Lito Villanueva is a global trailblazing figure in digital transformation and inclusive digital finance at scale. As the Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation and Inclusion Officer at Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), he spearheaded RCBC's digital revolution, introducing groundbreaking innovations that earned RCBC over 250 awards, including the Philippines’ Best Bank for Digital for five consecutive years (2020-2024) from Asiamoney and Euromoney.
 
He was named the Top Finance Leader and Philippines’ Top 30 Leaders on LinkedIn, two-time Digital Finance Leader of the Year, Chief Innovation of the Year by The Banker, the Philippines' Innovator of the Year for Banking by the Asian Management Excellence Awards, the Outstanding Achievement for Marketing Management in the Agora Awards known as the 'Oscars' of the Philippine marketing industry, "Mr. FinTech of the Philippines" by NewsBiz Asia, Seamless Asia's Top 50 Banking and Payments Leaders, and the Top 100 Fintech Leaders in Asia, among his over 100 global accolades.
 
Villanueva is also the Founding Chairman of Fintech Alliance.PH, the first Global Chairman of the South Africa-based Alliance of Digital Finance Associations and the Co-Founder and Co-Convenor of the 15-market Asia FinTech Alliance. He also completed the Digital Transformation by Design program at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK. He has his regular business column, Bytes, in the Philippine Star.

Through his advocacy, he has helped shape policies that encourage innovation while ensuring security and consumer protection. Overall, Villanueva's contributions have been crucial in advancing the fintech ecosystem in the Philippines, making financial services more inclusive and efficient.