After more than two decades moving through treasury, finance, and operations departments, Carlos Iafigliola has reached the top of Coral Gables-based Amerant Bank. He was named President and CEO in May 2026 after serving as interim CEO for six months, taking over leadership of a Florida bank with a growing presence across South Florida and Tampa.
Iafigliola was born and raised in Venezuela, where he began his career in financial services and earned a degree in economics from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas in 1998. He later earned a master’s degree in finance from the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administración in 2003. Before joining Amerant, he held senior market risk positions with Mercantil Banco, the Venezuelan financial institution that at the time owned Amerant’s U.S. operations.
In 2004, Iafigliola moved to South Florida and joined Amerant, then known as Commercebank, as a financial analyst within the treasury department. Over the next decade, he moved through increasingly senior roles in treasury and asset and liability management, gaining experience in capital markets, securities trading, and liquidity management. He became senior vice president and treasury manager in 2015 before being named chief financial officer in 2020.
As CFO, Iafigliola oversaw the bank’s financial management before moving into the chief operating officer role in 2023, where he led major operational initiatives, including the bank’s conversion to a new core technology system. In November 2025, he became interim CEO during a leadership transition and was named permanent President and CEO in May 2026.
Just a few months into the role, Iafigliola is leading Amerant through another stage of growth while continuing an effort to recalibrate the bank’s risk appetite and strengthen its operations. His approach is centered on sustainable growth and the relationship-driven model he has developed throughout his career, with the bank continuing to expand in Florida markets such as Tampa while serving its long-standing international customer base in Latin America.
Amerant, which has been headquartered in Coral Gables since 1997, has grown from a South Florida institution with roots in Venezuela into an independent, publicly traded Florida bank with more than $10 billion in assets. The bank’s stock trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker AMBT.
Iafigliola’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for regional banks in Florida, as the state continues to attract relocations from other parts of the country and international capital flows remain a key driver of South Florida’s financial sector. His deep institutional knowledge and operational experience position him to navigate the competitive landscape while maintaining the community-focused approach that has defined Amerant’s brand.
As Iafigliola looks to the bank’s next chapter, he has indicated that Amerant will remain open to growth while being deliberate about the business it takes on and building relationships that can last. The bank’s recent technology overhaul, completed under his leadership as COO, provides a modernized platform to support that expansion strategy.
Sources: Miami Today, WPLG Local 10 Business
