Current Position & Biography
Luiz Awazu Pereira da Silva is Visiting Professor in Practice at the Centre for Economic Transition Expertise (CETEx), London School of Economics and Political Science. His current work spans economic development, monetary policy and the financing of the climate transition. CETEx’s June 2026 publication announcement identifies him in this role; his former central-bank positions should not be read as current regulatory authority.
He was Deputy General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements from October 2015 to August 2023, following service as a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Brazil. His earlier career included the World Bank, the Brazilian Ministry of Budget and Planning, and international-affairs responsibilities at Brazil’s finance ministry. Brazil is the principal historical policy market for this profile, while his work also has a substantial international dimension. These professional associations do not establish his current residence.
Notable Contributions
His direct connection to blockchain policy includes the March 2023 remarks “Digital finance and shared prosperity: paths forward,” prepared with Jon Frost for a payments conference in Almaty. The text examined distributed ledgers, crypto and decentralised finance alongside other digital technologies. It distinguished potential improvements in access from the concentration, intermediary power and investor risks visible in crypto markets at that time. These were the authors’ stated views, not necessarily the BIS’s institutional position.
He also coauthored “Digital safety nets: a roadmap,” published as BIS Paper 139 in September 2023, with Alexander Karaivanov, Benoît Mojon and Robert M Townsend. The research considers digitally enabled risk-sharing and insurance arrangements, using households in Thailand and firms in Spain as illustrative settings. It presents designs and analysis rather than evidence that a particular blockchain service has been deployed successfully. Its reported welfare gains are research findings under the studied arrangements, not promises to investors or prospective users.
His current agenda is broader than digital assets. A June 2026 CETEx study on Brazil’s ecological transition connects investment and development opportunities with infrastructure, implementation and regulatory constraints. This context matters: he is being followed as an economic-policy researcher, not as a token issuer, exchange executive or continuing BIS officeholder.
Why Katharos Is Following Them
His work offers a way to evaluate digital-finance claims through distributional effects and institutional design. For coverage of blockchain-based finance, the relevant question is not simply whether a technology can execute a transaction, but which participants benefit, which risks remain and what evidence supports claims of inclusion.
Areas to Follow
Follow his published research and dated commentary on digital finance, access to financial services and risk-sharing. Track the distinction between proposed mechanisms and operational products, as well as safeguards for users and the quality of evidence behind claimed benefits.
Reporting Scope
Coverage should attribute policy arguments to their authors and dates, distinguish collaborative research from personal implementation, and avoid presenting a former public office as current authority. Digital payments, climate finance and social insurance are not automatically cryptocurrency activities. Relevant claims require a specific technological or regulatory connection.
Katharos Category
Policy & Regulation
Photo Credit
Archival photograph: Marcos Oliveira / Agência Senado, “CAE - Comissão de Assuntos Econômicos,” September 15, 2015. CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized from the original. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/agenciasenado/21453847861/ License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/