Twitter: @edgura_
LinkedIn: Eduardo Guraieb Dueñas

What do you do currently?
I am the general manager of FinTech Mexico, the trade association that brings together the most prominent startups and financial technology businesses in the country.

How and when did you get involved with the Mexican entrepreneurial ecosystem?
I was working as an associate at the capital markets and financial services practice of a big law firm in Mexico when a client requested a memorandum regarding the financial regulations applicable to the exchange and use of virtual currencies. I started reading on the subject and got more and more interested in FinTech as a whole as time went by.

After a few weeks, I decided that it was time for me to look for a career in the ecosystem. I contacted the association and asked for a job.

How would you describe the ecosystem in Mexico?
Booming. Especially during the last year and perhaps due in part to the public awareness created by the “FinTech Law”.

What do you expect in the next 12 months?
The enactment of the FinTech Law will bring much desired legal certainty to businesses that were traditionally left out of the scope of regulations. These businesses will benefit from the change because they will be in a better position in terms of attaining investments, particularly from foreign firms. As a result, some areas of the FinTech industry may experience growth.

The companies operating in the market will also need to adjust to the new regulatory costs and requirements. It will be interesting to see how this is done and if any compliance solution is designed to make this process easier for them.

What are the main challenges?
Interesting challenges lie ahead in connection with the drafting of the regulations that stem from the FinTech Law. These rules will elaborate on the general principles laid out by the law and must be drafted in a way that preserves the innovative spirit of the law.

What change or result would bring the greatest benefits for the ecosystem?
FinTech is the change! As financial technology develops, new areas of the financial ecosystem will see disruption and change. Exciting times lie ahead of us.

Describe your typical day
I always wake up early. I usually meet people for breakfast in order to avoid traffic to meetings but on other occasions I go straight to work, sometimes from home and sometimes from the office. Emails, meetings and calls take up most of my mornings so I am the most productive in the afternoons. At night, I exercise (I run 3-4 times a week) and study (currently for the GMAT), read or watch a movie.

Who is your favorite entrepreneur?
Elon Musk.

A recent book do you recommend?
My favorite book is Los detectives salvajes (in English) by Roberto Bolaño but it is not recent. I recently read Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper on the birth of Bitcoin and enjoyed it very much.

A movie?
Donnie Darko, Pulp Fiction, Twin Peaks (the original series) and The Big Lebowski.

Smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop?
Laptop.

iOS or Android?
iOS.

Favorite App?
Strava.

Favorite social network?
Facebook.

Ideal vacation?
Mountain biking or snowboarding in a new location.

What are your goals for the next 12 months?
On a professional level, help consolidate the association as the voice of the FinTech industry in Mexico through sustained growth.

On a personal level, getting into business school is a priority.

One word that describes you?
Industrious.

Previous interview: Israel Pons