Jim.Cunha@bos.frb.org
Biography
Jim Cunha is the Senior Vice President of Secure Payments and FinTech at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Cunha leads the Federal Reserve’s Secure Payment efforts, which seeks to improve the safety, security, and resiliency of the U.S. payments system.
Cunha is also spearheading the Boston Fed’s efforts to study, explore, and engage with distributed ledger technology, or blockchain, to determine applicability, potential benefits, and risks for internal and external uses. He is specifically focused on the evolution of the technology and its potential impact on the financial services sector. He is also responsible for the Bank’s digital currency research efforts.
Cunha is also responsible for the Mobile Payment Industry Workgroup, which is a collaborative industry effort to study and eliminate barriers to the adoption of mobile technology in payments.
Cunha has worked at the Boston Fed since 1984. Prior to that, he worked at Fleet National Bank. He holds a bachelor’s in accounting and philosophy from Northeastern University and a bachelor’s in computer science from Rhode Island College.
Cunha serves as a member of the board of trustees of the Justice Resource Institute, a social justice nonprofit; is an ex-officio member of the board of directors at New England ACH Association, a payments education nonprofit; and was the former chairman of the board of Children's Friend and Family Services of Salem, Mass.
Work Experience
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston 1984 – Present
Senior staff position in IT Audit and technical support. Officer-level positions responsible for technical support, computer operations, retail payments (Automated Clearing House), Y2K planning/execution, technology strategy, wholesale payments, cash operations, various payment-related businesses for the U.S. Department of the Treasury (from pilot to full implementation).
Member of the Executive Committee, champion/senior sponsor of the Management Council, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, and innovation initiatives.
Fleet National Bank, Providence RI 1980-1984
Staff/officer position in Financial and IT Audit.
Education
B.S., Northeastern University
B.A., Rhode Island College
Public Service
Member of the board of trustees of Justice Resources Institute, a social justice nonprofit.
Ex-officio member of the board of directors at the New England ACH Association, a payments education nonprofit.
Former chairman of the board of Children's Friend and Family Services of Salem, Mass.