Fluent in 3 Languages; English, Spanish, French Alberto Alvarez attended Duke University and the University of Florida with a Degree in Economics. Alberto brings over 40 years of experience in the Commodities Field, Having worked with Producers and Consumers of Grains and Soft commodities. His knowledge combines not only the workings of OTC and Futures Hedging, but he also has extensive experience in Origination, Purchasing, Basis Trading, and the Logistical intricacies of importing Grain Cross border from the US and Canada into Mexico. Among his accomplishments are the following: Recognized the importance of Miami in the financial arena as a player for Latin America in the 1980s. He founded with Shearson Lehman American Express International Branch, an office in Miami for their International Division. During the 1980’s Alberto was Senior Vice President, Founder, and Branch Manager of Shearson Lehman American Express Latin America Office. It was the only other International office in the United States besides Headquarters in New York City. There he oversaw the Latin American region’s International Branch Offices and their trading. Created with American Express LAROC (Latin American Regional Center), a Gold American Express Card program tied to Latin American Clients Stock and Commodity Accounts. The program became hugely successful. In those days, access to Credit Lines and US-based American Express cards was not readily available for Latin America. Alberto was at the forefront in Mexico when NAFTA was signed into Law, becoming a Consultant in Hedging Grupo Bimbo’s Wheat flour needs. He was instrumental in setting up a program within Bimbo that helped them Purchase, Hedge in the Futures Markets, and Negotiate Basis and Logistics for their yearly wheat needs. Through his consulting services, Alberto organized, supervised, and educated their purchasing department, executing both Futures and Physical aspects, concluding in the delivery of wheat shipments to their various mills throughout the country. This program included extensive work in Origination and Transportation through Rail and Maritime Bulk Vessels. He was responsible for buying, trading, and selling 750,000 to 1 million Metric Tons of wheat per year into Mexico to different suppliers of flour that served Grupo Bimbo’s factories and other Millers in the country. Served on the Board of Advisers for Grupo Altex of Mexico. From the Mid-1990s until the mid-2000s In Argentina, he introduced the first OTC-specifically designed products for the Matba Exchange to be used locally in Argentina by the commercial players of Physical grain on the exchange. It permitted a more customized solution and added diversity to how members could trade their production or consumption on the Matba exchange. The growth of the product was robust until the last Presidential elections resulted in a new administration restricting the flow of dollars in and out of the country. He became a member of the Rofex and Matba exchanges in Argentina, developing a very close relationship with Both Presidents and CEOs of the Exchanges. He collaborated closely with the Exchanges to help merge them into one sole exchange, now known as Matba/Rofex exchange. Currently Co-Founder and Managing Director of Fintec Group, Miami, and IIB, he offers advanced hedge solutions to Consuming and Producing clients in the Agricultural and Natural Resources fields.