BitPay has announced a new addition to its advisory board, Jim Aviles. As a member of the BitPay board, he will be working with their Latin American manager Alberto Vega to support growth in the region.
A veteran in the Payments industry, he most recently co-founded Merchant e-Solutions, which was acquired by Latin American payment processor Cielo S.A. for $670 million in 2012. Prior to this, Aviles was the Senior Vice President of product, technology, and marketing at Bank of America Merchant Services, Inc. (BAMS). These days he serves as a partner in Avigo Ltd., a firm that provides funding and guidance to early-stage Brazilian startups.
Aviles commented on the move: "I have spent virtually my entire 31-year career in financial services and financial technology – the latter 20 years in financial technology. I have been fortunate to see many of the technology shifts that have helped shape our industry, and I feel fortunate to be a part of such a dynamic industry. Interestingly, I started out my career in banking and have seen my career gravitate towards payments and financial technology. The answer to why this happened explains why I am now a part of BitPay.
I joined BitPay because I find Bitcoin technology compelling. I think it is going to greatly influence the way we transact and the way we use financial services. BitPay is a company that sees that bitcoin has a very relevant place in financial services, but they also see that bitcoin's place has to be defined and nurtured. The company has brought in executive talent at all levels to develop bitcoin as a financial instrument and to find its applications for daily life. For me, BitPay is a wonderful combination of practical execution and strategic exploration. There simply are not many companies that offer this kind of opportunity."
