Ilan Goldfajn

Ilan Goldfajn was elected president of the IDB on November 20, 2022, and took office on December 19 of the same year.

Mr. Goldfajn served as director of the Western Hemisphere Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from September 2021 to November 2022, where he helped countries implement IMF-supported programs to address an unprecedented array of challenges. He also contributed to shaping the region’s policy dialogue on climate change, which led to the IMF’s first Resilience and Sustainability Facility.

Mr. Goldfajn previously served as governor of the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) from May 2016 to February 2019. While at the BCB, he oversaw the implementation of significant regulatory changes that opened the door to new players in the financial services industry, spurred innovation and digitalization, and fostered the growth of fintech companies, all of which bolstered Brazil’s financial sector.

Under Mr. Goldfajn’s leadership, the BCB also began developing the immensely popular Pix instant payment platform, which is now used millions of times every day. In 2017, he was elected central banker of the year by The Banker magazine. The following year, Global Finance magazine named him best central banker.

Mr. Goldfajn’s private-sector experience includes key positions at three of Brazil’s leading financial institutions: chief economist and partner at Itaú Unibanco, founding partner at Ciano Investimentos, and partner and economist at Gávea Investimentos. He also served as chairman of Credit Suisse Brazil’s Advisory Board. He has also held several consultant roles at top international finance and governance institutions, including the World Bank, the United Nations and the IMF.

Mr. Goldfajn has taught economics at various universities in Brazil and the United States. He has been an editor of several publications and has published numerous articles and books. He holds a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a master’s degree in economics from the Pontifíca Universidade Católica and a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidade Federal, both in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He is fluent in English, Portuguese, Spanish and Hebrew.