The Latin American Federation of Banks (FELABAN) and the Spanish Banking Association (AEB) have analysed in Madrid the challenges and opportunities facing the banking sector in the current global context, with a view to strengthening ties in strategic areas that will enable them to reinforce their role in driving economic and social progress.
On the occasion of the FELABAN Board of Directors meeting held on June 18 and 19, the associations held meetings with national and European authorities and supervisors, and conducted working groups with public and private sector leaders, from banks, economic and financial institutions, and state security agencies.
The acting Governor of the Bank of Spain, Margarita Delgado, and the President of AEB, Alejandra Kindelán, received the FELABAN delegation, led by its President, Daniel Becker, and its Secretary General, Giorgio Trettenero Castro, and comprising 17 banking associations.
Alejandra Kindelán highlighted the commitment of Spanish banks to economic growth, social integration, and financial stability in the regions where they operate. “The close and innovative business model of Spanish banks in Latin America fosters the progress of companies and individuals,” she affirmed.
For FELABAN President, Daniel Becker, “On this occasion, we want to strengthen the historical and cultural ties between Spanish and Latin American banking to face the challenges associated with the arrival of new players in the financial world, where we have neobanks, fintech, Artificial Intelligence, and ML, among others. This is within an environment of financial price volatility, geopolitical conflicts, climate change, and technological challenges. Today, banks remain the most used option for the general public to deposit their savings.”
Similarly, FELABAN Secretary General, Giorgio Trettenero Castro, stated, “banks in the Latin American region and Spain have grown through mutual learning, providing viable intertemporal financial results, customer and environment knowledge, as well as the best available practices. It is urgent that, with the entry of new financial players, regulatory arbitrage be eliminated and regulatory neutrality be established.”
The evolution of payment trends and digital transformation, the impact of Artificial Intelligence, the latest developments in fraud prevention and cybersecurity, sustainable finance, financial regulation, supervision, the strategic autonomy of regions, the importance of communication, and the contribution of diversity to performance are some of the topics analyzed in the meetings.
