The founder and CEO of Mercado Livre, Marcos Galperin, announced that he will leave his position starting January 1, 2026. Galperin will be the Executive Chairman of the company and will focus on the growth of MELI, its subscription program with additional benefits, such as cashback with its stablecoin Meli Dollar.
The new CEO of Mercado Livre will be Ariel Szarfsztejn, who joined the company in 2017 and led the logistics network in Latin America. Galperin claims he will be more involved with the MELI strategy, product evolution, culture, capital allocation decisions, and will seek to apply artificial intelligence (AI) to further transform its business and company.
Marcos Galperin wants to strengthen stablecoin
Marcos Galperin dismissed any issues with his leadership. He clarified that it is a 'generational change,' trusting that Ariel Szarfsztejn will lead the MELI program 'for the coming decades.' Furthermore, Galperin expressed confidence that the project will continue its mission to democratize e-commerce and financial services in the region, thanks to its stablecoin.
"I am absolutely convinced that Ariel Szarfsztejn is the right person to lead this new phase as CEO of MELI. Ari studied at the University of Buenos Aires and completed his postgraduate studies at Stanford. He joined MELI in 2017 and started in Strategy and New Business, then led the development of our logistics network across Latin America and, for the past three years, successfully directed our Marketplace. He has the skill, leadership, team trust, and fundamentally, the culture needed to guide MELI for many more years," stated Galperin in a letter.
The best is yet to come
pic.twitter.com/CqpB2FMQYt
— Marcos Galperin (@marcos_galperin) May 21, 2025
Last year, Mercado Livre revealed the good acceptance of its stablecoin Meli Dollar and that it already had 'millions of users' since then. Until then, the stablecoin operates only in Brazil and Mexico, but there are plans for expansion to other countries.
In August 2024, Mercado Livre launched its native stablecoin for its customers in Brazil, promising users protection against currency fluctuations. In just over a year, the stablecoin has already been used by millions of Brazilians.
The article CEO of Mercado Livre resigns and will focus on the stablecoin Meli Dollar was first seen on BeInCrypto Brazil.