Hola amig@s fintech,

This week in LatAm fintech, we remind you of the two can’t-miss events: join us in São Paulo and Mexico City on June 9 to connect with the region’s fintech minds and celebrate the momentum building across our ecosystem. These gatherings are a great way to learn, network, and be part of what’s next. 

We're also bidding a heartfelt “hasta luego” to our incredible teammate Daniela, who is heading to Berkeley to begin her MBA journey - congrats Dani! She has been a driving force behind TWIF LatAm, and we’re endlessly grateful for her passion, insight, and dedication. Wishing her all the success in this exciting new chapter!

🩵Until next weekend. Até a próxima!

• Lorena

🌐 TWIF Community

🗓️ Events

🗣️ Channels

📊 Stat of the Week 

Latin America is entering a new growth phase, marked by resilient investment and a maturing tech ecosystem. While funding has moderated since the 2021 peak of $15 billion, levels remain well above pre-2021. In 2024, funding rounds surpassed previous counts, with strong early-stage activity and capital increasingly concentrated in later stages—signaling greater support for scaling startups. (Source).

📖  Read of the Week

Based on “Generations Report 2025” by Ipsos, digital payments have become integral across all age groups, with Gen Z and Millennials leading in adoption. Approximately 85% of Gen Z and 80% of Millennials use digital wallets or mobile payment apps regularly, compared to 65% of Gen X and 45% of Baby Boomers. This trend underscores a generational shift towards cashless transactions, highlighting the need for financial institutions to tailor digital solutions to diverse age demographics.

🦉 Post of the Week

🎙️ Podcast of the Week

💸 Venture Financing

💸 Equity

🌎 Palla, the Miami-based international payments platform for instant cross-border transfers, raised a $14.5 million Series A round led by Revolution Ventures, with participation from Y Combinator, Ardent, Cowboy Ventures, Dash Fund, Uncommon Capital, Meta Fund, Evolution VC, First Check Ventures, Vitalize, and DeepWork Capital.

🇺🇾 Foliume, the Uruguayan SaaS that developed an AI-based platform to automate key tasks in insurance distribution, secured a $1 million investment from Telefónica's Íope Ventures, with participation from Belgian fund Pitchdrive and other industry leaders.

🇧🇷 Estratz, the Brazilian platform that automates back-office tasks for hedge funds, raised a $355,000 pre-seed round from angel investors, including Vista Capital's co-founders João Landau, João Eduardo Lopes, and Luiz Guilherme Gama.

💵 Debt 

🇧🇷 Agibank, the Brazilian digital bank, secured $350 million through its first Credit Rights Investment Fund (FIDC) issuance.

💰 Venture funds 

🌎 Nascent VC, the LatAm-focused VC firm backed by founders from companies like Kavak, Bitso, and Belvo, announced the first close of its $15 million Fund II. The fund targets pre-seed and seed-stage startups in fintech, proptech, e-commerce, and marketplaces, with a particular interest in solutions integrating AI.

📺 Sponsored Content

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☯️ Exits

🤝 M&A 

🇧🇷 Topaz, the Brazilian digital financial solutions provider and a subsidiary of the Stefanini Group, announced the acquisition of Valid’s payment unit in Colombia for $7 million. The acquired business processes 3 million transactions monthly and aims to strengthen Topaz’s regional footprint and product portfolio. 

🇧🇷 BS2, the Brazilian digital bank and FX solutions provider, announced it has fully onboarded VoucherPay, a cross-border payment platform enabling tourists to pay in Brazilian reais at over 230 foreign merchants. The integration leverages Pix APIs and aims to convert shopping intent into real transactions by offering fixed prices and installments abroad. No further information was disclosed.

🚀 Product Launches & Partnerships

💻 Fintech 

🌎 SukuPay, the US-based blockchain remittance infrastructure provider, announced a partnership with Zigi, the mobile app of Guatemala’s Banco Industrial, enabling users to receive US remittances instantly for $0.99 via phone number. 

🇧🇷 RedotPay, the Hong Kong-based crypto payments platform, announced a partnership with Circle, the US-based digital currency infrastructure and stablecoins platform, to enable crypto-to-fiat transfers into Brazilian bank accounts via the Circle Payments Network (CPN). 

🇧🇷 Appmax, the Brazilian e-commerce payments platform, announced the launch of Max, an AI-operated digital bank that runs through conversational interfaces like WhatsApp and Siri. The bank aims to enable users to make transactions via voice or text, eliminating traditional buttons and menus. 

🇧🇷 valePay, the Brazilian travel-focused digital banking platform, announced the launch of Opere, a B2B terrestrial travel consolidator offering NET pricing to over 3,000 agencies. The platform features 2M+ hotel, car rental, insurance, and ticketing options, enabling agencies to set margins and receive commissions within two business days. 

🇧🇷 Iriom, the Brazilian trucking-focused platform, announced new plans to expand credit services for its 15,000 registered drivers and explore a voice-based financial assistant on WhatsApp. The company already offers salary-deductible loans and freight advance options, and is piloting partnerships with Zapay for proactive fine alerts.

🏦 Financial Services & Banking

🇦🇷 BioCatch, the Israel-based behavioral biometrics fraud prevention platform, announced the launch of BioCatch Trust Argentina, a real-time fraud intelligence network now joined by Santander, Galicia, and Naranja X. The initiative aims to enable banks to share behavioral and device-based risk signals to block suspicious transfers before funds are withdrawn.

🇨🇱 Khipu, the Chilean electronic payments platform, announced a partnership with Banco Itaú to launch a joint B2B payment solution aimed at improving reconciliation and cash flow between merchants and distributors. The partnership aims to enable faster identification of incoming transfers through shared reference codes.

📜 Policy

🇧🇴 The Central Bank of Bolivia issued Supreme Decree 5384 to regulate the establishment and operation of companies specializing in technological innovation for financial services, capital markets, and insurance—referred to as Financial Technology Companies (ETFs). The regulation is expected to ease traditional banking constraints and foster a more flexible framework for fintech development.

🇦🇷 The President of the Central Bank of Argentina, announced the implementation of Open Finance to facilitate the exchange of individuals’ financial data. With user consent, financial institutions and fintechs will use shared information to offer more tailored products and services, aiming to enhance system efficiency and transparency.

🇧🇷 The Central Bank of Brazil announced several initiatives across its regulatory and technological agenda during the 4th Congress of the Brazilian Association of Payment Institutions (Associação Brasileira de Instituições de Pagamento). The Director of Financial System Organization and Resolution launched a public consultation on setting limits for credit card interchange fees, aligning them with existing caps on debit and prepaid cards. The Director of Regulation previewed initial credit portability tests within the Open Finance ecosystem, expected in the second half of 2025. The Director of Institutional Relations announced new features for the Registrato system: starting in 2026, users will access information on suspected Pix fraud flags, institutions authorized to share data under Open Finance, and reports on user-held consortia. On May 26, the Bank also published rules for a new service to combat fraud in account opening and management, alongside a tool to reclaim forgotten funds from financial institutions.

🇵🇪 Peru's Superintendence of Banks issued Supreme Decree No. 008-2025-JUS, expanding the list of entities required to report to the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF-Peru), aiming to strengthen efforts against money laundering and terrorism financing.

🇧🇷 Instituto Propague, the Brazilian payments policy research institute, has been formally absorbed by Abipag, the Brazilian national association of payment institutions. Propague will continue operating as a research and education hub focused on financial inclusion, open banking, and regulation. No further of the transaction was disclosed.

🇨🇴 The Financial Superintendence of Colombia announced plans to explore the regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) in financial services, recognizing its potential and risks. The regulator highlighted the importance of balancing innovation with consumer protection, particularly as AI adoption accelerates among banks and fintechs.

📰 Other News 

🌎 A growing number of LatAm companies, including Mercado Libre, are moving their incorporations out of Delaware due to high litigation costs and tightening legal frameworks, opting instead for jurisdictions like the Cayman Islands or local structures, though experts warn most startups should carefully weigh the trade-offs before following suit.

🇦🇷 Brubank, the digital bank in Argentina, became the country’s first and only bank to integrate Pix, Brazil’s instant payment system. This strategic move aims to simplify cross-border transactions for users and businesses operating between Argentina and Brazil, boosting regional financial inclusion and interoperability.

🇧🇴 Yango, a digital platform operating in Bolivia, launched a groundbreaking initiative to empower Bolivian women economically by providing tools, education, and job opportunities through its mobility service. The program aims to reduce financial dependency and promote inclusion in the digital economy.

📚 Deeper Reads

The Future of Money Isn’t Just Fast, It’s Complex

Remittances under pressure: fintech and crypto alternatives to cushion Trump’s tax (ES)

Fintech regulation in Chile: progress, challenges, and opportunities for companies (ES)

Banks and business with your money, no more? (ES)

Digitization of investment funds will provide greater access to financial products (ES)

Crypto AI: Grayscale Predicts Further Surge Despite Slowdown in 2025 (PO)

📣 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

Daniela, Investment Associate at Cultivo

Carlos, Senior Associate at Emant Consultants

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

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