Shamir Karkal
About Shamir Karkal
Shamir Karkal is a co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Sila, where he focuses on integrating technology with financial services. He has extensive experience in fintech, having co-founded Simple, contributed to open banking at BBVA, and served on the board of the Alliance for Innovative Regulation.
Work at SILA
Shamir Karkal serves as the Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Sila, a position he has held since 2018. Based in the Portland, Oregon Area, he focuses on integrating technology with financial services to develop innovative payment solutions. Under his leadership, Sila has aimed to enhance the efficiency and accessibility of financial transactions.
Previous Experience
Prior to his role at Sila, Karkal worked at several notable organizations. He was the Head of Open APIs at BBVA from 2015 to 2017, where he contributed to the bank's digital transformation by developing open banking APIs. He co-founded Simple Finance in 2009, a digital banking platform that offered a fully online banking experience. His experience also includes a position as a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company from 2006 to 2009.
Education and Expertise
Shamir Karkal holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business, where he studied from 2004 to 2006. He also earned a Master of Science in Information Technology from SCIT - Symbiosis Centre For Information Technology between 1999 and 2001. His undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Computer Science from Bangalore University, completed from 1996 to 1999.
Board Memberships and Advisory Roles
Karkal has been actively involved in various boards and advisory committees. He has served as a Board Member at AIR - Alliance for Innovative Regulation since 2021, contributing to the development of regulatory frameworks for fintech. Additionally, he was an Advisory Committee Member at CGAP from 2018 to 2020, where he focused on enhancing financial inclusion through innovative solutions.
Achievements in Fintech
Shamir Karkal has played a significant role in fostering partnerships between fintech startups and traditional financial institutions. His work has been instrumental in promoting financial inclusion and enhancing the accessibility of financial services. His contributions to the development of open banking APIs at BBVA have also been a key part of his professional achievements.