Javier Perez is a renowned investor, venture capitalist, and payments innovator. He founded Global PayTech Ventures to back transformative paytech solutions and currently serves on the boards of Paysend and several fintech companies. Perez’s career spans leadership roles in banking and payments, including running Visa’s EMEA office and spearheading Spain’s financial institution rescue and IPO in 1999. He later joined Mastercard, first as President of the LAC region and then as CEO of Mastercard Europe, where he drove mergers, acquisitions, and global strategy. Perez was instrumental in merging Mastercard with Europay and leading its landmark 2006 IPO, growing its valuation from $4B to over $427B. Under his leadership, Mastercard became Europe’s leading payment scheme, acquired Vocalink and Nets, and launched Start Path to support 200+ startups. Widely recognized as a pioneer in payments technology, Perez continues to shape the future of global financial innovation.