The inauguration of the "Finance Forum 2021: Towards Business Transformation in the Current Context" took place, marking the beginning of a week with 7 conferences and 2 panels, featuring the participation of various experts from leading companies.

During the inauguration, the following individuals were present: Diamantina Perales Flores, President of the Mexican Institute of Public Accountants. Mauricio Usabiaga Díaz Barriga, Secretary of Sustainable Economic Development. Rolando Alaniz, President of the Automotive Cluster of Guanajuato A.C. Esteban Elías Navarro, President of the Central West Region of the Mexican Institute of Public Accountants. Arturo Aldaco Sámano, President of the College of Public Accountants of Irapuato. Ángel García-Lascurain Valero, Director of Advanced Management Consulting Group. María del Pilar Aldana, President of the Central West Regional Finance Commission. César Vega, President of the Local Finance Commission of the College of Public Accountants of Irapuato and Active Member of the Central West Regional Finance Commission. Norma Tello, Certified Public Accountant, as the moderator.

Diamantina Perales began by highlighting the importance of working together with other entities to enrich the event, which will serve attendees to analyze the economic situation of the country and their companies.

Subsequently, Ángel García-Lascurain, who is also a speaker at the forum, explained that the event comes at a good time, as the Mexican economy contracted to unseen levels in 100 years in the second quarter of 2020, mainly due to the pandemic. And although signs of recovery have been seen as Mexican activity has been reactivated, the recovery has been fragile and depends to a large extent on foreign demand. Therefore, being able to discuss this situation with the attendees could be very enriching for them.

The President of the Central West Region of the Mexican Institute of Public Accountants, on the other hand, expressed that the lack of financial education in the country is reflected in the scarce or non-existent use of financial products both in the business and personal spheres. Therefore, events like the Finance Forum 2021 are a good place to gain a more panoramic view of the needs.

Arturo Aldaco Sámano, President of the College of Public Accountants of Irapuato, stated that "the area of Finance is to optimize and increase the profits that are generated" and that "knowledge provides tools to act." He emphasized that in a changing world like the one we currently face, we all require tools to guide us.

Regarding the automotive sector, the President of CLAUGTO explained that it is one of the few sectors that, despite the context, has continued to grow. From June to December 2020, there was an 18% increase in car assembly compared to the same period of the previous year. However, the industry's need is to transform. Therefore, CLAUGTO's value proposition encompasses 5 central pillars, represented by committees that oversee the development of different areas through various valuable events.

To conclude, Mauricio Usabiaga Díaz Barriga, Secretary of Sustainable Economic Development, who also delivered the first keynote speech of the Finance Forum 2021, mentioned that there are 3 decisive factors in our context that we must not lose sight of. The first is globalization, as we have just begun the third wave of globalization and the world economy leaders have already emerged: China, the US, and Europe. The second factor is the 4.0 digitalization, and the third is humanism. Additionally, he commented that it is essential to innovate financial models to take advantage of the opportunities in the state, with collaboration between public and private resources.