Sergio Torrico Salamanca
National Risk Manager - BancoSol
PhD in Economics and Business Administration - UPB
"The best results are achieved when people share values, trust each other, and work for a common purpose."
After more than 18 years in the financial system, what continues to challenge you professionally?
What motivates me the most is contributing to the development of the country from within the financial system. I believe that a solid, innovative, and close banking system can create opportunities for people, strengthen entrepreneurs, and drive economic growth. That conviction is what continues to challenge me every day.
BancoSol was born with a strong vocation for financial inclusion. How is that purpose maintained in an increasingly digital environment?
The purpose is maintained by putting people at the center of every decision. Technology must bring us closer to customers, facilitate their access to financial services, and help us respond better to their needs. Digitizing does not mean losing closeness, but multiplying the impact of our purpose.
How do you innovate in banking without losing sight of people's real needs?
By listening to the customer and making data-driven decisions. Innovation generates value when it solves real problems in a simple, secure, and accessible way.
“Strength with purpose: a financial vision at the service of the country.”
You have worked in risk, strategy, sustainability, analytics, and digital transformation. Which area has changed your understanding of the financial business the most?
Comprehensive risk management. It allowed me to understand that managing risk is not only about protecting an institution, but also about generating value from a broad perspective that favors the progress of the company, its employees, its clients, and society.
In a complex economic context, what decisions allow a financial institution to move forward without compromising its strength?
Maintaining a long-term vision, managing risks with discipline, and making decisions based on information. Financial strength and a comprehensive vision of sustainability are the foundation that allows us to continue supporting clients, even in the most challenging moments.
What do you consider to be the main challenge today for expanding financial inclusion in Bolivia?
The main challenge is to build an environment that favors development. Macroeconomic stability, legal certainty, and public policies that stimulate investment and allow the private sector to operate with confidence are fundamental. On that basis, banking can better fulfill its role: channeling resources, boosting entrepreneurship, expanding financial inclusion, and contributing to the economic and social development of the country.
What characterizes your way of leading teams and making decisions?
I seek to build collaborative and high-performing teams, where decisions are made with information, transparency, and responsibility. I believe that the best results are achieved when people share values, trust each other, and work for a common purpose.
In addition to your undergraduate degree, you completed a master's and a doctorate at UPB. How did that education influence your way of analyzing problems and taking on leadership responsibilities?
It allowed me to strengthen analytical and strategic thinking. I learned to approach complex problems based on evidence, consider different perspectives, and make responsible decisions with a long-term vision.
After having experienced different academic stages at UPB, what part of that training do you recognize most clearly in the professional you are today?
Studying Financial Engineering at UPB was a turning point in my life. It allowed me to build solid professional foundations and reach a level of education that gave me the confidence and the necessary tools to subsequently face other national and international undergraduate and postgraduate programs.
Looking back, I recognize that the academic rigor, the way of analyzing problems, and the values promoted by the University continue to be present in my way of thinking, leading, and making decisions.
You are also a teacher. What do you seek to transmit to your students beyond technical knowledge?
That knowledge must be at the service of people. Beyond technical tools, I seek to transmit ethics, critical thinking, curiosity, and the responsibility to generate a positive impact from the profession.
What does a young professional who wants to build a solid career in the financial sector need to learn today?
It all starts with solid values and a clear purpose. When a person finds an organization whose principles are aligned with theirs, they understand that their work transcends results and can generate a positive impact on society.
On that basis, it is essential to develop solid knowledge in finance, banking, economics, securities market, and statistics, currently complemented with capabilities in data science and artificial intelligence. The future of the financial sector will belong to those who manage to combine technical excellence, purpose, and an attitude of continuous learning.
When you look at your journey, what achievement gives you the greatest satisfaction and what challenge do you still have pending?
My greatest satisfaction has been to build a professional career that has allowed me to contribute to the strengthening of risk management, resilience, and transformation of the organizations I have been part of. I also deeply value having participated in decisions and initiatives capable of generating value for both institutions and people.
The challenge that inspires me to keep growing is to contribute to the development of Bolivia. Our country faces very important challenges and many people continue to make enormous efforts without finding sufficient growth opportunities, especially during periods of crisis.
I am convinced that all of us, from the place we occupy, have a responsibility to contribute to the development of the country, generating opportunities, strengthening our institutions, and promoting sustainable and inclusive growth. My challenge is to be able to contribute, even in a small part, to building a Bolivia with more opportunities, prosperity, and hope.
