Nubank ’ s rise has been staggering since its founding in 2023 , and it has propelled Junqueira to the pinnacle of fintech as the most successful female fintech leader in South America . If you were to ask Junqueira in 2013 – after quitting her job at Brazilian banking giant Itaú – where she hoped the Nubank experiment would get her in just 10 short years , its standing today probably sits above her wildest expectations .

Five years spent at Itaú gave Junqueira a deep understanding of the Brazilian banking system , from which came ideas on how to do things better .

And , after being approached by David Vélez , CEO of Nubank in Colombia , to join him as a Co-founder in the Nubank project , Junquiera ’ s Nubank Brazil organisation is now vying with Itaú to become South America ’ s leading banking institution .

Junqueira : Latam ’ s female fintech leader Born in Riberão Preto , Brazil ’ s former coffee capital , Junqueira relocated to Rio de Janeiro with her family as a baby .

A noted high achiever throughout her primary and high school years , she later moved to São Paulo to study in higher education .

A student of industrial engineering at the Universidade de São Paulo , Junqueira ’ s first steps into working came

TITLE : CO-FOUNDER COMPANY : NUBANK INDUSTRY : FINTECH LOCATION : BRAZIL

Cristina Junqueira is the Co-founder of what is arguably the world ’ s largest neobank today , Nubank . With a career in financial services , Junqueira spearheaded product offerings at Itaú before establishing Nubank alongside David Vélez .

at Boston Consulting Group , where she took a position as an associate consultant while completing a Master ' s degree in economic and financial modelling .

Then in 2007 , she enrolled at Northwestern University ' s Kellogg School of Management in Chicago , where she graduated with an MBA .

After completing her education , Junqueira returned to Brazil and assumed the role of sector head for small and medium-sized businesses at Unibanco , the largest private banking institution in the nation .

Subsequently , she was offered the position of portfolio manager following the merger of Unibanco with Itaú , the second-largest private banking firm in Brazil – creating a behemoth in the Brazilian banking scene .

26 May 2024