Sonia Arenaza

Senior Financial Sector Specialist

Sonia Arenaza is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist at CGAP, where she supports the Policy and Investment teams on digital finance with a focus on tokenization, blockchain, digital assets, and AI-powered innovations. 

With over 20 years of experience at Meta, Bank of New York Mellon, Accion International, IDB, and UN agencies including the Better Than Cash Alliance and the International Telecommunication Union, she has worked with regulators, policymakers, and financial institutions on stablecoin frameworks, tokenized assets, and digital payments. Beyond CGAP, Sonia mentors women-led ventures and leads Inclusive Innovations, a boutique advisory firm.  

She holds an MIT Chief Product Officer certificate, a master’s degree from Syracuse University, and a computer science degree from Peru’s National Engineering University. 

By Sonia Arenaza

Research

Responsible Digital Credit: Frontier Solutions for Authorities and Providers

CGAP compiles over 160 global initiatives that address consumer risks in digital credit, from overindebtedness to data misuse. Designed for authorities, providers, and support organizations, this Technical Guide offers a roadmap of solutions to build more customer-centric, risk-conscious and responsible digital credit ecosystems.