The Mal Show

Mal.ai
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  • BUSINESS

The Mal Show is a conversation-driven podcast about money and the human condition.Hosted by ADNOC CFO Youssef Salem  — The show brings together founders, investors, operators, policymakers, and thinkers to examine what really happens inside finance, entrepreneurship, and capital allocation.Each conversation explores how money moves through modern systems, how capital is raised and deployed, and how ambition, power, faith, and ethics intersect in real life. Islamic finance appears as a living moral lens within these discussions — not as theory, but as practice.Powered by Mal, the first AI-native Islamic digital financial platform, the podcast reflects Mal’s broader mission: to create space for serious, nuanced conversations about money, values, and modern financial systems without slogans or easy conclusions.This is where finance is examined with depth, clarity, and intellectual honesty.

Episodes

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Fundraising, Careem and the AI Bubble | The Mal show (Podcast) with Wael Nafee

    In this episode of The MAL Show (Podcast), we sit down with Wael Nafee — former Careem executive and now Partner at Raed Ventures, one of the region’s leading venture capital firms. Wael has seen both sides of the table: • building companies as an operator • and backing founders as an investor After studying and working abroad, he made the decision to come back and build in the region. In this conversation, we discuss: • Why some founders choose to return and build in emerging markets • The culture of money and capital in the Middle East • What Sharia-compliant fundraising actually looks like in venture capital • Whether ethical constraints make companies weaker — or more disciplined • The responsibility that comes with building products used by millions And perhaps the most important question: When your capital shapes companies used by millions of people… what do you owe society? A conversation about nation building, capital with consequence, and the moral weight behind scale. We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to subscribe to our channel to get the latest episodes of the Mal Show. Chapters: 00:00 Intro and Wael's journey  10:28 Sources of Fundraising  17:51 Sharia compliance Fundraising 23:09 Careem's positioning & acquisition 27:06 Careem's culture 33:23 Joining Raed Ventures 40:15 What do Investors look for? 44:32 Self assessment, correction & reflections 52:26 Money & Culture 57:55 Women & Money 1:01:12 Final advice on money To get in touch with us:  podcast@mal.ai Follow us on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/themal.show/ https://www.tiktok.com/@themalshow.podcast https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566478614883 To get in touch with Yousef Salem https://www.linkedin.com/in/youssefsamysalem/?skipRedirect=true https://www.instagram.com/youssefsamysalem?hl=en To get in touch with Wael Nafee https://www.linkedin.com/in/wael-nafee-2b78abb/ #themalshow #fintech #islamicfinance #entrepreneur #podcast

    1h 3m

  2. 24 FEB

    $230M to Build the First AI Islamic Bank | The Mal Show Podcast with Abdullah Abu-Sheikh

    Islamic finance is worth trillions; but does it actually fix anything? In the first episode of The Mal Show (podcast), we sit down with Abdallah Abu Sheikh, Founder & CEO of MAL, who raised $230 million in one of the largest seed rounds in the region to build what to be the world’s first AI-native Islamic digital bank. But this conversation goes deeper than fintech. We explore: • Are Islamic banks truly different — or just conventional banks with different terminology? • Is Sharia compliance enough to make finance ethical? • How do you handle venture capital pressure while staying aligned with faith-based principles? • What is Islamic finance really trying to fix in today’s system? • Is debt always bad — or is it about structure and intention? • Is investing in stocks and crypto halal? • Why do so many high earners still feel financially stressed? We also unpack Mal specifically: • Why build another Islamic financial institution? • What does “AI-native banking” actually mean for users? • Can Islamic fintech scale globally like Revolut or Stripe? • What changes the moment someone switches to Mal? This is a conversation about capital and conscience. About growth and responsibility. About whether we can build serious financial infrastructure from the UAE — without copying the West. If you care about money, ethics, investing, Islamic finance, or the future of banking in the region — this episode is for you. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:32 Building & Solving the region's problems  16:44 What is Islamic Finance? 19:33 Ethics vs Sharia Compliance 24:37 Reality of Islamic Banking 26:35 What problem is Mal trying to solve? 30:13 The System challenges  36:46 Financial safety  43:54 Mal as the first Ai native digital bank  45:21 Is a college degree still necessary? 49:26 Dealing with industry pressure & frustrations 55:09 What Talent is Mal looking for? 48:43 Voluntary vs involuntary Struggle and debt 1:05:41 Social Media & financial traps 1:10:03 Crypto and Islamic Finance 1:11:03 On being progressive.. We hope you enjoy this episode and don't forget to subscribe to our channel to get the latest episodes of the Mal Show To get in touch with us:  podcast@mal.ai To get in touch with Yousef Salem https://www.linkedin.com/in/youssefsamysalem/?skipRedirect=true https://www.instagram.com/youssefsamysalem?hl=en To get in touch with Abdullah Abu-Sheikh  https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdallahabusheikh/ https://www.instagram.com/abdallahabusheikh/ #themalshow #fintech #islamicfinance #entrepreneur #podcast

    1h 13m
  • 2 Episodes

About

The Mal Show is a conversation-driven podcast about money and the human condition.Hosted by ADNOC CFO Youssef Salem  — The show brings together founders, investors, operators, policymakers, and thinkers to examine what really happens inside finance, entrepreneurship, and capital allocation.Each conversation explores how money moves through modern systems, how capital is raised and deployed, and how ambition, power, faith, and ethics intersect in real life. Islamic finance appears as a living moral lens within these discussions — not as theory, but as practice.Powered by Mal, the first AI-native Islamic digital financial platform, the podcast reflects Mal’s broader mission: to create space for serious, nuanced conversations about money, values, and modern financial systems without slogans or easy conclusions.This is where finance is examined with depth, clarity, and intellectual honesty.

Information

  • Creator
    Mal.ai
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Mal Show
  • Show Website
    The Mal Show