Last year, I spent an unforgettable Father’s Day in Latin America. The Paraguayan Banking Association invited me to speak in Asunción on August 7 for its inaugural annual conference about Taiwan’s experience in fintech. To support the presentation, I was joined by fintech expert and colleague Win Way Ngo.
Our original itinerary was to fly from Taipei to San Francisco, connect through Panama City, and arrive in Asunción the day before the conference. As part of a government-funded trip, we selected a cost-effective itinerary with United Airlines. It was my first time flying United, and the journey went smoothly until our arrival in Panama. Due to severe weather, the aircraft circled repeatedly, until the captain announced a diversion to Costa Rica, where all passengers would stay overnight.
The following day, airport staff in Costa Rica confirmed that we would continue via Panama to Asunción. However, booking system issues caused lengthy delays verifying our seats and connecting flights. Upon arriving in Panama, we were informed that no seats to Asunción would be available for another two days – which would only bring us there long after the conference had ended.
Fortunately, my colleague had taken screenshots in Costa Rica confirming our reservations. Armed with this evidence, we insisted that United explore alternative routing options. Eventually, we secured seats via São Paulo, Brazil, with an overnight stop before continuing to Paraguay.
The challenges did not end there. In São Paulo, English was of little use. Only thirty minutes before departure, using a translation app, did we discover that our booking information had not appeared in the local system, leaving us unable to board. We were repeatedly redirected between airport checkpoints, trapped in a maze of language barriers and bureaucratic confusion.
At that critical moment, we sought assistance from Taiwan’s Embassy in Paraguay. Deputy Counselor Ming-Chung Chan and Secretary Li-Hua Chu worked quickly with Brazilian immigration and airport authorities on our behalf. Thanks to their efforts, we were finally cleared to proceed. Escorted by airport officials, we sprinted through the terminal and boarded the aircraft just a minute before departure.
Later, I learned from BBC that United had been experiencing system-wide technical problems at the time, which could explain why our reservation information was never transferred properly to its partner airlines. Whatever the cause, we ultimately boarded the flight to Paraguay, a nation with the reassuring presence of a Taiwanese embassy.
The journey took a total of 62 hours and involved six airports. We arrived at the conference at 2:00 p.m. local time on August 7, which was already 1:00 a.m. on August 8 in Taiwan. As I switched on my phone to reassure my family that I had arrived safely, the first messages I saw wished me a happy Father’s Day. This experience gave me a profound appreciation for the true value of diplomatic relationships. Ten months later, TABF formally launched a new partnership with Paraguay to support the development of financial talent.
This edition of the Taiwan Banker magazine explores how Taiwan can leverage its expertise and financial capabilities to assist diplomatic allies and developing economies in their pursuit of economic growth. At its core, financial services are about balancing risk and reward. Significant opportunities can be found in the resource-rich markets of Latin America by applying Taiwan’s accumulated economic strengths and financial know-how.
Taiwan’s position is steadily rising in the global financial landscape. This issue features in-depth analysis of our growing international recognition in fintech and sustainable finance, as reflected in global rankings. In addition, our Japan-focused feature examines how Taiwanese companies are reshaping supply chains and influencing local markets and lifestyles in advanced economies.