Hola amig@s fintech,

This week, all roads lead to Mexico. Mexico Fintech Week is underway, with thousands of founders, operators, investors, and regulators gathering to debate what comes next for the region. A new national industry report signals consolidation in the fintech ecosystem, pointing to a more mature phase of growth in the country. It also happens to be our first Wednesday drop, so we couldn’t have picked a better moment.

Follow what’s happening and join the events still ahead in Mexico Fintech Week.

And now, onto this week’s highlights.

We’ll be back next Wednesday.

~Vivi

| TWIF Community 

The Mexico Fintech Week is in full swing. And as if debating the issues that will define the industry, connecting with people in the ecosystem, and meeting founders weren’t enough, Mexico Fintech Week also makes space for happy hours, cultural tours, spontaneous tourism, and the classic group of runners who simply cannot help themselves and end up exploring the city before breakfast. Stay tuned to what’s happening and don’t miss the events still on the agenda.

🗣️ Channels

| Stat of the Week 

The graph published in the Finnovista Fintech Radar México 2026 shows a clear shift in the structure of the ecosystem: Mexico’s fintech market is entering a phase of consolidation, where scale and profitability matter more than pure expansion. Lending remains the dominant vertical by number of players, reinforcing its central role in the system. At the same time, Technological Infrastructure for Banks & Fintechs emerges as the segment with the strongest strategic traction, driven by the AI-First shift and the rise of agent-based solutions. Payments & Remittances continues as a structural pillar, with major opportunities in acquiring and payment digitization toward 2026. In contrast, Open Finance is receding, as regulatory uncertainty pushes players to pivot or exit.

|  Read of the Week 

The Finnovista Fintech Radar Mexico 2026 confirms that the ecosystem has entered a consolidation phase. With 795 local fintechs, a 5% mortality rate, and 70% operating for more than five years, the market shows clear structural maturity. AI has become foundational: 77% of fintechs already use it and 27% operate under an AI-First model, embedding automation and efficiency at the core of growth. The report also projects more than 6,000 new jobs, concentrated in B2B verticals such as Enterprise Financial Management and Technological Infrastructure for Banks & Fintech, while Lending and Payments & Remittances continue to anchor the system.

| Post of the Week 

| Podcast of the Week 

| Venture Financing 

💰 Equity

🇲🇽 EFEX, the Mexico-based financial platform, raised $8 million Seed round co-led by PayPal Ventures and Floodgate, with participation from Contour Venture Partners and Nido Ventures. The company plans to use the capital to accelerate expansion across the U.S.–Mexico corridor and integrate artificial intelligence into its treasury workflows. 

🇺🇸 Cicada, a U.S.-based financial market infrastructure startup focused on modernizing local-currency bond trading in Latin America, raised a $13.5M Series A led by Valor Capital Group, with participation from Primary Venture Partners and others.

| Exits 

🤝 M&A - Fintech

🇧🇷 Laqus, the Brazilian payments and financial infrastructure platform, acquired eStar Finance, a platform for trading digital assets and tokenized securities authorized within the CVM regulatory sandbox. The deal expands Laqus’s product suite into secondary markets, tokenization, and private credit infrastructure, strengthening its position in embedded finance and financial market services for corporates and institutional clients; no financial terms were disclosed.

| Product Launches & Partnerships 

💻 Fintech

🇨🇴 Sempli, the Colombian digital lender focused on SMEs, launched a specialized vehicle financing credit line for micro and small enterprises, offering up to 110% of the asset value to cover registration and transfer costs. The product targets business owners seeking working vehicles while preserving liquidity.

🇧🇴 Banco Ganadero, the Bolivian commercial bank, partnered with TerraPay, the global payments infrastructure provider, to enable real-time cross-border remittances into Bolivia. The collaboration expands instant payout capabilities and strengthens digital remittance rails in the country.

🇨🇴 Prometeo and Fiskil established a strategic alliance to deploy integrated Open Finance infrastructure in Colombia. The partnership combines API connectivity with consent and data management capabilities to help financial institutions comply with the country’s evolving regulatory framework.

| Policy 

🇧🇷 Shopee received authorization from Brazil’s Central Bank to operate as a financial institution. The approval allows the e-commerce platform to expand its in-house financial services and credit offerings in the Brazilian market.

🇲🇽 Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission (COFECE) blocked Visa’s proposed acquisition of a 51% stake in payment processor Prosa, concluding that the transaction would reduce competition in the card processing market. The regulator determined the deal could limit competitive conditions in Mexico’s payments infrastructure.

| Other News 

🇲🇽 Citigroup reached an agreement to sell a 24% stake in Banamex to a consortium that includes Blackstone and a Qatar-based investment fund, pending regulatory approval. The transaction advances Citi’s ongoing separation of its Mexican retail banking business as it reshapes its presence in the country.

🇲🇽 Finsus, the Mexican savings and investment platform, partnered with Pacto Global ONU México to promote green credit frameworks for 2026. The initiative aims to channel financing toward sustainable projects and strengthen ESG-aligned lending practices in the country.

🇨🇴 Nequi, the Colombian digital wallet and mobile bank, is undergoing a formal separation process expected to complete between the third and fourth quarter of 2026. The move will formally separate the platform as part of its corporate restructuring.

Made in LatAm with 🩵by 

Elena, Head of New Technologies at Afirme Financial Group

Carlos, ESG Analyst at CFECapital

Vivi, Communication expert and Principal at Areté Consulting

Feedback?  Reach out to us anytime! This week it’s Elena on read, post, and podcast of the week, funding, exists, other news and deeper reads, Carlos on policy, and product launches and partnerships, and Vivi on editing.

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Come meet us in person at www.thisweekinfintech.com/events. You can also join our global community on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.