Ignacio Plaza, born in Argentina, is the current president of the Cámara Argentina de Fintech, an organization that brings together high-potential companies across the financial technology sector. He has built a long trajectory at the intersection of capital markets and technology, and several years ago founded Primary, a firm dedicated to developing core technology for early-stage and growing market participants.
Technology, markets, and scale
Plaza’s career has been shaped by sustained involvement in futures and capital markets, always with a strong technological orientation. In 2019, the creation of Grupo Matba Rofex consolidated a group of companies that includes Primary and Primary Ventures, both founded by Plaza. The group focuses on building technology for markets and their participants, covering the full interaction cycle from access and trading to risk management and back-office processes.
Alongside this expansion, Plaza partnered with Tim Draper through Draper Venture Capital initiatives aimed at supporting Argentine entrepreneurs. These alliances strengthened his positioning within the regional technology ecosystem and reinforced his role as a bridge between global capital and local innovation.
Presidency of the Fintech Chamber
Plaza assumed the presidency of the Cámara Argentina de Fintech after the COVID-19 pandemic, at a moment of internal renewal and accelerated sector growth. He has emphasized that his selection reflects more than two decades of experience in financial markets combined with hands-on involvement in technology development and early-stage investment.
From this role, his stated objective has been to promote technological solutions that improve financial inclusion and everyday life. Under his leadership, the chamber has framed fintech not as a disruptive force against the banking system, but as a complementary layer addressing unmet needs.
Fintech and banking: a collaborative model
Plaza has repeatedly argued that fintech companies and traditional banks should operate under a collaborative model. His position is grounded in market structure: a large share of the population lacks access to conventional bank credit, creating space for alternative financial solutions. Fintech firms, in this view, fill gaps rather than displace incumbents.
He has also stressed regulatory compliance as a defining feature of the sector, noting that fintech companies operate legally, pay taxes, and design products aligned with specific purposes, consumption patterns, and risk profiles distinct from traditional banking instruments.
Digital finance and structural change
The rapid growth of investment accounts and digital wallets over recent years has altered the competitive landscape and forced banks to adapt. Plaza situates this shift within a broader global transformation accelerated by the pandemic, which reshaped consumption habits and normalized digital financial services.
He has also highlighted Argentina’s role in emerging technologies such as cryptocurrencies and blockchain, pointing to the presence of locally developed firms with strong technical capabilities. In his analysis, these developments form part of a wider movement toward digital infrastructure across sectors.
Industry 4.0 and the road ahead
Looking forward, Plaza identifies programmable money and smart contracts as near-term innovations with significant impact potential. He often draws parallels with other industries, such as agriculture, where real-time data, biotechnology, and automation have driven productivity gains. This convergence is commonly described as “Industry 4.0,” a framework he applies to finance and capital markets as well.
Within this context, fintech emerges as one component of a diversified economic future. Plaza’s work—through Primary, Primary Ventures, and the Grupo Matba Rofex—has focused on integrating multiple companies and technologies to accelerate innovation and expand digital capabilities. His trajectory reflects a strategy centered on infrastructure, collaboration, and long-term technological development rather than short-term disruption.
