Fabián Kon, CEO of Grupo Financiero Galicia - managing change, taking risks and the future of banking in Argentina

About this episode

Fabián Kon discusses his journey in transforming Banco Galicia and the future of banking in Argentina amidst economic changes and fintech competition.

Fabián Kon spent a decade transforming Banco Galicia from a traditional, functionally structured institution into one of the most digitally advanced banks in Latin America. In this episode, he traces an unconventional path: from military school, through consulting at Accenture, running a port operation, leading an insurance business, and eventually overhauling the retail bank that he would go on to lead as CEO. At the heart of the conversation is the question of how large, established organisations actually change, and what it takes to make that change stick. Fabian speaks candidly about the decision to restructure the bank around autonomous tribes, the internal cultural shift required to make that work, and the critical role played by a controlling shareholder group willing to back risk-taking over the long term. He also discusses the $500 million acquisition of HSBC Argentina, completed under significant macroeconomic pressure, and what drove the logic of consolidation. Looking ahead, the conversation turns to the implications of Argentina's ongoing economic transformation for the banking sector, the competitive pressure from fintechs and players like Mercado Pago, and what…

People in this episode

Hosts: David Seaman, Mario Solari

Guest: Fabián Kon

Topics covered

• banking transformation
• digital banking
• risk management
• organizational change
• economic transformation
• fintech competition

Keywords

• Banco Galicia
• Fabián Kon
• digital transformation
• risk-taking
• Argentina banking
• fintech
• HSBC acquisition
• organizational culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Grupo Financiero Galicia, Banco Galicia, Accenture, HSBC Argentina, Mercado Pago

Places: Argentina, Latin America

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