Sergio Navajas

Sergio Navajas is a Senior Specialist at IDB Lab, the innovation laboratory of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, where he works at the intersection of financial innovation, technology, and development to expand economic opportunity and advance financial inclusion in emerging markets. Over more than 25 years, Sergio has actively contributed to—and helped shape—the financial inclusion revolution in Latin America and the Caribbean, supporting the transition from traditional access models to digitally enabled, technology-driven financial ecosystems.

His work focuses on frontier areas such as tokenization, artificial intelligence, and next-generation payment systems, with an emphasis on translating cutting-edge innovation into practical, people-centered solutions for underserved populations. Across his career, he has led and supported projects, research, and partnerships spanning multilateral and bilateral organizations, academia, and the private financial sector, bridging policy, innovation, and implementation.

Sergio holds a Ph.D. in Development and Finance from The Ohio State University. He previously served as a senior economist at USAID, conducted academic research at The Ohio State University, and worked in commercial banking as a loan officer at Banco Bisa in Bolivia. His career reflects a consistent focus on leveraging financial innovation as a transformative force for inclusive growth and sustainable development