Short biography

Valentín Aquino Luna is a senior in-house legal professional with more than 18 years of experience in the Dominican financial sector. He currently serves as Department Manager of Banking Claims and Litigation at Banco Popular Dominicano, the leading financial institution in the Dominican Republic, where he oversees legal strategy relating to banking claims, litigation, regulatory matters, fraud-related disputes and customer protection issues.

In his current role, Valentín leads a multidisciplinary team of nine professionals and manages more than 1,000 active legal files, while overseeing approximately 750 banking claims each year. His responsibilities include defining defence strategies in complex judicial and administrative proceedings, coordinating with external counsel, managing interactions with regulatory authorities and ensuring compliance with the legal and regulatory framework governing the Dominican financial system.

Throughout his career, he has developed extensive expertise in banking regulation, financial services, consumer protection, litigation management, compliance and risk mitigation. His work regularly involves complex disputes, regulatory investigations, fraud matters, cybersecurity-related incidents and legal proceedings with significant operational, financial and reputational implications for the institution.

Over the past year, Valentín has led the legal strategy for high-profile litigation, regulatory proceedings, fraud investigations and complex customer claims. Due to the confidential nature of these matters, specific details cannot be disclosed. His recent work has also focused on addressing challenges arising from digital banking, cyber fraud and evolving consumer protection standards, contributing to legal and operational strategies designed to strengthen institutional resilience while maintaining the confidence of customers, regulators and other stakeholders.

Valentín believes that the role of an in-house lawyer extends beyond providing legal advice. Legal departments should act as strategic business partners capable of anticipating risk, promoting sound governance and supporting informed decision-making in highly regulated environments. This approach has enabled him to work closely with business, operations, compliance, security, collections and risk management teams to develop multidisciplinary solutions to complex challenges.

He holds a Master’s degree in Economic Regulation Law from Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) and a law degree from Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD). He has also undertaken specialised training in banking supervision, financial consumer protection, cybersecurity risk management, anti-money laundering, insolvency and financial regulation.

Beyond his institutional responsibilities, Valentín contributes to the wider legal and financial community through initiatives promoted by the Dominican Banking Association and as a lecturer in Banking Law and Banking Supervision. He considers integrity, adaptability, strategic thinking and commercial understanding among the most important qualities for modern in-house counsel, particularly in an environment increasingly shaped by digital transformation, regulatory evolution and rising consumer expectations.