Fabian Gaban, CTO, Kushki
Fabian Gaban is a technology executive who turns IT into a strategic business driver. With over 1520 years in large enterprises and six years in high-growth startups, he has led IT functions spanning Systems and Data Engineering, Infrastructure, IT Operations, Governance and Cybersecurity.
He combines strategic planning, disciplined execution, and budget management to deliver measurable outcomes in B2C and B2B contexts. Fabian excels at collaborating with executives across Business Development, Finance, Risk and Operations, ensuring technology decisions align with business goals.
He has built and led multidisciplinary, agile teams covering Product Design, IT Architecture, Systems and Data Development. He empowers teams to innovate, move fast and deliver scalable, reliable solutions that drive growth.
Balancing Tradition and Innovation
When I look back at my career, it still amazes me how far the journey has taken me. I began more than 30 years ago as a mainframe developer, working with COBOL, DB2, and JCL jobs. It was a world where technology moved slowly, yet even then, I understood that relevance would only come through constant learning. I couldn’t afford to stand still. Every wave of innovation demanded that I catch up, adapt, and apply new skills.
Over the years, I navigated between structured enterprise environments and fast-moving startups, holding roles in both technology and product. That duality shaped me. Large enterprises taught me stability, governance, and operational excellence, while startups sharpened my agility, rapid iteration, and customer-centric design.
Today my role is to ensure that our platforms deliver secure, reliable, and innovative payment solutions across Latin America, solutions that allow merchants and partners to not just operate but thrive.
Building like a Bank, Moving Like a FinTech
At Kushki, my job is a balancing act. On one hand, I must build a stable, scalable, and compliant infrastructure that can operate seamlessly across multiple regulatory environments. On the other hand, I must foster innovation so that we remain ahead of the frequent market shifts in the payments space.
We rely on a cloud-native, microservices-based architecture to absorb those spikes while maintaining real-time market visibility
My career has given me two sets of lessons that I now blend every day. In global enterprises like Pfizer Fiserv, Visa, Elavon and Rede, I learned the importance of stability, governance, security, and operational discipline. In payments, reputation is everything. Best-in-class service matters, but keeping systems running 24/7 is the accurate measure of trust.
I absorbed a different but equally important mindset from startups: agility, rapid decision-making, and bold experimentation. At Kushki, my goal is to combine the best of both worlds. Our strategy rests on solid foundations cloud-native infrastructure, standardized APIs, and rigorous cybersecurity compliance across Latin America. But discipline alone isn’t enough. We carve out space for experimentation, fast delivery, and bold innovation. I often describe our approach as building with a bank’s reliability and a FinTech’s agility.
Leading Cross-Functional Teams
Throughout my journey, leading cross-functional teams has been a constant. At Kushki, we organize ourselves into squads that span Product, Design, Engineering, QA, Data and Infrastructure. I believe teams are most effective when three elements align: a shared mission, autonomy and accountability. Each squad owns its domain end to end from design through deployment and monitoring. This allows us to move quickly, avoid bottlenecks, and confidently deliver.
But effective squads are not just about autonomy. They thrive on open communication and psychological safety. Engineers, designers, and architects must feel empowered to challenge assumptions and contribute ideas. Only then can innovation flourish.
There is another piece I focus on: context. Too often in companies, there is a gap between engineers and the strategic vision set by the C-suite. I work to shorten that distance as much as possible. The more context our teams have about Kushki’s strategy, the sharper their designs, the better their decisions, and the more value we deliver to merchants and partners.
One Platform, Many Realities
Expanding across Latin America is both exciting and complex. The region is incredibly diverse—not just culturally but also in how payments are made and regulated. Each country operates differently, yet we must bring them all together on a single platform.
Then comes scalability. Our systems must handle massive transaction surges during peak events like Black Friday, Mother’s Day or the holiday season. We rely on a cloud-native, microservices-based architecture to absorb those spikes while maintaining real-time market visibility. Compliance particularly PCI DSS standards ensures security and supports trust across the region.
Creating a unified payments platform for Latin America is not just a technical challenge. It is a strategic one. It requires discipline, creativity, and adapting locally while staying consistent globally. For me, it is one of the most rewarding aspects of this role.
Data, AI, and the Future of Payments
My vision for Kushki extends beyond processing payments. The true value lies in accurate data availability and value-added services we provide on top of transactions. Payments are just the starting point; the long-term impact lies in what we do with the intelligence generated around them.
AI is at the heart of this transformation. We are embedding AI across nearly every aspect of our operations. From real-time monitoring of payment processes to a brand-new AI-driven development lifecycle, AI is shaping the future of Kushki. It is not just a buzzword but a practical tool we are applying to ensure we remain the region’s most trusted and technologically advanced acquirer.
If there is one constant in my career, it is learning. Starting as a mainframe developer taught me early on that staying relevant requires a commitment to growth. Over the past twenty years in the payments industry, I have built my learning around three pillars: structured study, collaboration and experimentation.
Structured learning grounds me in research and analysis. Collaboration with peers across the payments ecosystem expands my perspective. Experimentation allows me to test new ideas and explore emerging technologies. AI is my current focus and the habit of continuous learning keeps guiding me.
Leadership beyond Technology
Being a CTO is more than technical expertise. It is about business leadership through technology —the ability to bridge strategy and execution so that technology choices create measurable business impact. Whether the result is revenue growth, cost efficiency, or improved customer satisfaction, technology must always serve the broader mission.
Leadership also means remembering that behind every system, architecture, and platform are people. The best architecture in the world means little without empowered and motivated teams aligned with the mission. I build teams that move fast, innovate boldly, and take pride in being part of something meaningful.
I have never liked the term “resources.” To me, teams are not resources—they are partners of choice. They are here because they want to be and bring their energy and commitment to Kushki daily. That is why I say this award is not mine alone. It belongs to them.
As I look to the future, my mission is to make Kushki the most trusted and technologically advanced acquirer in Latin America. We will continue fostering a culture of decision making supported by psychological safety, balancing scale with agility, discipline with experimentation, and local adaptation with global consistency to achieve this.