From payments and digital wallets to spend management and challenger banks, these unicorns are reshaping the financial services industry in Latin America.
Capital infusion to fintechs in the region peaked in 2021 as companies raised a record $14B – marking a staggering 289% jump, according to CBInsights. The region has also proven to be a potential source of tech talents with ready-made domain expertise. Local fintech unicorns adopted complex selection regarding skills and fostered very professional developers with domain expertise, much like in the US’s fintech companies.
Explore our guide to learn more about what tech knowledge and skills you can find in this market.
Argentina
Ualá
- Valuation: $2.45B
- Technology stack: Java, Golang, Javascript, React, AWS stack, etc.
- Domain expertise: Banking, Personal Finance, Financial Services.
- Number of employees: 1300+
- Number of tech talents: 500+
The Ualá mobile application is designed for personal financial management and enables users to make purchases using a prepaid Mastercard at any merchant or website that accepts it. In addition to providing a prepaid card, the app enables users to send and receive money between other users, bank accounts (CBU), and virtual accounts (CVU) with no charge and instantly.
Technisys
- Latest deal amount: $915M
- Technology stack: Java, React.js, View.js, React Native, Saga, Redux, Formiik, IBM Broker; Oracle, SQL Server, MySQL; JUnit, Mockito, JMockit, Postman, Selenium, Appium.
- Domain expertise: Banking, Financial Services.
- Number of employees: 1200+
- Number of tech talents: 750+
This not-officially-a-unicorn (yet) but promising startup provides digital banking software designed to improve customer experience across banking interaction channels. Technisys is an innovative digital banking technology firm that assists traditional banks in transitioning to digital platforms. Additionally, the company helps challenger, neo-banks, and fintech companies get a head start.
Prisma Medios de Pago
- Latest deal amount: $725M
- Technology stack: Microsoft Azure, JCL, Javascript, Java, Elastic stack, Modernizr.
- Domain expertise: Payments, Processing.
- Number of employees: 1700+
- Number of tech talents: 650+
Prisma is a company that specializes in developing and marketing various payment and processing solutions, software, and technology platforms to enhance their clients’ businesses and improve people’s daily lives. Prisma’s software encompasses online payments, transfers, shopping options, money management systems, and thousands of ATMs nationwide.
Mexico
Clip
- Valuation: $2.0B
- Technology stack: AWS stack, Java, Spring Framework, NextJS, React, Redux, Maven, Rabbit MQ, MySQL, MySQL/DynamoDB, etc.
- Domain expertise: Payments, Debt Financing.
- Number of employees: 1000+
- Number of tech talents: 250+
Clip, a commerce and digital payments platform, empowers businesses in Mexico to interact and transact with their customers efficiently using technology, eliminating complicated paperwork, monthly fees, or minimum sales requirements. This payments aggregator provides small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) access to digital payment solutions, offers customers credit and debit card transaction terminals, and allows customers to pay anytime using their fingertips.
Bitso
- Valuation: $2.2B
- Technology stack: Java, Spring Framework, Micronaut, PostgreSQL, MSSQL, Redis, Mongo, Kafka, PHP.
- Domain expertise: Financial Software, Crypto Exchange, Crypto Trading.
- Number of employees: 550+
- Number of tech talents: 200+
Bitso is a trailblazer in the cryptocurrency exchange industry as it was the first to offer cryptocurrency trading against the Mexican peso. Alongside its cryptocurrency trading services, Bitso also provides cryptocurrency payment services to Mexican merchants.
Konfio
- Valuation: $1.3B
- Technology stack: PHP, Amazon CloudFront, etc.
- Domain expertise: Lending, Mortgages, SME Banking.
- Number of employees: 800+
- Number of tech talents: 250+
Konfío is on a mission to unleash the potential of small and medium businesses in Mexico by providing them with access to credit solutions. With cloud computing and AI-driven tools at its core, Konfío has gone beyond traditional lending services to become more than just another lender. Konfio offers digital banking, payment, and software tools that enhance the growth and productivity of small and mid-sized enterprises. Their online lending platform provides micro-business loans with a proprietary algorithm that assesses creditworthiness. This platform complements traditional financial analysis and provides access to credit solutions at affordable rates, enabling under-served but creditworthy customers to grow their operations.
Stori
- Valuation: $1.2B
- Technology stack: Javascript, Typescript, ReactJS, VueJS, Ionic, React Native, Python, Go.
- Domain expertise: Lending, Payments, Banking, and Financial Services.
- Number of employees: 350+
- Number of tech talents: 120+
Stori offers digital financial payment services via a credit card to help users access credit facilities and other financial services often unavailable through traditional banks because these users may have no credit history. The entire user experience, from card application to bill payment, is managed through the Stori mobile app.
Clara
- Valuation: $1.0B
- Technology stack: AWS stack, Java, Hibernate, Swift, Javascript, React, Vue, Angular; Cypress.
- Domain expertise: Spend Management, Financial CRM.
- Number of employees: 350+
- Number of tech talents: 80+
Clara is the go-to corporate spend management solution for Latin American businesses. Their comprehensive suite of services brings together locally-issued cards, Bill Pay options, financing opportunities, and an advanced software platform – all accessible through a digital portal.
Read also: Mexico’s Most Prominent Tech Hubs: from Guadalajara to Queretaro
Brazil
EBANX
- Valuation: close to $10B (Bloomberg).
- Technology stack: AWS stack, PHP, Golang, PostgreSQL, MySQL.
- Domain expertise: Payment processing, Financial services, E-commerce.
- Number of employees: 730+
- Number of tech talents: 200+
EBANX is a payment processing platform that allows businesses to accept payments from customers in Latin America. The company provides various payment solutions, including credit card processing, bank transfers, and cash payments. EBANX also offers fraud prevention services, currency conversion, and localized customer support.
Nubank
- Valuation: $23B (Business of Apps)
- Technology stack: AWS stack, Kubernetes, Kafka, Flutter, Dart, Closure, Finagle, Amplitude, Datomic, DynamoDB.
- Domain expertise: Digital banking, credit cards, and financial services.
- Number of employees: 12,500
- Number of tech talents: 2050+
Nubank is a digital bank that offers a range of financial products and services to consumers in Brazil and Mexico. The company’s flagship product is its no-fee credit card, which can be managed through its mobile app. Nubank also offers personal loans, savings accounts, and investment products. Additionally, the company provides educational resources to help consumers improve their financial literacy.
Mercado Bitcoin
- Valuation: $2.1B
- Technology stack: Javascript, Django, Golang, Vue.js, Node.js, Google Cloud Firestore, etc.
- Domain expertise: Cryptocurrency trading platform and wallet services.
- Number of employees: 485+
- Number of tech talents: 150+
Mercado Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency exchange based in Brazil. The platform allows users to buy and sell a range of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. Mercado Bitcoin also provides a wallet service for storing and managing digital assets. The company offers 24/7 customer support and a range of educational resources for users.
Neon
- Valuation: $1.6B (TechCrunch)
- Technology stack: .NET, Golang, JavaScript (Vanilla JS), Typescript, React, Next.js; Rabbit MQ, Kafka; Jest, Cypress.
- Domain expertise: Digital banking, credit cards, and financial services.
- Number of employees: 2100+
- Number of tech talents: 700+
Neon is a digital bank based that provides consumers with financial services. The company’s products include a no-fee checking account, a credit card, and personal loans. Neon also offers budgeting tools and financial education resources to help consumers manage their money.
Dock
- Valuation: $1.5B (TechCrunch)
- Technology stack: AWS stack, Java, Python, Node.js, Go, C#/.NET, Azure Pipelines, Jenkins, Kubernetes; Mongo, Redis, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle Database, Kafka, RabbitMQ, Debezium.
- Domain expertise: Blockchain-based solutions for the supply chain industry.
- Number of employees: 1300+
- Number of tech talents: 650+
Dock is a blockchain-based platform that provides solutions for digital identity management. The company’s technology allows businesses to verify and authenticate the identity of their users without the need for centralized authorities. Dock’s platform can be integrated with applications and services, including e-commerce platforms, healthcare providers, and financial institutions.
Creditas
- Valuation: $4.8B (Reuters)
- Technology stack: Java, Kotlin, Python, Ruby on Rails, React Native, AWS, Kafka, Spark, and more.
- Domain expertise: Online lending and financial services for consumers and small businesses.
- Number of employees: 2700+
- Number of tech talents: 300+
Creditas is a digital lending platform that provides secured loans to consumers. The company allows borrowers to use their assets, such as real estate or automobiles, as collateral for loans. Creditas also offers debt consolidation and refinancing services. The company’s technology platform provides a streamlined application process and personalized loan terms.
Other
Kushki (Ecuador)
- Valuation: $1.5B (TechCrunch)
- Technology stack: AWS stack, Lambda, Google Cloud, etc.
- Domain expertise: Payment Processing, Financial Services.
- Number of employees: 700+
- Number of tech talents: 250+
Kushki is a payment processing platform that provides payment solutions, including credit card processing, bank transfers, and mobile payments. Kushki’s technology is designed to be flexible and customizable, allowing businesses to create payment solutions tailored to their specific needs.
Habi (Colombia)
- Valuation: $1.0B
- Technology stack: AWS stack (Lambda, RDS, CloudFront, EC2), Azure, Google Cloud, Python, etc.
- Domain expertise: Real Estate, Proptech.
- Number of employees: 1000+
- Number of tech talents: 110+
Habi is a real estate platform that provides services to homebuyers and sellers. The company’s technology allows users to search for properties, schedule viewings, and complete transactions online. Habi also provides mortgage financing and insurance products to help users navigate homebuying.
dLocal (Uruguay)
- Valuation: $5.0B
- Technology stack: AWS stack (ECS, DynamoDB, SQS, SNS), Java, Golang, Newrelic, Datadog, Grafana, Prometheus, etc.
- Domain expertise: Cross-border payment processing and financial services.
- Number of employees: 750+
- Number of tech talents: 150+
dLocal is a payment processing platform that provides payment solutions, including credit card processing, bank transfers, and cash payments. dLocal’s technology is designed to work with local payment methods and currencies, allowing businesses to accept payments from customers in a wide range of countries. The company also provides fraud prevention services and localized customer support.
Final Thoughts
It’s time to tap into new hiring markets to leverage the expertise and eagerness of best-in-class fintech talents to make real change.
The FinTech sector is the largest sector for venture capital investment in Latin America, and comprises 2,482 FinTech platforms, according to IDB, which is equivalent to 22.6% of the total number of fintech firms worldwide. Local fintech companies are becoming a hotbed for tech talents for startups from all over the world since big players like PayPal, Stripe, Square, Brex are taking notice and making moves down there. The competition made them introduce complex selection processes that ensure only the best candidates make it on board. All this means that you can potentially find a perfect match for your development team in one of these promising talent locations.
