Fintech startups are revolutionizing the financial industry across Latin America. These startups are some of the first providers of financial technology in the region and through their cross-border efforts, they are helping both consumers and companies monitor their finances, make payments, and receive loans. Here are ten cross-border fintech startups in Latin America to watch.
1. Blinking
Based in Chile, Blinking is a financial app that helps SMEs control their cash flow. The app’s features include monitoring invoices, managing finances, and communicating with clients. Blinking has partnerships with BCI Factoring and Banco Security.
2. Aflore
Aflore is a fintech startup that provides loans through informal financial advisors to Latin Americans that are not yet connected to the banking system. The company is based in Colombia, but serves consumers throughout the continent. In 2014, Aflore was nominated as one of the most promising socially-responsible startups in Latin America.
3. Alegra
Based in Medellin, Colombia, Alegra is one of the most global fintech startups to come out of Latin America, serving clients around Latin America as well as in the United States and Spain. They provide cloud-based accounting and invoicing software for SMEs and recently reached over 50,000 registered users.
4. Recarga Pay
This mobile payments platform was founded in Argentina but now leads the Brazilian market in daily money payments and transfers. Clients can perform a number of transactions on the Recarga Pay mobile app, such as paying bills, buying gift certificates, and transferring money to other accounts. The startup recently raised US$22 million in Series B funding.
5. Übank
Übank helps the average person save money more efficiently. This app turns daily tasks and habits into saving opportunities, such as saving a certain amount of money each time you go for a run or retaining a percentage of your salary every week. Übank is based in Chile but is already planning to launch its services in other Latin American countries.
6. Portal Finance
With offices in Bogota, Colombia and Santiago, Chile, Portal Finance helps small- and medium-sized businesses find the most business-friendly terms from factoring companies. Portal Finance evaluates electronic invoices from companies and provides information to investors, which allows investors to make financing offers quickly and transparently. In April 2017, Portal Finance received venture capital funding from Magma Partners.
7. Ebanx
Based in Brazil, Ebanx is a cross-border payment processing firm connecting e-commerce merchants across Latin America. Recently, Ebanx raised US$30 million to develop more projects. Some of Ebanx’s main partners are Airbnb, AliExpress, Spotify, and Udacity.
8. Allpago
Headquartered in Berlin but with offices around South America, Allpago is a leading payment provider in the Latin American region, offering online payment processing on a single platform. The platform helps payment providers and e-commerce merchants accept all local and relevant payment methods and currencies. In October 2017, Allpago became a Signature Member of the Merchant Risk Council, a global organization that battles e-commerce fraud and fraudulent payments.
9. Ripio
Founded in Argentina, Ripio offers digital payment and bitcoin services. With operations in several Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil, their services include transferring money between accounts, requesting credit lines, and buying and selling bitcoins. In 2017, Ripio raised US$1.9 million to help expand into additional South American markets.
10. Afluenta
Afluenta is the first Latin American “collaborative finance” company, connecting people looking for investment and credit services with investors. Currently, Afluenta has operations in Argentina, Peru, and Mexico and plans to launch in Colombia, Brazil, and Uruguay, and Chile soon.
Know of any other cross-border fintech startups we should add to this list? Share them with us in the comments!
Originally published at www.launchwaymedia.com.