1 April 2025, Amsterdam, Netherlands – During the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in March at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Kampala, Uganda, the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) welcomed two new board members representing Latin America and an at-large position.
César Barahona, Executive Director of Banco Integral in El Salvador, was elected as the Board Member for Latin America. With Banco Integral as a GABV member since 2011, César brings extensive experience and a deep commitment to values-based banking.
Margarita Cherikbaeva, CEO of Kompanion Bank in Kyrgyzstan, joins the board as a Member at-large. Since becoming part of the GABV in 2023, Margarita and Kompanion Bank have quickly emerged as influential voices within the network.
Their leadership and dedication to ethical finance will further strengthen the GABV’s mission to transform the banking sector into a force for sustainability, inclusion, and positive impact.
The GABV Board of Directors are as follows:
- David Reiling, CEO, Sunrise Banks (USA), Chair
- Selim Hussain, CEO, BRAC Bank (Bangladesh), Asia-Pacific Region
- Maria Flock Åhlander, CEO, Ekobanken (Sweden), Europe Region
- César Barahona, Executive Director, Banco Integral (El Salvador), Latin America Region
- Darrin L. Williams, CEO, Southern Bancorp, Inc (USA), North America Region
- Fabian Kasi, Managing Director, Centenary Bank (Uganda), Africa Region
- Mirela Pekmezi, CEO, FINCA DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), At-Large
- Margarita Cherikbaeva, CEO, Kompanion Bank (Kyrgyzstan), At-Large
About the GABV
The Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) is a network of independent banks and banking cooperatives with a shared mission to use finance to deliver sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. Founded in 2009, the GABV comprises 70+ financial institutions operating in over 45 countries across Asia-Pacific, Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe. It serves more than 50 million customers collectively, holds over USD 265 billion of combined assets under management and employs 100,000 co-workers.
Meet the banks of the network and the countries where they operate: www.gabv.org/members
