Jose L. Curbelo is an Economist. He received a PhD from the University of California-Berkeley, a Master Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Licenciado Degree from the University of the Basque Country. He followed courses at Harvard University, (Harvard Business School and the J.F. Kennedy School of Government), the University of California-Los Angeles, the Amsterdam Institute of Finance or the World Bank, among others. His graduate studies were financed by scholarships from the Juan March Foundation of Spain as well as the Fulbright Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the Newhouse Foundation all three of the United States.
Currently Curbelo is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of COFIDES (Spain´s Development Finance Company). With assets under management of over €3 billion COFIDES is a fund management company (General Partner) partially owned (53%) by the Spanish Government (the remaining 47% belongs to the main Spanish banks) which invests with equity, quasi-equity and debt instruments into private firms and projects in Spain and abroad. COFIDES investments aim to profitability, development impact and h Fund Network.
the highest ESG standards. COFIDES acts as the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Spain and is a member of IFSWF (International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds), OPSWF (One Planet Sovereign Wealth Fund), and EMENA Sovereign Wealt
For 10 years he was Director of the Investment Department of COFIDES. He also held other positions such as Chief Economist and Vice-president for Development Strategies and Public Policies in CAF-Development Bank of Latin America, CEO at the Basque Institute of Competitiveness (Orkestra) and Head for the Small Business Development Facility of the Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) in the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
In the academic field, he is a Senior Scientist (currently on leave) at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). He also served as Dean of the School of Law and Economics of the Camilo José Cela University, Incumbent Director of the BBVA-Chair of Entrepreneurship at the Nebrija University, Professor of Project Financing at the Carlos III University, Lecturer at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLA) and Visiting Professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte (Brazil).
Dr. Curbelo also provided consultancy services to the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank or the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA) and is the author/editor of several monographies, books and academic publications.