José "Juca" is a senior advisor with more than 33 years in financial markets, spanning sell-side trading and market infrastructure.
Based in Cascais, Portugal, he advises clients on market infrastructure, corporate and investment banking, and the strategic impact of blockchain and AI on financial markets.
Juca works across the full market value chain — trading, post-trading, settlement, custody, registration, and data — helping clients turn strategy into execution. His approach is twofold: identifying the root of client challenges by listening before prescribing, then supporting delivery by serving as a sounding board, coach, and senior advisor to project teams.
Most of Juca’s career was spent on the sell side with Citibank, Itaú Bankers Trust, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Based mainly in São Paulo, he covered Brazil and Latin America while working across trading, structuring, and risk management. During his final three years at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, he led Latin America Sales and Trading.
An eight-year tenure at B3, Brazil's exchange and market infrastructure provider, followed, where he served as Vice President of Products and Clients. There, he gained end-to-end experience of listed and OTC markets, built relationships with market participants in Brazil and internationally, and developed expertise in strategic planning, M&A, and corporate leadership. Clients value his practical judgment on Brazilian and Latin American market structure, as well as his understanding of market participants and market infrastructure, including exchanges, clearinghouses, and depositories.
I help clients understand how markets and their infrastructure are evolving — from trading and products to post-trading, settlement, blockchain, and AI — and turn strategic opportunities into action
Juca holds a degree in industrial engineering from Escola Politécnica da USP and an MBA in finance from Insper (formerly Ibmec São Paulo). He has been interviewed by Valor Econômico, Rede Globo, El Mercurio and the Futures Industry Association (FIA), and regularly shares perspectives on LinkedIn about instant payments (Pix), capital markets and product innovation.
He believes the traditional architecture of post-trading is being challenged by shorter settlement cycles, 24/7 markets, tokenization, and new entrants. He advises clients to think about how they will add value as blockchain and AI reshape financial markets. In his work with clients, he helps organizations redefine their role in the value chain rather than defend established models.
Outside of work, Juca is an airplane pilot and a triathlete.