Pierpaolo Barbieri (born May 17, 1987) is an Argentine economic historian, researcher, entrepreneur, and CEO of Greenmantle. He is also the founder of Ualá, a mobile personal finance application based in Argentina. Barbieri is the author of Hitler’s Shadow Empire: The Nazis and the Spanish Civil War, a critically acclaimed historical analysis. His work has been featured in leading international publications including The Financial Times, The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, El País, and The Wall Street Journal.
Early life and education
Barbieri was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father is originally from Calabria, Italy, and his mother is Argentine. He attended Harvard University, where he completed an honors thesis exploring the economic ties between Adolf Hitler’s Germany and Francisco Franco’s Spain during the Spanish Civil War. His thesis received the prestigious Thomas T. Hoopes Prize in 2014 and was supported by the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, and the Real Colegio Complutense.
After graduating from Harvard, Barbieri was selected as the Lieutenant Charles Henry Fiske III Harvard-Cambridge Scholar at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he earned a Master’s degree in Economic and Social History.
Academic and research career
Between 2011 and 2013, Barbieri worked as a researcher and became an Ernest May Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. He also served as a Strategic Advisor at the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) and as a Special Advisor to the Berggruen Council on the Future of Europe.
In 2015, his book Hitler’s Shadow Empire: The Nazis and the Spanish Civil War was published by Harvard University Press in the United States. The book has also been released in Spain, Latin America, Italy, and China, and received praise for its innovative analysis of European geopolitics.
Greenmantle and financial strategy
Barbieri is the CEO of Greenmantle, a global macroeconomic and geopolitical advisory firm. He previously served as Chief Strategist for the Brevan Howard Argentina Fund, where he worked on emerging market strategies with a focus on Latin America.
Ualá: Ffntech innovation in Latin America
In 2017, Barbieri founded Ualá, a mobile-first personal finance platform designed to improve financial inclusion in Latin America. Ualá allows users to make money transfers, payments, and purchases without needing a traditional bank account. The startup attracted major global investors including George Soros, Point72, Kevin P. Ryan, and the founders of General Catalyst. Under Barbieri’s leadership, Ualá has grown into one of the region’s most recognized fintech companies, expanding operations to other Latin American markets.
Public Commentary and Thought Leadership
As a respected economic analyst, Barbieri frequently contributes to global media outlets. He has published op-eds and analysis pieces in El País, Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The New Republic, Weekly Standard, and leading Argentine newspapers such as Perfil, Clarín, and La Nación.
His commentary often focuses on macroeconomics, financial inclusion, European history, and Latin American politics. Known for blending scholarly depth with accessible insights, Barbieri is considered one of the most influential young thinkers in both academia and business in Latin America.