About

Scotiabank’s operations in the Domincan Republic date back to 1920 and today its business in the country encompasses a network of more than 2,000 employees, 90 ATMs, 74 offices and 20 sales points. As the local subsidiary, Scotiabank República Dominicana is a private financial institution engaged in the banking sector offering a range of personal and corporate banking products and services. Helping support the bank achieve its goals in the provision of these products is a legal function with expertise in banking law. Odette Pereyra heads up the legal team of 12 members in her role as legal director in addition to a separate team of 16 employees in the company’s regional compliance function. ‘The team has enabled the bank to weather challenges local regulatory requirements in the Dominican Republic and internationally’, she says. ‘We have contributed to strengthening the culture of compliance and prevention of money laundering and anti-terrorism within our organisation and have raised awareness of the importance of managing the risk of regulatory non-compliance’. The bank also engages in banking operations focused on small and medium-sized companies and corporations. The team was present during Scotiabank’s 2016 acquisition of Citigroup’s consumer and commercial banking operations in Costa Rica and Panama, boosting the bank’s portfolio in the region.