#42 - Aron Alexander, CEO & Founder at Runa

Legacy Payments Are Broken

Aron Alexander, CEO & Founder of Runa, opens the conversation by critiquing today's legacy payment systems. Built primarily for consumer spending, these systems falter when used for business payouts. “It’s like connecting a fire hose to a garden hose,” Aron explains, emphasizing how traditional rails like ACH and SWIFT lack the speed, flexibility, and intelligence modern platforms demand.

True Payment Modernization

Rather than layering sleek interfaces over outdated infrastructure, Runa reimagines the core. Modernizing payments, according to Aron, means enabling real-time settlement, programmable APIs, and interoperability across various value types—from fiat to crypto to airtime credits. This atomic-level reengineering allows businesses to turn payouts into a strategic asset.

Moving Beyond Cash-Only Assumptions

A significant industry misconception, Aron says, is that payouts must be in cash. But in many contexts, users prefer alternatives—like instant gift cards or stablecoin payouts. “The future of payouts isn’t necessarily about the cash money, it’s about the relevance to the user,” he shares. Runa’s platform treats all forms of value equally, making payout methods contextually intelligent.

The Future of Loyalty

Runa isn’t just changing how money moves—it’s redefining customer loyalty. Gone are the days of expiring points and buried discounts. Instead, Runa enables brands to deliver instant, usable rewards. Aron points to Roblox as a prime example—its internal currency drives emotional and functional value, keeping users engaged for hours daily.

Flexible Payouts as Brand Intimacy

Offering customers the power to choose their rewards transforms relationships. Aron shares a real-world example of a health brand using Runa to let customers choose their reward format—leading one user to invest in a course instead of redeeming Spotify credit. This flexibility demonstrates care and builds lasting bonds. As Aron puts it, “Flexibility is almost like the new intimacy.”

Runa’s Global Advantage

Cross-border payments often involve complex compliance, fees, and inefficiencies. Most fintechs still depend on old infrastructures. Runa, however, built its own end-to-end system—owning the ledger, connections, and value exchange. “Traditional payouts are like mailing a letter. Runa is like sending a WhatsApp,” Aron says.

A Path to Seamless Global Payments?

While infrastructure speed is often seen as the hurdle, Aron argues the real challenge is the “language of money.” Different countries value money differently—USD in the U.S., M-Pesa in Kenya, USDC in Argentina. True global payment experiences must be contextual, local, and flexible—something Runa is purpose-built to deliver.