The research group MONFIN took part in the 14th International Congress of the Spanish Economic History Association (AEHE), held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from January 21 to 24, 2025.

As part of the event, researchers from the group — Bernardo Bátiz-Lazo (Northumbria University), J. Carles Maixé-Altés (University of A Coruña), and Miguel A. López-Morell (University of Murcia) — coordinated Session no. 6: “Financial Innovation and Banking in Europe and Latin America.”

Session Description

The modernization of retail banking is currently culminating in major transformations that are displacing many traditional practices in the financial sector. The challenges posed by new technologies—such as mobile devices and the Fintech ecosystem—have long been reshaping the foundations of banking, from business models to corporate structures and customer relationships.

These recent developments, however, are the result of successive transformations dating back to the early stages of industrialization. Over time, these processes have grown more complex, adapted to new contexts, and reached broader segments of the population—contributing to the development of more inclusive financial systems.

The session aimed to bring together research that addresses these structural changes from a historical perspective, as well as case studies on how financial institutions in Europe and Latin America have responded to technological challenges. It offered a comprehensive view of the dynamics of financial inclusion and exclusion as populations integrate into systems of saving, investment, consumption, and financial services more broadly.

In addition to organizing the session, MONFIN researchers presented the following papers:

• J. Carles Maixé-Altés (University of A Coruña)
  “Tarjetas en disputa: competencia bancaria en España en los años 1970 y 1980”

• Gustavo A. Del Ángel & Iliana Quintanar (CIDE, Mexico)
  “Una mano poco visible. La historia de la supervisión bancaria en México, 1897–1990”

• Bernardo Bátiz-Lazo (Northumbria University) & Miguel A. López-Morell (University of Murcia)
  “Una revisión del crecimiento de los bancos españoles en América Latina”

• Bernardo Bátiz-Lazo (Northumbria University & Anáhuac, Mexico), Víctor Flores (Citibanamex, Mexico), & Sandy E. Ramírez-Gutiérrez (UNAM, Mexico)
  “Banco de la Mujer: Gendered Retail Banking in Mexico and Spain, 1970–1990”

You can read the abstracts of their contributions here

The participation of the MONFIN group in this session represented a valuable contribution to the historical analysis of financial innovation and inclusion, approached from both comparative and transnational perspectives.

For more information about the congress, please visit this link