Mr. Mario Ayala joins the firm in 2007, as a Partner of the Banking and Financial Division, assisting foreign and local banking and financial institutions, as well as private lenders in financial structuring and capital obtention as individual or syndicated loans; collateral structuring; special advisory in leasing and factoring; project finance; investment funds and titularizations. He has also participated in the merger and acquisition of banks and insurance companies, as well as in the creation, constitution and operation of licenses for foreign banks.

For 15 years he has hold diverse positions in private banks, and must recently served as legal Manager and Advisor of the Factoring Division of Banco Salvadoreño Grupo Financiero, now HSBC.

He is a former President of the legal commission of Legal Commission of Salvadoran Banking Association (ABANSA). He is also a founder of the Commercial Law Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the Salvadoran Banking Law Association.

Mario has been a consultant for prestigious companies and institutions, among which are the Multisectorial Investment Bank and the Central American Economic Integration Bank. He has participated in diverse banking law forums organized by the Latin American Banking Law Federation.

Mario obtained his law degree from Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas in San Salvador, in 1989. In 1990 was authorized as Notary Public. His post graduate studies include a course in Commercial Law at Universidad de Salamanca in Spain, in 1997 and participation in the International Legal Aspects Forum sponsored by Georgetown-Incae.