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The 54 Most Innovative Banks in Their Countries Across Latin America
Published by Fintech Americas on April 5, 2023
Fintech Americas has announced the winners of the coveted Country Award of the Financial Innovators of the Americas. Meet them here.
Meet the Winners of the 2023 Country Awards of the Financial Innovators of the Americas
Latin America is fertile ground for financial innovation. Banks, financial institutions, and fintechs alike demonstrate a constant ability to adapt to changes in the market, regulations, customer demands and expectations, and new technologies.
The recently announced winners of the Country Awards of the Financial Innovators of the Americas are evidence of this. Through these awards, Fintech Americas has taken the pulse of these transformations within the ecosystem over the past nine years. Each year, the program recognizes the region’s most forward-thinking banks and financial organizations that are leading the transformation of their institutions and the lives of their customers.
Fintech Americas has witnessed time and again the power of the region to position itself as a global leader. And the 2023 edition of the awards was no exception.
About the Fintech Americas Financial Innovators Awards
The Financial Innovators of the Americas Awards seek to identify, highlight, and promote the people, teams, and projects that are reimagining finance across the Americas to make it faster, more efficient, and more inclusive.
Since 2015, more than 200 awards have been presented, and nominations have grown by 50% year after year.
The Financial Innovators of the Americas Awards are divided into three categories:
Country Awards
Created to highlight initiatives in specific countries, with the goal of increasing the scale and positive impact of these efforts throughout Latin America.
Disrupt Awards
The highest recognition for the largest and boldest financial innovations developed across the Americas.
Fintech Awards
Recognition of progress and impact that advance the financial ecosystem across the region.
Announcement of the 2023 Country Award Winners
The 2023 Country Award winners were selected from hundreds of nominations submitted from nearly 20 countries. Entries included projects involving Artificial Intelligence, chatbots, blockchain technology, open banking, BNPL, financial inclusion, climate sustainability, and more.
A common thread across all nominated projects was the incorporation of a human-centered approach to technology, enabling organizations to better adapt to their own needs and objectives, as well as those of the customers they serve.
As Ray Ruga, CEO of Fintech Americas and member of the judging panel, explains:
"The new normal is not static and is creating new challenges and opportunities at great speed. This year's submissions reflected how important adaptability is in continuing to innovate and deliver disruptive solutions within the financial services industry. I am proud, once again, to witness how professionals and institutions across Latin America work every day to improve customer and employee experiences, promote financial inclusion, and at the same time make their organizations more sustainable, responsible, and efficient."
All submissions this year were reviewed and scored by a panel of four judges using a seven-attribute scoring rubric called VERITAS (truth in Latin). The attributes are:
- V – Viability
- E – Empathy
- R – Rigor
- I – Ingenuity
- T – Traction
- A – Achievable Economics
- S – Sustainable Impact
Judges
- Juan Laresgoiti (Deloitte Mexico)
- Emiliano Porciani (PayWay)
- Rafael Bello (EY)
- Ray Ruga (Fintech Americas)
List of 2023 Country Award Winners
Argentina
Cybersecurity
PLATINUM: Pedro Adamovic, CISO, Banco Galicia
Social Impact (ESG: Environmental, Social, Governance)
- GOLD: Maria Julia Martínez, Marketing Manager, Bancor – Banco de Córdoba
- SILVER: Lucas Aníbal Sarco, Innovation Manager, Banco Patagonia
Customer Experience (CX) and Innovation in Customer Engagement
Bolivia
Social Impact (ESG: Environmental, Social, Governance)
SILVER: Ricardo Pericón Romero, Deputy Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, Banco BISA
Product or Service Innovation
SILVER: Marcelo Renzo Jiménez Córdova, General Manager, Banco Unión
Strategic Innovation
PLATINUM: Carlos Eduardo Mojica Ribera, Vice President of Innovation and Digital Transformation, Banco Nacional de Bolivia
Disruptive Innovation in Financial Services
GOLD: Marcelo Trigo, General Manager, Banco de Crédito de Bolivia
Brazil
Infrastructure
PLATINUM: Bruno Peuker, Associate Partner, BTG Pactual
Product or Service Innovation
GOLD: Eduardo del Guerra Prota, CEO, N26 Brazil
Chile
Financial Inclusion
PLATINUM: Daniel Hojman Trujillo, President, BancoEstado
Workplace Culture
GOLD: Sol Castro Lechtaler, Head of Organizational Development and Talent Management, Banco BCI
Colombia
Financial Inclusion
- PLATINUM: Santiago Ceballos Aristizabal, Director of Frictionless Payments, Bancolombia
- SILVER: Mary Luz Giraldo López, Vice President of Technology and Operations, FGA Fondo de Garantías
- SILVER: Javier Díaz, President, Bancóldex
Cybersecurity
PLATINUM: Fabián Arturo Zambrano Smith, Corporate Cybersecurity Director, Banco Davivienda
Innovation with Fintech Partners
GOLD: Ronny Ramírez García, Vice President of Operations and Technology, Banco Cooperativo Coopcentral
Big Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Innovation
GOLD: Angélica Valencia, Executive Director, J.P. Morgan
Channel Innovation
GOLD: Ana Margarita Albir Sarmiento, President, ADL Digital Lab
Costa Rica
Innovation with Fintech Companies
PLATINUM: Oscar Hidalgo, Corporate Manager, Grupo CS
Dominican Republic
Social Impact (ESG: Environmental, Social, Governance)
PLATINUM: Mercedes Canalda de Beras-Goico, President, Banco ADOPEM
Customer Experience (CX) and Innovation in Customer Engagement
GOLD: Shariff Medina, 2VP Digital Factory, Asociación Popular de Ahorros y Préstamos
Ecuador
Product or Service Innovation
PLATINUM: Paola Nuñez, Credit Card Product Manager, Banco Solidario
Customer Experience (CX) and Innovation in Customer Engagement
- PLATINUM: Gandhi Javier Trujillo Rueda, Senior Product Owner, Banco Pichincha
- SILVER: Alexandra Segura, Deputy Financial Manager, Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito OSCUS Ltda.
Channel Innovation
GOLD: Juan Luis Reca, VP of Technology and Operations, Banco Guayaquil
Workplace Culture
SILVER: Herman Patricio Guamán Rodríguez, Head of Commercial Systems, Banco de Loja
Marketing Innovation
SILVER: Juan Fernando Maldonado, VP of Business, Diners Club Ecuador – Innovation Center
El Salvador
Financial Inclusion
PLATINUM: Alejandro Poma, Vice President, Grupo Autofácil
Workplace Culture
GOLD: Álvaro Zúñiga, Change Management Lead, Banco Cuscatlán
Channel Innovation
SILVER: Claudio Gochez, Director of Channel Strategy, Banco Agrícola
Guatemala
Big Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence
PLATINUM: Herbert Hernández, General Manager, Grupo Financiero Bantrab
Customer Experience (CX) and Innovation in Customer Engagement
GOLD: Carlos Ernesto Vides Díaz, Deputy Manager of Modern Banking, Banco Industrial
Honduras
Marketing Innovation
PLATINUM: Carlos Girón, Corporate Vice President of Image and Communications, Banco Atlántida
Mexico
Blockchain / Crypto / DeFi
PLATINUM: Humberto San Juan Sosa, Director of Foreign Exchange, Banco Azteca
Channel Innovation
PLATINUM: Paola Herrera, Director of the Engagement Center, Banco Santander México
Strategic Innovation
- GOLD: Miguel Felipe Valero Canas, Executive Director, Grupo Financiero Banorte
- GOLD: Roberto Hernández de Hita, Chief Transformation Officer, BanBajío
Financial Inclusion
SILVER: Carlos Marmolejo, General Director, Finsus
Panama
Innovation with Fintech Companies
PLATINUM: Jaime Martínez, Executive Vice President of Payment Methods, Banesco Panamá
Strategic Innovation
- GOLD: Miguel González, Executive Vice President of Support, Credicorp Bank
- PLATINUM: Gabriel Campa, Head of Towerlab Crypto and Blockchain, Towerbank International Inc.
Customer Experience (CX) and Innovation in Customer Engagement
SILVER: Edison Mejía Ardila, General Manager, Microserfin
Product or Service Innovation
SILVER: Aimeé Sentmat de Grimaldo, CEO, Banistmo
Paraguay
Financial Inclusion
PLATINUM: Silvia Bracho, Business and Marketing Manager, Vision Banco
Product or Service Innovation
GOLD: Miguel Vázquez, CEO, Financiera Ueno
Strategic Innovation
SILVER: Ma. Epifanía González, Director of Technology and Operations, Banco Atlas
Peru
Financial Inclusion
PLATINUM: José Miguel de la Peña, Tribe Leader of Segments and Products, Mibanco
Big Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence
GOLD: Richard Fernando Fernández Vásquez, Models and Data Analytics Executive, Agrobanco
Channel Innovation
GOLD: Yuri Dolorier, Division Manager of Operations, Technology and Channels, Financiera Confianza
Disruptive Innovation in Financial Services
GOLD: Wilber Dongo Díaz, Chief Business Officer, Caja Arequipa
Payments and Digital Wallets
SILVER: Gustavo Villaverde, Chief Administration Officer, Wayki App Digital Wallet
Puerto Rico
Payments and Digital Wallets
PLATINUM: Mushegh Tovmasyan, Chairman and Founder, Zenus Bank
Venezuela
Customer Experience (CX) and Innovation in Customer Engagement
GOLD: Odalys Torres, VP of Customer Experience and Analytics, Bancaribe Banco Universal
PLATINUM: Alejandro Rojas Utrera, Product Owner IA MIA, Mercantil Banco Universal
Fintech Americas is proud to honor these winners, whose innovations are themselves a victory for the progress of Latin America. The region’s commitment to fostering an innovative and forward-looking ecosystem continues to bear fruit in this latest edition of the awards.
Every year, the Financial Innovators of the Americas Awards recognize the boldest innovators and projects transforming the financial services industry across the Americas and impacting the lives of millions of customers served by the industry.
Nominations for the 2024 Awards are now open, and this could be your opportunity! You have until February 14 to submit your nomination.
What are you waiting for?
DISCOVER EVERYTHING ABOUT THE 2024 AWARDS HERE