iBanFirst appoints Luis Miguel García de Águeda as Country Manager for Spain

One year after the launch of its Spanish office, iBanFirst, the European alternative for international payments, with 13 offices in 10 countries, has appointed Luis Miguel García de Águeda as the country manager for Spain, marking an important milestone in company’s operations on the local market. Luis Miguel will be responsible for expanding iBanFirst’s client portfolio in Spain, with the goal of becoming the top choice for Spanish SMEs doing cross-border payments.

Luis Miguel García de Águeda has a degree in Finance, Banking, and Insurance from Valladolid University. Over the past 5 years, he has specialized in forex market consultancy, fundamental analysis&reports, financial trade, and providing business support for SMEs to mitigate currency risks and improve their long-term FX strategies.

In his new role, Luis Miguel will lead the local team in assisting Spanish SMEs with their cross-border transactions and optimizing their profit margins through fast, transparent, and cost-effective payment and FX solutions.

Luis Miguel García de Águeda commented on his new position as Country Manager of iBanFirst Spain: `I am thrilled and honoured to take on this new and challenging role. The Spanish market holds an enormous potential for fintech services and iBanFirst is equipped with all the right tech resources and people to establish a strong presence here. My core work principle revolves around transparency, aiming to provide our clients with comprehensive financial tools to help them make the best decisions aligned with their interests. Also, while we are a technology-driven company, I firmly believe in the importance of the human touch, both in our management approach and in delivering the best client service.`

Johan Gabriels, Regional Director for South & East Europe at iBanFirst added: `The appointment of Luis Miguel strengthens iBanFirst’s commitment to Spain, where we have set the goal to become a market-leader and trusted partner for FX solutions and cross-border payments dedicated to medium and small companies. With his expertise and dedication, Luis Miguel will play a pivotal role in driving our company’s growth and shaping the success stories of Spanish businesses.`

Recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe’s fastest-growing companies and listed in the 2023 Leading European Tech Scale-ups ranking by Digital France, iBanFirst processes over €1.4 billion in monthly transactions. Operating from 13 offices across 10 European countries (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and the UK), the fintech is rapidly expanding its global footprint.

In Spain, iBanFirst has leveraged the fast digitalization of the business landscape, with most SMEs using online platforms for international trade and global supplier sourcing. The fintech serves import-export companies across various sectors, from automotive, agriculture, energy, IT and telecommunications to construction, wholesale, and retail. The value of transactions carried out via iBanFirst’s trading platform can range from a few thousand euros to transactions worth millions of euros. Spanish companies predominantly engage in trade activities with foreign partners from the EU, China, USA, and Turkey.

iBanFirst provides companies engaged in international trade with a next-generation international payment experience. Executives and finance teams have access to a high-end trading platform for cross-border payments in 30+ currencies. Additionally, the fintech offers a comprehensive range of risk management services to help companies protect against currency fluctuations. These services include real-time currency monitoring, currency hedging products, risk assessment with a dedicated account manager, and tailored hedging strategies.

Overall, working with iBanFirst yields several benefits: mitigated FX risk, reduced costs, improved efficiency, increased transparency, and flexibility. The rise of fintechs offering, especially in international payments over the last 7 years, has translated into substantial savings for regional-based SMEs, exceeding €1 billion annually.