Nieves is an Associate Business Manager of the HSBC Asia-Pacific region who has been working in HSBC for the past two years since 2019 in the Global Operations department. She applied for the position immediately after graduating as a Bachelor in Industrial Engineering major from Tecnológico de Monterrey. During the HSBC two-years Global Operations graduate program, she recently had to relocate to Hong Kong within the regional Chief Operating Officer Office for the Asia-Pacific Operations.
“The first course I took with CFTE was “Fintech in 8 hours” which I found very illustrative and a great way to approach this topic for the first time. Afterwards I took the introductory course on Central Bank Digital Currencies and I am currently in the “Fintech 360” programme.”
Nieves Romano, Associate Business Manager of HSBC Asia-Pacific Region
CFTE: What motivated you to learn about Fintech and CBDCs? Were there any insights you have gained through your banking experience that have led you to explore this topic?
Nieves: Prior to joining HSBC, I was very interested in Industry 4.0 and was keen on learning more about how Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning were optimizing industrial processes; however, I did not know the impact these had on the Financial Industry. After joining the Graduate program, I participated in a series of transformation projects that sparked my interest in how technology is reshaping both the consumer’s and industry’s behavior.
CFTE: What are the main points that have stuck with you? Have you been able to implement any of the learnings in your career, if so, how?
Nieves: What has really stuck with me is how a lot of companies are using these new technologies to target those who had little or no access to the Financial Industry. I think this will not only democratize this industry, but also provide opportunities to underbanked individuals who otherwise would not have access to credit or capital to develop their business idea. I am also amazed at the flexibility of the newly-developed services that can be used from streamlining existing banking processes to helping Non-Governmental Organisations raise capital or making immediate and fee-free global transactions.
CFTE: What was the most enjoyable or memorable part of the courses?
Nieves: What I have enjoyed the most about these courses is understanding how FinTech and Web 3.0 are shifting the rules in the Financial Industry; not only by bringing better value propositions to consumers, but by creating a new consumer base through breaking down the barriers to access financial services!
Also, these courses help me understand the fundamentals across a wide range of Fintech types and applications and how it has evolved in the last decade. This helps you visualize the future state of Fintech. It is very exciting to think about what is yet to come and how it will impact the financial landscape.
CFTE: And finally, before we finish, if you could describe yourself in 3 words or less, what would they be?
Nieves: Challenge Driven and Inquisitive
