Alex D. Scheer: Enabling Trust in Autonomous Finance | Ep #38

In this episode of The Exponential Show, host Mayank Singh sits down with Alex D. Scheer, CEO and Co-Founder of zkMe, during Money20/20 Asia in Bangkok. This conversation explores how trust, privacy, and identity verification are becoming critical as finance moves toward more autonomous systems. Alex shares the journey behind zkMe, the problem the company is solving, and why privacy-preserving identity infrastructure matters for the next generation of financial services. We also discuss the opportunity in Thailand and Southeast Asia, his experience at Money20/20 Asia, and what it meant to win the Startup Pitch Competition at the event. A special thank you to Money20/20 Asia for having Exponential as one of the media representatives during the event. We would also like to thank our partners at Midas PR for making this conversation happen and for their support behind the scenes. What we cover in this episode: 00:00 – Introduction01:14 – Alex’s origin story His professional journey, early experiences, and what led him into digital identity, privacy, and autonomous finance.06:42 – The problem zkMe is solvingWhy trust and identity verification matter in Web3, fintech, and autonomous financial systems. 14:25 – Thailand and Southeast Asia opportunityWhy the region is an important market for digital finance, identity infrastructure, and privacy-led innovation.17:09 – Money20/20 Asia and the Startup Pitch CompetitionAlex reflects on the experience of presenting at Money20/20 Asia and winning the Startup Pitch Competition. 21:21 – Challenges and lessons as an entrepreneurThe realities of building a startup, navigating uncertainty, and the key lessons learned along the way. 23:15 – What’s next for zkMe The major goals, milestones, and areas of focus Alex is working toward in the coming months. If you’re interested in fintech, digital identity, autonomous finance, privacy, Web3 infrastructure, or Southeast Asia’s role in the future of financial innovation, this episode offers a practical look at where the industry may be heading next. #TheExponentialShow #Money2020Asia #Fintech #AutonomousFinance #DigitalIdentity #PrivacyTech #zkMe #StartupPitch #MidasPR