I help international payments, FX and stablecoin companies enter Brazil, through acquisition, partnership or building locally, and make the Brazilian operation work once they are in. Former Moneycorp, Travelex and Thomas Cook. Independent advisor and board member, based in São Paulo.
Deals rarely fail on the numbers. They fail when a foreign headquarters' way of working meets the Brazilian way, and nobody bridges the two.
For more than 30 years I have worked where foreign headquarters meet the Brazilian market. I know what a board abroad expects, and how things actually get done in Brazil. Much of my value is closing that gap before it turns into conflict.
Identified and structured the local partnership that brought Moneycorp (UK) into Brazil, played a key role in the acquisition of Novo Mundo Corretora de Câmbio, and led the integration with UK headquarters as the link between the UK board and local management. Exited by selling my equity stake back to the group.
Led the Brazilian rollout of Mastercard-backed foreign-currency prepaid cards and managed national sales and support.
≈ USD 900 million annual salesRan the full Brazilian operation through the shift from traveler's checks to prepaid cards, took part in the acquisition of Confidence Corretora de Câmbio, and acted as the key interface between the UK Board and Brazilian leadership.
Worked with the Canadian headquarters on the merger of Thomas Cook's São Paulo and Buenos Aires offices, which led to the unified office in Brazil in 1999. Went on to lead financial services operations across the Southern Cone, owning strategy, operations and product development, with advisory support across Latin America.
Today I also run RHO Correspondente Bancário em Câmbio (since 2018) and am a partner and Latin America representative of Simple Period Corporation, a US company whose Keeve platform lets banks and FX houses make international payments using USDC.
A few days a month as your Brazil advisor while you plan an entry, an acquisition or an integration.
A defined piece of work, such as a market-entry assessment or finding and approaching a target.
An advisory or independent board role for a fintech or a foreign subsidiary in Brazil.
Languages
Whether your company is planning to enter Brazil, or you run a Brazilian firm considering a foreign partner or buyer, I would be glad to talk.
São Paulo, Brazil · robinortner.com · linkedin.com/in/robinortner