For those readers that are less familiar with your organization, can you provide a quick overview of how you fit into the payment ecosystem?

Bamboo Payment Systems main objective is to simplify cross-border payments. Essentially, we help businesses navigate the complexities of payments in Latin America, ensuring a seamless and secure experience for everyone involved. We have developed a platform that allows international companies to collect and make payments to businesses and individuals in Latin American markets. Our key advantage is our in-depth understanding of local markets and our network of integrations with local payment methods and financial institutions, which helps us deliver frictionless payment solutions.

Bamboo’s core markets are in LatAm, which is a region that is also of growing importance to merchants or payment players located in Europe, for example. Can you describe what makes the LatAm region unique or different to other regions?

Latin America is a dynamic and rapidly evolving market, particularly when it comes to payments. In contrast with Europe where card payments are king, LatAm is dominated by alternative payment methods such as e-wallets, QR code-based payments and other forms of mobile payments and bank transfers. Currently these forms of payments represent approximately 40% of all digital commerce in the region – a testimony to local consumers' diverse and evolving payment behavior. With more than 300 million digital buyers in LatAm, who are now using alternative payment options, it presents businesses with a chance to get into one of the fastest-growing markets today.

One such factor is that LatAm, as a region, while certainly more challenging than others like the EU or the US—may be an interesting example precisely because it has so much complexity and variation among countries. Although it is often presented as a single region, each country has different payment landscapes, regulatory environments and consumer preferences. You need local know-how to do this effectively due to all the variations.

Account-based transfers, for example, have been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this shift, with an annual growth rate of 86%, and they are expected to reach USD 121 billion by 2025. We have seen an acceleration in the development of new payment methods starting from bank real-time transfers to alternative ones like BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) as a result.

Another perfect example of this development is Pix, which was introduced in Brazil as an instant payment method by the Central Bank in 2020. Pix has enjoyed remarkable popularity; its current users include 75% of Brazilians, roughly 153 million individuals and about 15 million companies.

We have seen you a few times at European events now, and we know that you are looking at this region very closely indeed. How can Bamboo Payments help, and what makes you different?

Europe is an important focus for Bamboo as we continue to grow. What sets us apart is our ability to bridge the gap between Europe and Latin America. We’ve recently reached a milestone by securing a Financial Institution License in Malta. This license positions us to extend our offering to EU based merchants, providing businesses with a direct and efficient way to connect with the growing consumer base in LatAm.

At these industry events we are seeing a wave of new and established European merchants eager to expand into digital commerce in Latin America. Bamboo is uniquely positioned to help them navigate the complexities of the region, offering tailored solutions that facilitate seamless cross-border transactions. With our deep expertise in Latin America and a solid regulatory presence in Europe, we are in an excellent position to support European companies venturing into emerging markets. We don’t just provide the infrastructure; we ensure it is optimized for both regions, enabling firms to effectively manage cross-border payments.

Other than moving Bamboo Payments forward, what else are you interested in and what keeps you busy?

I always had a passion for traveling, so most of my free time is spent on trips to both local and international locations. However, nowadays is more fun since I can do it with my two young adult daughters. They share my same passion and we have set a goal to visit the top 10 art museums in the world - from the Louvre in Paris down to the Hermitage in St Petersburgh. We are almost halfway there - next up is the Prado Museum in Madrid

What is the last book you read or Netflix series you watched?

I just finished the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson. We all recognize Da Vinci as the ultimate genius and Renaissance man, but what really stroke me was that the real drivers of his creative force were his curious mind and his amazing power of observation.

I’m a big sports fan so I recommend the Tour de France series on Netflix. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and we do a lot of biking around here, I’m amazed at the level of preparation and determination of these athletes and what it takes to compete in the sport. Creativity, curiosity, preparation, endurance – I think these are all relatable qualities that also apply to the world of business.

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