First, can you please give us an idea of the sort of work your team has done recently?

The legal department at Cardnet is a specialised unit which developed, and now oversees, the legal framework for the electronic payments industry, combined with diverse corporate legal management services. Within the company, in managing the legal department I have been involved in the development of new payment services and products, aligned to the latest industry regulations, which have established new expectations and procedures for the payment industry. This work requires a fully integrated and innovative team approach, in a fast-evolving and high-performance company, where legal matters are at the center of the whole project’s development.

How do you feel the pandemic has changed the world of work for in-house counsel and the function of the general counsel?

The change has been drastic but positive, as we were able to quickly adapt to a new business-as-usual model. We are rapidly moving to a new way of working, ensuring operational continuity and employee safekeeping while maintaining our service level standards. The pandemic has emphasised our ability to provide high-quality services even from a distance, as well our ability to continue operations actively and safely. For us lawyers, who are known for working long hours with little personal time, the pandemic has allowed us to balance personal and family life, especially for those of us who are mothers, without sacrificing high performance standards. During the pandemic we collaborated with the human resources department in adjusting contracts for those employees who transferred to remote working. Also, we supported the creation of policies for the use of electronic and digital signature software for business continuity. For our sector, the pandemic fully increased our client base as well as the services we provide, so we are very pleased with all the support provided for the formalisation of these new contracts digitally as well.

Are you pleased with the level of financial regulation in The Dominican Republic? If so, why?

In my estimation, the regulator in our country has taken the proper and necessary actions to allow for the evolution of the sector, as well as to providing additional security and facilitate the timely evolution of the financial services while also ensuring stability to the system, its players and overall operation. We fully support and acknowledge this fact. A few months ago, a new local regulation for our industry was published which demonstrates the global vision of payments. The local recognition of entities such as “Payment Facilitator” and “Electronic Payment Account” guarantees new safe and robust trends to boost the market in the country.