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The Front Page of Fintech

The largest fintech community in the world. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on the latest in news opinions, and all things financial technology.

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TWIF LatAm July 27 - New products and partnerships across the region

TWIF LatAm July 27 - New products and partnerships across the region
Ethnobotanic Garden, Oaxaca, Mexico

Hola amig@s fintech,

We’re keeping an eye on how fintech is growing across the region—and on the people shaping its future.

On August 21–22, we’ll be at #ColombiaTechFest during the ColombiaTechWeek in Bogotá. If you're building something in LatAm, you should be there too.

🎟️ Tickets: colombiatechfest.co We also have a few tickets for TWIF LatAm paid subscribers — just email us at latam@thisweekinfintech.com if you're interested.

Now onto this week’s news.

🩵Until next weekend. Até a próxima!

  • Lorena
📣
Feedback? Reach out to us anytime! This week we're 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 Lorena on editing.

🌐 TWIF Community

🗣️ Channels


📊 Stat of the Week 

According to the Central Bank’s "Diario de Pagos," cash is predominantly used in street markets, transportation, and small shops, while debit cards are more common in retail stores and gas stations. In the transport sector (buses, Metro, taxis, ride-hailing apps), the high reliance on cash is largely due to users living outside the Metropolitan Region, confirming trends observed in national payment preference surveys (Source

📖  Read of the Week

According to the document "Latam insurtech journey" by Mapfre, insurtech investment increased to US $121 million in H1 2025 (+370% year‑over‑year), and is already 32% above total funding for all of 2024. Brazil captured 74% of that capital, while the Life & Care, and Mobility verticals attracted 65% and 33% of total funding respectively. The ecosystem now includes 507 active startups (+2% growth), with a 9.4% mortality rate, 11% organic growth, 36% growth in internationalization, and 32% of companies originating from abroad. 

🦉 Post of the Week

Source

 🎙️ Podcast of the Week


💸 Venture Financing

💸 Equity

🌍 EthicHub, the blockchain peer‑to‑peer lending platform for smallholder farmers, received a $1 million liquidity investment from Bybit, a global cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, not a traditional equity round but a strategic injection to boost its impact operations. The fund aimed to help move 100 tons of LatAm coffee to premium European markets, channeling financial support to over 10,000 farmers via two key regional projects in Mexico and Colombia. 


📺 Sponsored Content

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Want to sponsor a newsletter? See our sponsorship information here or reach out to latam@thisweekinfintech.com. Want to sponsor an event with the TWIF LatAm community? Check out the FAQ here, send us your info via this form or reach out to latam@thisweekinfintech.com

🚀 Product Launches & Partnerships

💻 Fintech

🇲🇽 Clip, the Mexican payment aggregator, and Belvo, the Mexico-based Open Finance company, announced a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Clip’s credit division focused on business financing.

🇧🇷 Ecx Pay, the Brazilian mining-focused fintech, announced the launch of new financial solutions including salary advances and Pix Transporte, a transport voucher service. The company also marked its entry into the corporate expense management market, expanding its portfolio of services for employee and enterprise financial needs.

🇧🇷 Nubank, through its virtual mobile operator NuCel and in partnership with Claro Brasil, launched a physical SIM card for its mobile services. Initially, this option will be available only to Brazilian customers who previously expressed interest via the app, with plans for a gradual rollout to the broader customer base across the country.

🇧🇷 Nubank Brasil announced the launch of pilot tests for its loyalty program powered by Nucoin, allowing customers to earn Nucoins and additional rewards when using their debit and credit cards.

🇧🇷 Avra, the Brazilian company focused on developing artificial intelligence for risk analysis and credit intelligence, announced it is building a foundational AI model from the ground up. The model is designed to specialize in understanding the behavior and risk profiles of SMEs.

🇧🇷 Gorila, the Brazilian digital investment platform, launched a generative AI model designed to assist investment advisors in creating and analyzing client portfolios. The tool aims to enhance portfolio management by offering deeper insights and decision-making support.

🇲🇽 Thredd, the UK next-generation global payments processor, and Inswitch, the Miami-based regulated BIN sponsor and embedded finance provider operating across LatAm and the U.S., announced a strategic alliance to enable international companies to launch local card programs in Mexico.

🇧🇷 Rakuten Cloud, part of the Japanese Rakuten Group and based in the U.S., entered the Brazilian market, offering the regional financial sector an infrastructure designed to lower costs, accelerate digitalization, and ensure regulatory compliance in mission-critical environments.

🇺🇾 dLocal, the Uruguayan leading cross-border payments platform focused on emerging markets, partnered with RizRemit, a digital remittance provider, to expand and accelerate payout operations across strategic corridors in Africa and Asia.

🏦 Financial Services & Banking 

🇧🇷 Itaú Unibanco announced the launch of Itaú Emps, a new digital bank designed specifically to serve small businesses and self-employed professionals with annual revenues ranging from R$200,000 to R$3 million.

🇦🇷 NaranjaX, the Argentinian financial services provider, announced the launch of accounts available to users aged 13 and older, introducing a dollar-denominated account alongside the existing peso account.

🇧🇷 PagBrasil, the Brazilian payments company, partnered with U.S. payment system Verifone to offer the instant payment service Pix in Brazil, enhancing payment options and accelerating transaction speed within the country.

🇦🇷 Mercado Pago announced a partnership with PayPal in Argentina to enable cross-border payments through PayPal World, a system that allows digital wallets to conduct international transactions in local currency.

🇨🇴 Lulo Bank, the Colombian digital bank, will enter Colombia’s credit card market starting in September, positioning itself as a competitor to NuBank.


📜 Policy

🇦🇷 Different crypto and tokenization actors in Argentina warned that the benefits of the regulation introduced in June could be undermined if adjustments are not made to enable the integration of non-traditional players.

🇧🇴 Bolivian fintech companies expect the regulatory authority to revise the sector regulation approved in July to enhance participation conditions in the sandbox. They highlight that current deadlines and guarantees restrict opportunities for innovation and investment.

🇧🇷The National Monetary Council of Brazil approved a resolution modernizing regulations for financial institutions, allowing them to incorporate new services. Institutions will now be able to operate as fintech companies within the credit sector and as payment entities that process payments without offering loans.

🇲🇽 The Mexican financial regulator, CNBV, authorized accounting criteria for fintech companies undergoing critical processes such as mergers, spin-offs, or legal adjustments aimed at ensuring their financial viability.

🇨🇴 Colombia’s open finance regulation is nearing full implementation, with mandatory participation rules almost finalized. The model will require financial institutions to share data securely with third parties to foster competition and innovation.


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📰 Other News 

Jaime Sotomayor

Venture Partner at Impacta VC

Claudia Nuñez,

General Director at Fintech México

🌎Jaime Sotomayor was named Venture Partner at Impacta VC.

🇲🇽 Claudia Nuñez was named General Director at Fintech México.

🌎 Rappi, the Colombian superapp, launched ChatGPT-based AI features in Mexico, enhancing its in-app experience with intelligent recommendations, content summaries, and a chatbot for faster customer service, marking its first integration of generative AI tools in the region.

🇵🇪 BBVA Perú aims to turn its APIs into a significant revenue stream, planning to monetize open banking interfaces by offering third parties access to payment initiation, account aggregation, and customer data services. The bank sees APIs as key infrastructure in its digital transformation.

🌎 Latitud, the LatAm founder support platform, announced a new initiative to invest $500,000 across eight idea-stage founders, offering capital, mentorship, and early product guidance. The program targets entrepreneurs building tech startups from scratch, regardless of whether they have an MVP.

🌎 Global66, the Chilean cross-border fintech platform, announced a US$5 million+ investment in Colombia to expand its infrastructure and services for SMEs. The initiative aims to integrate Chilean small businesses into Colombian financial ecosystems through faster international transfers and access to digital financial tools.

🇲🇽 OCN, the U.S.-based fintech platform focused on embedded credit and B2B payment infrastructure, announced a US$150 million investment plan to expand its operations in Mexico. The funding will support team growth, regulatory compliance, and product rollout in Mexico’s enterprise sector.

🇧🇷 Copasa, the Brazilian water utility, now allows bill payments via Pix through Open Finance, making it the first public sanitation company in Brazil to fully implement the model. The integration aims to improve payment efficiency, expand financial inclusion, and provide a more seamless user experience.


📚 Deeper Reads

Banktech or Fintech? Why banks must rethink their alliances

A Prominent OpenAI Investor Appears to Be Suffering a ChatGPT

Western Union Eyes Stablecoin Integration as GENIUS Act Spurs Industry Shift

Should Silicon Valley celebrate Trump’s AI plans?


📣 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

👍👎 Did you like this edition of TWIF LatAm?  Take a 1-minute anonymous survey here.

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