Spring Meetings

Marla Dukharan: A clear and deep commitment to making a difference in the Caribbean is the driving force behind Marla Dukharan’s career and work. Marla is recognized as a leading economist and thought-leader in the Caribbean, known for her role in driving discussion, public policy formation and action that foster gender equality, reduce income inequality, and promote new models of fiscal and economic resilience to lead the region toward a more prosperous and sustainable future. Her resolve to play an active role in supporting solutions to the Caribbean’s economic and social challenges led her to enter in the fintech space in 2017, joining Bitt Inc, where she contributes to the adoption of technologies in the Caribbean that boost financial and economic inclusion and lower the cost of financial services, enabling the region to transcend the constraints of traditional business and banking channels. 

Dr. Das Gupta: is the Washington DC-based Chief Economist of eCurrency, the Silicon Valley firm at the cutting edge of technology for powering a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to maximize the gains from the digital revolution. He leads the engagement with central banks, regulators and multilateral institutions, articulating the need for CBDCs and design, implementation, and policy considerations. Dr. Das Gupta was formerly the Chief Economist for Asia/Pacific at the IIF, where he managed the economic analysis of the region and led its regional engagement/partnerships with senior officials and the private sector. Dr. Das Gupta also serves as Adjunct Professor at the Washington DC program of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, teaching highly-regarded graduate courses on economic and financial security as well as development, security and the frontier of finance. He is a graduate of the LSE and holds a masters and a doctorate from Oxford University.

Adolfo Sarmiento is Head of Economic Policy and Markets, advising to the board at the Central Bank of Uruguay, he is responsible for the Monetary Policy implementation, the payment system regulation and supervision, and he’s also involved in FinTech specially in the Digital Currency Project. As advisor he is also involved in the negotiation of MERCOSUR financial services issues and in Risk evaluation of the financial system. He holds a degree in Economics of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, a Master in Applied Macroeconomics of the Catholic University of Chile and is PhD (Candidate) for the Catholic University of Argentina.