Jonathan Bench speaks with Julia de Luca, São Paulo–based Business Development lead at Banco Itaú and former tech investment banker, about Latin America’s tech ecosystem—where a maturity gap with the U.S. coexists with abundant real-world problems to solve. They unpack why fintech still dominates, how Brazil’s pro-competition Central Bank and the instant-payments system Pix—along with “payment institution” rules—accelerated financial inclusion, and where AI wrappers and stablecoins are gaining traction. Julia offers an investor playbook (visit the region, build trusted on-the-ground networks, and avoid treating LATAM as a monolith), contrasts Mexico’s recent venture surge and U.S. proximity with Brazil’s scale and stronger institutions, and reflects on founder challenges, women’s underrepresentation, and her Sunday newsletter (~14k subscribers) syndicated by Nasdaq.