Erik Bethel is a global finance professional with experience in the private and public sectors. In 2020, he was nominated to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Panama. Previously, he was nominated by the President and confirmed unanimously by the Senate to represent the United States at the World Bank. At the World Bank, Mr. Bethel spearheaded a number of technology initiatives including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the tokenization of World Bank loans. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bethel worked as an investment banker and private equity professional focused on Emerging Markets. He was a Managing Director at Franklin Templeton Investments where he executed private equity transactions in Latin America. Prior to this, he was based in Shanghai, China as Managing Partner of SinoLatin Capital and Managing Director of ChinaVest. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bethel held a variety of Emerging Markets-focused private equity and investment banking positions at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley in both New York and Mexico City. Mr. Bethel earned a B.S. in Economics and Political Science from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin.