What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

We promoted a regulatory change in the Central Bank of the Argentine Republic, providing solid legal arguments explaining why the regulations should be adapted, since innovative products were not protected by law. In May 2022, we obtained its approval thanks to our solid legal arguments. From legal, we made an in-depth analysis of technology, products, and finance, to define the key points of the product. We put together the reasons analysing fair trade law, antitrust, contractual law, trademark law, as well as the internal regulations of the card brands. We reached the conclusion that the product complies with all legal and regulatory requirements. Since it is not prohibited and there are legal bases to demonstrate that the product is legitimate, the product went recently on the market.

What will be the main focus for the company in the next 12 months and how do you intend to assist with this?

The company’s mission is to facilitate people’s finances through innovative products. Legal must be part of this. We are lawyers focused on business. In the next 12 months we will launch three products. Two of which are now in Latin America. The third one is already on the market but should add value to be competitive. The laws, especially in Latin America, are a bit obsolete when talking about new technologies and require their updating and adaptation to the digital ecosystem, protecting consumers and users.

Apart from the fact that we must be ready to launch new products, the industry is going through a time of crisis. The next year we will face this situation, so we will prepare the company for a possible sale. This is very common in the fintech and startup industry. The company must be ready to be sold at any time for new rounds of investment. This is the legal department’s goal. We must be flexible to adapt to new situations, especially unknown ones because you never know what lies ahead.

What do you feel is the best way to get more women into in-house legal leadership positions?

In order to add get more woman into in-house legal leadership positions companies should consider gender balance a primary issue, not just a human resources aspect, by promoting equality, creating a safe environment, in which all colleagues can express their ideas, promoting new work practices such as long-term virtual and flexible work, encouraging senior management to act as role models, and paying close attention to the individual working styles of employees. This would help guarantee the supply of care services in big companies and reimburse care services in small companies, extending and balance maternity, paternity, and care leave, promoting co-responsibility at home to overcome gender stereotypes.

Promoting and ensuring a good balance between personal and professional life promotes inclusion. The fact of working by objectives and not by schedules allows everyone to organise themselves based on their personal obligations, children’s school schedules and even personal preferences. Seeing a child pass by behind in a videoconference now is something usual. The example must be set by the management team. They should be the role models.