Speakers and Panelists | Regional Symposium on Financial Literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Yasushi Masaki, Deputy Secretary-General, OECD

Yasushi Masaki has served as OECD Deputy Secretary-General since 2025. His portfolio includes Trade and Agriculture, Science, Technology and Innovation, and Financial and Enterprise Affairs. He also represents the OECD on the Financial Stability Board. A career Japanese diplomat, he brings over 40 years of experience in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has served as Ambassador to the European Union and Indonesia.

Paola Arias, Director, Banca de las Oportunidades, Colombia

Paola Arias holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University and a degree in Finance and International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia. She has more than 15 years of experience in financial inclusion, development banking, and sustainability. Since 2022, she has served as Director of Banca de las Oportunidades, leading Colombia’s financial inclusion and financial education policy.

Mauricio Villamizar, Miembro de la Junta Directiva, Banco de la República

Mauricio Villamizar has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Banco de la República since February 2021. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Economics from Universidad de los Andes, as well as a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Economics from Georgetown University. He joined Banco de la República in 2014 as a researcher and was appointed Deputy Governor for Economic Studies in 2018.

Michael Bryan, Head of Economic Studies, Banca de las Oportunidades, Colombia

Michael is an economist and finance professional from Universidad del Rosario with a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. He specializes in financial inclusion, public policy, and market intelligence. He has built multi-sector partnerships to advance inclusive financial innovation and currently serves as Head of Economic Analysis at Banca de las Oportunidades.

Diego Herrera, Principal Specialist in the Connectivity, Markets and Finance Division of the Inter-American Development Bank

Diego Herrera is Coordinator of the Financial Regulation and Market Infrastructures Group and Principal Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He leads initiatives on financial regulation, regional policy dialogue, and digital public financial market infrastructures. Previously, he held senior positions at Colombia’s financial regulator. He holds an Masters in Science in Risk Management from New York University and degrees in Economics from Universidad del Rosario.

Estela Martínez, Payment Systems Advisor, Banco de la República, Colombia

Estela Martínez is a lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in financial regulation. She currently serves as an Advisor to the Payment Systems Department at Banco de la República. She has led initiatives in financial inclusion, education, and innovation, and has contributed to the design, implementation, and launch of Bre-B, Colombia’s instant payment infrastructure. She holds a postgraduate specialization in Financial Law and a master’s degree in Economic Law.

Juliana Haruko Horita, Coordinator of Financial Literacy for Adults, Department for Financial Citizenship, Central Bank of Brazil

Juliana holds degrees in Engineering from the University of Campinas (Brazil) and AgroParisTech (France). She has 12 years of experience at the Central Bank of Brazil, where she has worked in project management, corporate education, and international affairs. Since 2020, she has served as Coordinator in the Financial Citizenship Department, leading financial education initiatives aimed at children and adults.

Cristina Martínez, Financial Sector Specialist, CGAP

Cristina Martinez is a financial sector specialist with over a decade of experience in policy, research, market development, and private sector engagement.

At the World Bank, she focuses on data-driven financial inclusion through open finance, open data, and inclusive AI.

She holds an MBA and MPP from the University of Chicago.

Irina Meneses, Economist, Researcher at Universidad de Santiago de Chile

Irina is an economist with a Master’s in Financial Economics and a Master’s in Microfinance and Social Development. A specialist in financial inclusion and education, she led the design and implementation of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy. She has experience in public policy on financial and capital market issues, as well as in teaching and applied research. Her professional career has included roles at the Central Bank of Chile, the Ministry of Finance, and the University of Santiago, Chile.

Miles Larbey, Head of Financial Consumer Protection, Education & Inclusion, OECD

Miles Larbey leads OECD work on financial consumer protection and empowerment, with a focus on vulnerable consumers, digitalisation, demographic change, quality financial products, access, inclusion and financial well-being. He previously held senior roles at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, led Hong Kong’s Investor Education Centre, and worked on consumer protection law reform at the UK Financial Conduct Authority

Professor Olivia Mitchell, Director of the Pension Research Council at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Olivia S. Mitchell is IFEBP Professor of Insurance/Risk Management & Business Economics/Policy and Director of the Pension Research Council and Boettner Center at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. She is also NBER Research Associate and Independent Director of the Allspring Mutual Fund Boards. She studies pensions, financial literacy, and household finance, and she is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association. Her MA & PhD degrees in Economics are from UW/Madison, and her BA in Economics from Harvard University.

María Teresa Borja, Financial Education Manager at Central Bank of Mexico

María Teresa Borja is an economist from ITAM, with a Master’s in Public Administration from New York University (NYU). She currently serves as Financial Education Manager at Banco de México. She has held positions in financial stability, foreign exchange, and institutional liaison, both at Banco de México and the Ministry of Finance. Since 2018, she has led the development of financial education content and the Banco de México Museum.

Verónica Frisancho, Chief Economist, CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, and member of the OECD/INFE Research Advisory Group

Verónica Frisancho is Chief Economist at CAF, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean. Previously, she served for more than a decade as a Lead Economist in the Research Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University and a degree in Economics from Universidad del Pacífico, Perú.

Ana Caro, Head of Educational Communication, Central Bank of Uruguay

Ana Caro holds a degree in Communication Sciences, is a PMP, and is pursuing a Master’s in Organizational Studies. She leads BCUEduca, the Central Bank of Uruguay’s financial and economic education programme. With over 15 years of experience, she leds national initiatives and projects with international organisations- Her worf focuseson financial education, neuroscience, and educational strategies to promote financial well-being.

Olga Zárate, Deputy Director of Curricular Standards and Educational Quality Assessment, Ministry of Education, Colombia

At the Ministry of National Education, Olga Zárate has held various senior positions since 2010 and has led several programmes and projects, including Nueva Pangea, developed in coordination with Fasecolda as a key initiative for economic and financial education for students in preschool, basic and upper secondary education in Colombia. She currently serves as Deputy Director of Curriculum Guidelines and Educational Quality Assessment, where she advances curriculum transformation processes and the strengthening of student and teacher assessment.

Mariela Zaldívar, Deputy Superintendent, Superintendency of Banks, Insurance and Pensions, Perú

Mariela is Manager of Market Conduct and Financial Inclusion at Perú’s Superintendency of Banking, Insurance and Private Pension Funds (SBS), where she has worked since 1998. She also leads the Technical Secretariat of the Multisectoral Financial Inclusion Commission. She has served as a consultant for international organisations, including the World Bank. She is an industrial engineer and holds master’s degrees in Finance and Public Administration.

Diana Mejía, Representative in Ecuador, CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean

Diana Mejía is CAF’s Representative in Ecuador. She has more than 20 years of experience in the design and implementation of public policies, financial inclusion and education, sectoral analysis, and capacity building. She is an economist and holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Universidad de los Andes, as well as a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Melissa Molina López, Communication Coordinator, CONASSIF - National Council for the Supervision of the Financial System, Costa Rica

Melissa Molina López is the Strategic Communications Lead for CONASSIF and Costa Rica’s Securities, Pensions and Insurance Superintendencies. A communications professional and economist, she has more than 20 years of experience in institutional communications and crisis management. She has led high-impact financial education projects, including multimedia content to strengthen citizens’ financial capabilities.

Carolina Trivelli, Senior Researcher, Institute of Peruvian Studies

Carolina Trivelli is an economist from PUCP and holds a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from The Pennsylvania State University. She served as Perú’s Minister of Development and Social Inclusion from 2011 to 2013. She is currently a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Peruvian Studies (IEP), an international consultant, and a member of the Fiscal Council. She also serves on INEI’s Advisory Commission for Poverty Estimation.

Marcela Herrera, Manager, Financial Education, Financial Inclusion and Gender, National Banking and Insurance Commission of Honduras

Marcela serves as Manager of Financial Education, Financial Inclusion and Gender at Honduras’ National Banking and Insurance Commission (CNBS). She is an economist from UNAH, holds an MBA from UNITEC, and has a certification in Financial Inclusion Policies from the Frankfurt School. She leads initiatives on financial inclusion, financial education, consumer protection and gender equity.

Diego Rodríguez, Head of Economic Education, Banco de la República, Colombia

Diego Rodríguez is Head of Economic Education at Banco de la República and serves as an external expert consultant to the International Monetary Fund on central bank communications. He represents Banco de la República at international technical meetings, including those of the OECD International Network on Financial Education. He is an international speaker and the author of several specialized publications in these fields.

Andrea Grifoni, Policy Advisor, OECD

Andrea serves on the OECD/INFE Secretariat, leading work on digital financial literacy and supporting INFE activities in Latin America. He advises EU governments on national financial literacy policies and has contributed to OECD work on financial consumer protection supervision, public sector modernisation and Colombia’s accession. Previously, he worked on EU capital markets regulation in London and EU security and defence policy in Brussels.

Michelle da Rocha Faria, Manager, Innovation and Sustainable Finance Unit, Investor Education and Sustainable Finance Superintendency, Securities and Exchange Commission of Brazil (CVM)

Michelle da Rocha Faria is an economist from UERJ, with postgraduate studies in Strategic Management and Quality and an ESG Certificate from the CFA Institute. A career civil servant at CVM since 2014, she heads the Innovation and Sustainable Finance Division (GEFIS), leading initiatives on sustainable finance and capital-market innovation, with a focus on green finance, taxonomies, blended finance, carbon markets and sustainability disclosures.

Leonardo Villar Gómez, Governor, Banco de la República

Leonardo Villar has served as Governor of Banco de la República since January 2021. Previously, he represented Colombia on the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund. He also served as Executive Director of Fedesarrollo; Chief Economist and Vice President for Development Strategies and Public Policies at CAF—Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean; a member of the Board of Directors of Banco de la República for twelve years; and Technical Vice Minister of Finance, among other senior positions.

General Information Agenda Speakers and Panelists Organizers