

Dov: You almost need a masterclass on the org chart on day one.

12:47 – Building Islamic Finance

Dov: Your advice also applies to fintech founders pitching banks. There’s global appetite for partnerships, and we’ve been fortunate to partner with Standard Bank. If you’re a founder pitching, identify decision-makers and get buy-in across levels.

Ameen: My path started as a private banker. Competitors were gaining traction in Islamic finance, and Standard Bank didn’t have an offering. My tertiary education and prior roles were in Islamic finance, and I saw the market opportunity — especially given Africa’s significant Muslim demographic.
I presented the business case to provincial leadership. They seconded me — no guarantees. If it worked, I’d run it; if not, the bank would find me another role. It required a leap of faith on both sides.

Dov: No safety net then.

Ameen: None. But that’s the entrepreneurial equity you contribute inside a corporate.

16:46 – Partnership with Merchant Capital

Dov: Our Merchant Capital × Standard Bank partnership to bring Sharia-compliant finance to SA SMEs shows how banks and agile fintechs can collaborate.

Ameen: On a personal level, the relationship has been honest and equitable — even in disputes. Strategically, big banks can’t chase every emerging niche; partnering lets those markets mature. Sometimes we buy capability; other times we partner and ingest later.
Merchant Capital has placed product into our distribution; it’s working, and there are many examples we can point to.

Dov: Partnerships thrive when the fintech keeps delivering value, innovation, trust, and compliance.

20:26 – Advice for Fintechs Partnering with Banks

Ameen: Three points:

1. Don’t assume incumbents don’t want to partner — they do.
2. Be willing to share equity when it unlocks scale.
3. Corporate behaviour is trending more ethical (think King IV governance and broader social accountability). David can win more often when Goliath is held to account.

Dov: And keep a little separation. Partnerships at arm’s length reduce the risk of being absorbed and forgotten. Keep delivering, keep the value proposition strong for both sides.

23:53 – Trigger Events & Inflection Points

Ameen: Think of the blue whale and the remora. The remora doesn’t try to redirect the whale; it adapts to its path and thrives on what the whale stirs up. Entrepreneurs should do the same with big banks.

Dov: Also, big crises can reset careers. I worked at a London hedge fund (2002–2007). The Global Financial Crisis killed our volatility strategies. That nudge pushed me towards real entrepreneurship — an inflection point.

Ameen: Most entrepreneurs have a trigger event — spiritual, circumstantial, or macroeconomic — that changes their trajectory.

27:10 – Lifelong Learning & AI

Dov: You describe yourself as a lifelong learner. What fuels that?

Ameen: A worldview of seeking knowledge from cradle to grave, and the reality of a near-infinite information environment. If you don’t keep up, you become redundant. New knowledge creates new economies; learning preserves relevance.

Dov: Especially with AI — tools like ChatGPT are at everyone’s fingertips.

Ameen: Teenagers are launching businesses end-to-end with AI: business cases, feasibility, and go-to-market. Crypto and AI-led opportunities are creating new wealth. If we don’t keep up, we lose.

30:23 – Dream Garage

Dov: You’re a car guy — what’s in the dream garage?

Ameen: A ’67 Shelby, a Porsche, a Pagani, probably a Ferrari, and I’ll never sell my 1979 Toyota Corolla. Maybe a Supra too.

Dov: A balanced mix of classics and modern supercars. Sounds like you’ll need a bigger garage.

Ameen: The environmentalists won’t be impressed!

31:20 – Looking Ahead: Lessons & Legacy

Dov: Final question I’ll ask every guest: When you’re 80, what do you want your 80-year-old self to tell your 40-year-old self you’ll be proud of?

Ameen: That I took the leap of faith and built something meaningful. That I grew out of naivety — realising how little I knew when meeting seasoned entrepreneurs and executives — and committed to seeking knowledge. Curiosity and learning are what I’ll always be proud of.

Dov: It’s been a privilege. Thanks for joining.

Ameen: A pleasure — and all the best with the podcast.

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