From gift cards to a global payments network of digital value, with Runa CEO Aron Alexander

Lex chats with Aron Alexander - CEO, and Founder of Runa - a
digital value infrastructure and network that enables people to
pay and get paid by anyone, anywhere, instantly. The discussion
delves into the founding story of Runa, which was inspired by
insights from commerce experiences. Together Lex and Aron explore
the significance of payment networks and loyalty programs in
aligning incentives for merchants and providers. Runa's
integration, impact, and impressive numbers in simplifying
payments for merchants are unveiled. The conversation also covers
the industry structure of third-party gift card providers,
considering concentration, diversity, and geographic impact. The
decision-making process behind building a global API layer and
the mechanism of cross-border money movement are discussed. Aron
dives into international transactions, scale, and the best
customer use case—an embedded finance layer for
business-to-consumer payouts. The growth strategy and revenue
model are explored, focusing on incentives for success. The
episode concludes with an insightful discussion about alternative
forms of value, including equity shares, cryptocurrencies, and
NFTs, and how Runa embraces alternative assets to mitigate
volatility and facilitate seamless transactions.


 


MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION


 


Runa's Website: https://bit.ly/45coLOs


Aron's LinkedIn profile: https://bit.ly/3QrdAgF


 


Topics: payments, paytech, infrastructure, cryptocurrency,
digitalization, embedded finance


 


Companies: Runa, WeGift, PayPal, TransferWise, CoinBase, Twilio


 


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Twitter: https://twitter.com/LexSokolin


 


TIMESTAMPS


 


1’19”: Unveiling the founding story: How commerce insights led to
startup ideation


 


7’36”: Understanding the role of payment networks and loyalty
programs: Aligning incentives for merchants and providers


 


12’34”: Introducing Runa: Integration, impact, and numbers in
simplifying payments for merchants


 


17’52”: Decoding the industry structure of third-party gift card
providers: Concentration, diversity, and geographic impact


 


20’16”: Building a global API layer: Navigating the choice of
wide coverage vs. deep focus


 


24’20”: Mechanisms of cross-border money movement: Understanding
infrastructure, risk, and partnerships


 


27’16”: Handling international transactions and scale: Bank
accounts, volumes, and consumer impact


 


30’17”: Exploring the best customer use case: An embedded finance
layer for business-to-consumer payouts


 


33’01”: Understanding the growth strategy and revenue model:
Structuring incentives for success


 


36’14”: Exploring alternative forms of value: Role of equity
shares, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs in the business


 


39’13”: Embracing alternative assets: Mitigating volatility and
facilitating seamless transactions


 


40’59”: The channels used to connect with Aron & learn more
about Runa


Disclaimer here — this newsletter does not provide investment
advice and represents solely the views and opinions of FINTECH
BLUEPRINT LTD.


Contributors: Lex, Laurence, Matt, Farhad, Mike, Daniella


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