Juan Antonio Cabanas is a distinguished financial services executive, entrepreneur, and strategic business leader with more than 30 years of professional experience spanning electronic payments, banking, financial technology, investment management, and business development. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an exceptional ability to identify growth opportunities, develop innovative financial solutions, and lead organizations through competitive and rapidly evolving markets. With a leadership philosophy grounded in integrity, collaboration, analytical thinking, and sustainable value creation, Juan has established himself as an influential voice in Latin America’s financial services ecosystem. His combination of multinational corporate leadership and entrepreneurial experience positions him as a valuable strategic advisor to organizations seeking innovation, operational excellence, and long-term growth.
Juan currently serves as Regional Director at KASHIO, a technology company offering platform-as-a-service solutions for digital payments and bill automation. In this role, he brings extensive knowledge of the payments landscape and a sophisticated understanding of the evolving relationship between technology, financial institutions, and consumers. His experience enables him to contribute strategic perspectives on digital transformation, financial infrastructure, and emerging business opportunities. As financial services continue to evolve through technological innovation, Juan remains focused on helping businesses understand market dynamics, strengthen their competitive positioning, and pursue scalable growth opportunities.
A defining chapter of Juan’s entrepreneurial journey began in 2015 when he founded Latin Fintech, recognized as Peru’s first online lending company. Serving as Founder and Chief Executive Officer until 2020, he helped establish the business as an innovative participant in the country’s emerging digital financial services industry. Under his leadership, Latin Fintech achieved operational breakeven during its first year, demonstrating his ability to translate strategic vision into commercially viable execution. The company received the Best Fintech in Peru award at the 2017 BBVA Open Talent competition and was included among the Top 100 Emerging Markets Most Inclusive Fintech Companies in 2017. These accomplishments reflected the company’s innovative approach to lending and its contribution to expanding access to financial services.
Since October 2020, Juan has served as President of Latin Fintech, continuing his association with the organization he founded. His transition from founder and operational leader to president reflects a career progression toward broader strategic leadership and organizational stewardship. Through his involvement in financial technology and entrepreneurship, he has developed valuable perspectives on the challenges facing growing businesses, including access to capital, market entry, competitive differentiation, and operational scalability. His experience is particularly relevant to startups and mid-sized companies seeking experienced leadership to guide expansion, strengthen strategic planning, and navigate complex financial markets.
Juan further expanded his entrepreneurial and financial advisory experience in 2018 when he founded Lunafish Partners, a boutique investment and financial services firm. As Founder and Managing Director, he has been associated with services including business valuation, mergers and acquisitions, debt structuring, capital raising, investment fund management, and financial and strategic consulting. This experience complements his operational background by providing an investment-oriented perspective on enterprise value, financial structuring, and business sustainability. His involvement in these areas reinforces his ability to evaluate opportunities through both strategic and financial lenses, an important combination for effective board-level decision-making.
Before establishing his entrepreneurial ventures, Juan held a prominent leadership position at Mastercard Worldwide, serving as Country Manager for Peru and Bolivia from 2007 to 2015. During his tenure, he delivered substantial business growth, increasing revenues threefold and net income by over 200%. He achieved these results by implementing a consultative sales approach, strengthening relationships with financial institutions, and increasing the penetration of Mastercard products across banking portfolios. His strategic market segmentation initiatives accelerated expansion into nontraditional sectors, including retail and government, contributing to a doubling of market share. Through successful negotiations with financial institutions, he also helped double the number of Mastercard issuers in Peru.
Juan’s leadership at Mastercard extended beyond financial performance to encompass strategic planning, relationship management, market development, and payment technology innovation. He worked closely with financial institutions, acquiring organizations, and industry partners to support product development, merchant acceptance, and the introduction of new payment technologies. His ability to align diverse stakeholders around shared commercial objectives demonstrated a distinctive strength in negotiation and partnership development. These experiences strengthened his understanding of complex financial ecosystems and reinforced his reputation as a results-oriented executive capable of balancing strategic vision with practical implementation.
Earlier in his career, Juan developed extensive expertise in consumer banking, credit risk, portfolio management, and financial product strategy through a series of leadership positions at Citibank. As Vice President of Credit Cards, he was responsible for product strategy, profitability, customer acquisition, retention, pricing, and commercial partnerships. He managed a multidisciplinary team of 30 professionals and oversaw important aspects of the credit card business. His responsibilities provided direct exposure to financial performance management, consumer behavior, and the operational complexities of large financial institutions. In a separate Vice President role in Risk Management, he led a team of 75 professionals across credit initiation, analytics, collections, policy, and fraud prevention, further developing his expertise in risk oversight and disciplined financial decision-making.
During his earlier years at Citibank, Juan distinguished himself through analytical innovation and measurable operational improvements. As a portfolio management leader, he developed database marketing strategies that increased banking income by 20% and implemented customer acquisition campaigns that improved response rates from 3% to 12%. He also directed the development of a credit card retention model that helped reduce cancellations by 20% and supported the implementation of a credit risk model that generated additional revenue without increasing portfolio risk. These accomplishments illustrate his ability to combine data-driven analysis with practical business execution, a capability that remains central to his leadership approach.
Juan’s professional journey also includes serving as General Manager at Rapp Collins Worldwide, where he was responsible for launching and managing the company’s operations in Peru. He secured significant accounts, including Visa International and major regional businesses, and exceeded first-year sales objectives by 25%. Earlier, he gained international technology industry experience at Autodesk in San Francisco, working in software quality assurance. Together, these roles provided a broad foundation in technology, customer engagement, commercial development, and organizational leadership. They also contributed to his adaptability across industries and his ability to recognize how technology and customer-centered strategies can create competitive advantages.
His professional achievements have earned recognition within the Latin American business community. In November 2021, Juan was included in Bloomberg Línea’s list of 500 influential people in Latin America, reflecting his professional trajectory and involvement in the region’s business landscape. Latin Fintech’s membership in the Endeavor global network has also connected his entrepreneurial journey with a broader community of business leaders and innovators. His professional relationships across financial institutions, technology companies, investors, and entrepreneurial organizations represent an important resource for businesses seeking strategic partnerships, regional expansion, and access to new commercial opportunities.
Beyond his corporate and entrepreneurial accomplishments, Juan has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to education, entrepreneurship, and the development of future generations. His résumé identifies a directorship with Junior Achievement, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to financial education and entrepreneurship programs for young people. This involvement reflects his appreciation for financial literacy, mentorship, and the importance of creating opportunities for individuals to develop essential business skills. His professional values emphasize responsible leadership, strong relationships, sound judgment, and the belief that meaningful business success should generate lasting value for organizations and the communities they serve.
Juan’s academic background combines rigorous technical training with advanced business education. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University, graduating Magna Cum Laude. This educational foundation has supported his analytical approach to business challenges and his ability to integrate financial, operational, and strategic considerations. His international experience includes professional exposure to the United States, Spain, Peru, and the broader Latin American region. Fluent in English and Spanish, with additional knowledge of Italian and Portuguese, he brings cross-cultural awareness and an appreciation for the importance of communication in international business relationships.
Outside his professional responsibilities, Juan maintains an active lifestyle and enjoys sports, jogging, weightlifting, travel, reading and fine dining. These interests complement his disciplined and growth-oriented approach to leadership, reflecting his appreciation for personal development, intellectual curiosity, and balance. His passion for exploring different cultures and perspectives contributes to his ability to build relationships across diverse professional environments. Throughout his career, he has consistently valued teamwork, continuous learning, and the development of people as essential components of organizational success.
As Juan pursues additional board and advisory opportunities, he is particularly interested in working with startups and mid-sized companies operating in fintech, digital banking, lending, digital wallets, and electronic payments. His motivation is to apply three decades of leadership experience to help organizations strengthen their strategic direction, identify growth opportunities, navigate complex markets, and build valuable partnerships. He offers a rare combination of corporate executive experience, entrepreneurial achievement, financial expertise, and regional market knowledge. Above all, Juan seeks to contribute thoughtful judgment, strong personal values, and a collaborative leadership perspective to organizations committed to innovation, responsible growth, and enduring success.
Character:
Juan exemplifies integrity, accountability, and a commitment to responsible leadership, drawing upon decades of experience managing organizations, developing professionals, and building trusted business relationships. His involvement in entrepreneurship and financial education reflects a belief in creating opportunities, supporting others, and generating meaningful value beyond immediate commercial results.
Knowledge:
Possesses extensive expertise in financial technology, electronic payments, banking, credit risk, investment management, and business development, supported by more than 30 years of executive and entrepreneurial experience. His combination of advanced business education, analytical capabilities, and hands-on leadership across Latin American markets enables him to evaluate complex business challenges with depth and perspective.
Strategic:
Juan demonstrates exceptional strategic thinking through his proven ability to expand markets, increase profitability, establish innovative businesses, and develop partnerships that support sustainable organizational growth. His achievements at Mastercard, Citibank, and Latin Fintech illustrate his capacity to translate market intelligence and long-term vision into measurable commercial and operational outcomes.
Communication:
An accomplished relationship builder and negotiator who has successfully collaborated with financial institutions, corporate executives, investors, business partners, and multidisciplinary teams across international markets. His ability to communicate complex business concepts, align stakeholders, and cultivate productive professional relationships enables him to contribute effectively to executive discussions, strategic partnerships, and board-level deliberations.
