The Honorable Erik Bethel is a Strategic Advisor at America’s Frontier Fund.

Erik has spent his career as a global finance professional in both 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, Erik spearheaded a number of technology initiatives including artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the tokenization of World Bank loans. Earlier in his career, Erik 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. Erik also held a variety of positions at J.P. Morgan and Morgan Stanley in both New York and Mexico City.

Erik earned a B.S. in Economics and Political Science from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin.