Hola amig@s fintech,

This week’s LatAm fintech highlights are here! Catch up on the latest deals, launches, and trends shaping the region. And if you haven’t subscribed yet—what are you waiting for?

We’re also celebrating a major milestone: TWIF just reached 200,000 subscribers! 🎉 Huge congrats to the entire wonderful team across all regions making it happen every week.

🩵 Until next weekend. Até a próxima!

• Lorena

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📊 Stat of the Week

In Costa Rica, 44% of fintech companies are focused on digital payments (27 companies), followed by 33% on financial software (20 companies) and 16% on digital credit (10 companies), out of a total of 61 identified companies (Source).

📖  Read of the Week

According to the study "Digital payments are essential for the growth and survival of SMEs in Latin America and the Caribbean" by Mastercard, a survey of over 2,100 SMEs across 14 LatAm countries shows that 70% of those accepting digital payments say they could not operate without them, and 85% report that these tools help increase sales, scale operations, and improve security. Meanwhile, among SMEs not accepting digital payments, 56% lose customers each week due to lack of digital options.

🦉 Post of the Week

 🎙️ Podcast of the Week

💸 Venture Financing

💸 Equity

🇧🇷 Neon, the Brazilian digital bank and unicorn, raised a $129 million Series E round extension with participation from IFC and DEG, a subsidiary of the KfW Group.

🇧🇷 NG.Cash, the Gen-Z–focused Brazilian neobank, raised $27 million in a Series B round led by L4 Venture Builder, with participation from Vox Capital and Monashees.

💵 Debt 

🇨🇴 Avista, the Colombian payroll-lending startup for pensioners, secured a $10 million private credit note from Ninety One, arranged by The Rohatyn Group. This marks Ninety One’s first private credit investment in Colombia, enabling Avista to expand lending to underserved senior citizens.

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🚀 Product Launches & Partnerships

💻 Fintech

🇲🇽 Mercado Pago partnered with OXXO to enable users to withdraw cash directly from their digital accounts. The maximum withdrawal amount per transaction will be $167.

🇵🇪 Kupos, the multimodal marketplace for land transportation in Latin America, entered the Peruvian market with a $10 million investment. The company plans to introduce its successful Chilean business lines: Kupos Technology, Kupos Fintech, and Kupos Energy, Oil & Gas.

🇦🇷 Brubank, the digital bank based in Argentina, joined Brazil’s Pix payment system, becoming the first and only bank from Argentina to adopt this real-time payment technology.

🇨🇱 Rutpay, the Chilean digital payment app from BancoEstado, partnered with Copec to launch the Full Copec loyalty program. This initiative will allow users to accumulate full points directly through the app.

🇵🇪 B89, the Peruvian digital startup, launched its new app, B89+, enabling users to send money from Peru to international destinations through Visa Direct. The solution aims to streamline cross-border transfers with greater speed and convenience.

🇨🇴 Hula, the Colombian digital infrastructure company, announced the launch of digital payment automation powered by native artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The solution aims to help finance teams reduce complexity, costs, and losses.

🏦 Financial Services & Banking 

🇵🇪 Banco de Crédito del Perú (BCP) announced a strategic partnerships with SAP, the global leader in enterprise software, and Shinkansen, the specialized in automating B2B transactions company. These alliances aim to expand BCP’s portfolio of financial and non-financial solutions for corporate clients, aligning with its broader Open Finance strategy.

🇧🇷 Bradesco, one of Brazil’s largest banks, launched voice-activated Pix payments via WhatsApp, enabled by its virtual assistant BIA, aiming to enhance accessibility and streamline payments through conversational banking experiences.

📜 Policy

🇺🇸 The United States Trade Representative (USTR) filed a complaint against the Brazilian Pix payment system, arguing that its structure creates barriers to market entry for U.S. companies and constitutes an unfair trade practice.

🇵🇾 The Central Bank of Paraguay launched a public consultation to update the regulation applicable to Payment Initiation Service Providers (PISPs) operating within the Instant Payment System (SPI), aiming to strengthen regulatory clarity and foster innovation in digital payments.

🇲🇽 Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) imposed fines exceeding $9.8 million on CIBanco, Intercam, and Vector Casa de Bolsa. These institutions have been flagged by the U.S. government for their alleged involvement in money laundering activities.

🇧🇷 Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court upheld the validity of the May decree that increases the Financial Transactions Tax (IOF). The decision preserves the federal government’s authority to adjust tax rates on financial operations, despite legal challenges raised against the measure.

🇧🇷 Finteca, Apus Digital, and PinPag received authorization from the Central Bank of Brazil to operate as regulated Payment Institutions (IP), expanding their ability to offer electronic payment services under official supervision.

📰 Other News 

🇲🇽 Diego Coppel Sullivan was named Chief Executive Officer at Grupo Coppel.

🇲🇽 Eugenio Beccar was named Chief Executive Officer at Coru.

🇲🇽 Banco Covalto, the Mexican fintech bank, received a credit rating upgrade to BBB-/M and 2/M from PCR Verum with a stable outlook, signaling confidence in its financial position and growth strategy.

🌎 500 Global, the international VC firm, announced it is seeking 30 startups from LatAm to invest $300,000 each, as part of a new acceleration cohort in Silicon Valley, reinforcing its commitment to early-stage tech and scaling LatAm innovation.

🌎 Mastercard unveiled plans to promote frictionless payments in LatAm through biometric verification and tokenization, aiming to enhance security and convenience across in-store and online payment environments.

🌎 Mexico led venture capital funding in LatAm during Q2 2025, driven by investments in AI, fintech, and data startups, according to Crunchbase News, positioning the country as the region’s most dynamic ecosystem for early-stage tech.

🇨🇴 Puntored, the Colombian payment network, partnered with MetLife to launch an insurance product for merchants using the platform, expanding embedded financial services access to small businesses.

📚 Deeper Reads

The fintech industry in 2040: What trends will define the evolution of banking in the next 15 years? (ES)

Why is human judgment key in the age of AI? (ES)

Crypto Set For Mainstream Adoption As President Trump Signs GENIUS Act

Why a Y Combinator startup tackling AI agents for Windows gave up and pivoted

📣 LatAm fintech enthusiasts looking for a new role, check out https://jobs.thisweekinfintech.com

Made in LatAm with 🩵by 

Elena, Digital Innovation Manager at Banco Azteca

Carlos, Senior Associate at Emant Consultants

Lorena, Head of Policy for Spanish-speaking LatAm at Tools for Humanity

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