Founders and banks can leave the same meeting with completely different takeaways, and it comes down to time. Founders measure time in runway, payroll, and board pressure. Banks measure it in governance, resilience, and trust.
In this episode of Wall Street to MENA, Michael O’Loughlin, Managing Partner at Argonautic Global and US Ambassador of the MENA Fintech Association, breaks down why so many fintech-bank relationships stall, and why that isn’t a sign either side is doing something wrong.
Michael explains why caution is part of the product banks are selling, not evidence they’re falling behind, and shares practical advice for founders on what it really takes to sell into an institution: knowing who owns the budget, who signs off from procurement, and whose problem you’re actually solving.