William Cordeiro

As account-to-account (#A2A) #payments becomes the de facto way to pay in a country, visiting foreigners with only cards in their hands are excluded - and have to revert to using #cash 😱 This was my experience in #India 🇮🇳 when I visited earlier this year: all the locals were using their phones to make #UPI transactions, but cards weren't accepted at most places, so I had to go and find a bank - and a working #ATM 🏦 There are moves to allow foreigners to use #UPI but they're not widely available in India yet - and last time I checked it will involve going through a cumbersome #KYC process at an airport when you enter the country 😔 Good to see #fintech firms (e.g. PagBrasil - see below) in #Brazil 🇧🇷 solving the problem so that visitors can use #PIX 🙌

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Being able to secure custody of an asset digitally by way of tokeniztion will open up financing to many new sources of funding, and also, more importantly, funding for smaller companies who don’t have strong credit histories but have very sound businesses. This was one of the foundational ideas why Andre MΞira, Ricardo Amorim, Hugo Mathecowitsch and I decided on taking on the very difficult but rewarding area of trade finance for importation in Brazil 🇧🇷 with Lading Finance. For example, today many SME importers in brasil cannot access funding to grow their business (and the economy) as the risk and operational cost is too high for most current lenders to deal in these “small” loans. As such, based off estimates from the World Economic Forum there is a U$140B trade finance gap in Brazil alone. For those lucky enough to get funding, lack of competition and bureaucracy means time and money wasted…. The Central Bank’s Director of Monetary Policy, Gabriel Muricca Galípolo (who is also predicted to be the next Head of Brazil’s central bank Banco Central do Brasil ) stated Tuesday (13th) that Drex — the digital currency currently being developed by the institution — could bring advancements in the area of secured credit. “The structure envisioned with Drex could create advancements in collateralized credit, which could reduce spreads by lowering the risk perception of those lending the resources,” said Galípolo This is not a “plug and play” solution, a lot more digitization needs to happen yet (like electronic bills of lading, etc), but the long term plan stays in place, and it is great to see that there will be continued innovation at BACEN in the years ahead 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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Brazilian fintech Tako emerges from stealth with sizable seed round led by a16z and Ribbit Capital via TechCrunch I noted the interesting use case of LLM "Tako uses an LLM (large language model) to keep up with these constant changes. The LLM ingests the labor law and union law data and digests it" but "keep humans in the loop to ensure accuracy, but having the LLM get a head start saves a lot of time." I think this is a smart way to use LLM ? Don't you think ? Tako #Fundraising #Fintech #HR #Payroll #Onboarding #LLM #Brasil #Brazil #HitL #StartupBrasil #AI ##HumansInTheLoop #ArticlficialIntelligence #seedRound #startup

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At Circle Forum São Paulo, discussing how crypto and stable coins will drive Brazil's fintech growth. So far the key takeaways: - 🔓 Central bank legal clarity and upcoming regulations will shortly unlock a bunch of new opportunities. - 🚀Massive users demand and big players like BTG and Nubank leading the front and a thriving ecosystem being developed. - 🏦 Every financial institution will need a blockchain strategy, creating a wave of opportunities. The biggest challenge continues the talent gap, and that’s exactly where we at AheadX step in. Thanks for the invite Thomas Etchenique Ayres, you guys are killing it at Circle ! #Fintech #StableCoins #DigitalAssets #Crypto

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C6 Bank, the Brazilian digital bank backed by JPMorgan Chase & Co., has reported its first quarterly profit, showcasing a significant milestone for the Sao Paulo-based fintech. CEO Marcelo Kalim announced a profit of 461 million reais ($90.1 million) for the first three months of the year, with projections pointing towards a substantial full-year gain of about 2 billion reais. The bank has successfully increased its revenue while maintaining stable expenses and reducing provisions for bad loans—a trend Kalim expects to continue. The bank's loan portfolio saw impressive growth, reaching 46.3 billion reais in the first quarter of 2024, marking a 36% increase year-over-year. This growth was primarily in loans backed by collateral, such as payroll and vehicle financing, which also contributed to a decrease in the delinquency rate from 4.7% to 3.2%. Despite these positive developments, Kalim emphasized that C6 does not intend to grow its size but will instead focus on optimizing its current structure to maximize efficiency and profitability. The bank offers a comprehensive range of services including lending, banking, and an investment platform with global accounts in dollars and euros. It currently serves 30 million clients with a team of 3,300 employees. C6’s strategic decision not to pursue a public listing at this time reflects a confidence in its current capital structure, influenced by JPMorgan’s increased stake from 40% to 46% last year. This approach highlights C6’s commitment to refining its operational effectiveness and continuing its trajectory of robust financial performance. This achievement not only underscores the effectiveness of digital banking models in emerging markets but also positions C6 as a leader in leveraging technology to enhance financial services.

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PayPal Ventures Backs Ume in $15M Round, Signaling BNPL Growth and Pix Adoption in Brazil PayPal Ventures, along with NFX, Globo Ventures, and Clocktower Ventures, have invested $15M in Ume, a Brazilian payment services provider focused on SMBs. This investment, coupled with $20M in debt financing, underscores the growing importance of BNPL and the widespread adoption of Pix in Brazil. What This Means for the Market: > BNPL's explosive growth: Ume's success with BNPL demonstrates a strong appetite for flexible payment options in Brazil. This creates a prime opportunity for fintechs to develop innovative BNPL solutions, particularly those integrated with Pix and tailored to the needs of both online and offline merchants. > Pix as the foundation for innovation: Ume's strategic use of Pix underscores its potential as a catalyst for fintech innovation. We can expect to see more fintechs leverage Pix's real-time payment capabilities to build a wide range of new and innovative products, from micro-loans and instant savings tools to peer-to-peer payment platforms. > Empowering SMBs: Ume's focus on serving small and mid-sized merchants highlights a crucial need in the market. There's a significant opportunity for fintechs to develop specialized financial tools that address the unique challenges and opportunities faced by SMBs. > AI and data-driven personalization at the forefront: As the fintech landscape evolves, expect to see a greater emphasis on leveraging AI and data analytics. This will enable the delivery of hyper-personalized financial experiences, including tailored product recommendations, advanced credit scoring models, and proactive fraud prevention measures. > Open banking and embedded finance as key enablers: With the growing adoption of open banking in Brazil, fintechs have a unique opportunity to offer innovative embedded finance solutions. This could include integrating payments, lending, and insurance products seamlessly within non-financial platforms, creating a more holistic and convenient user experience. #fintech #Brazil #BNPL #Pix #payments #venturecapital

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Why top global tech Investors are excited about Brazil 🌎 🇧🇷👇🏻 Brazil's tech ecosystem has transformed dramatically since 2015, evolving from a nascent market to a vibrant, thriving hub. Early pioneers like KASZEK, monashees, and Redpoint eventures (Anderson Thees and Manoel Lemos) set the stage, and today, the ecosystem is deeper with more early and later-stage capital providers like Valor Capital Group, Bicycle Capital, and Lightrock. Successful exits like the Pismo M&A have made Brazil more attractive for investment. The Nubank IPO, despite its rocky start, is now soaring. Founders like David Vélez and Sergio Furio are reinvesting in new startups, creating a powerful cycle of innovation and growth. These and other reasons why Brazil is grabbing attention according to Dave Nangle, managing partner VEF who joined me this week on The J Curve in the short snippet below ⬇️ To watch / listen to our full conversation with Dave head over to our channels on Spotify, Apple and Youtube 🔗🎙 #latinamerica #techecosystem #exits #venturecapital #entrepreneurship #vef #thejcurvepodcast

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New Framedrop.ai blog post straight from the oven by Filipe Pessoa. How you can monetize a podcast in 5 steps: 1. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲: Wait until you have an established audience base.     2. 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Understand their interests, pain points, and preferences.     3. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀: Sponsorship, affiliate marketing, donations, premium content, merchandise, events, memberships, product sales.     4. Click to read the full article 🎣     5. Click again 😅 It includes 10 tried-and-tested ways 🤓

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Wipay and PagBrasil have announced Pix has ARRIVED in Europe 💸 🏦 📱 Launched by Banco Central do Brasil in 2020, Pix allows more than 173 MILLION Brazilian users to make e-commerce and in-store transactions using their mobile phones; and beginning with Spain and Portugal, this represents a SIGNIFICANT advancement in payment technology! 🤳 🌍 Beginning THIS YEAR, the first pilot of this innovative initiative will be implemented in vending machines at Barcelona Airport where visitors can make instant, quick AND secure payments by scanning a QR code. Wipay and PagBrasil have ambitious plans to EXPAND this technology to other tourist and commercial points in Europe 👨‍💻 “The alliance with Wipay is a great opportunity to bring one of the world’s most innovative payment methods to other countries and facilitate transactions for Brazilian tourists. PagBrasil wants to be where Brazilians are – we were the first Brazilian company to enable Pix outside Brazil in May 2023. Besides the financial advantage compared to credit cards, Brazilians have the transparency and security that the amount paid in reais is final and definitive,” explained Alex Hoffmann, CEO and co-founder of PagBrasil. Read more on the link below! 👇 Michele Nachum Firecracker PR Llorenç Rubió Vives Jugatx Ansotegui Caroline Krüger André Almeida Karen Lago Diego Lopes Ralf Germer #pix #instantpayments #digitalpayments #paymentsystem #ecommerce #mobilepayments #qrpayment #pagbrasil #wipay

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If you're looking to expand your business in Brazil, consider integrating Pix—the country's most popular payment method. Revolutionizing transaction processes, Pix boasts over 153 million individual users, providing an unmatched opportunity to access a vibrant new market segment without the hassle of cross-border fees. Here are three compelling reasons to integrate Pix into your payment options: 1️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: Position your business advantageously by tapping into Brazil's most widely used payment method. 2️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Show your commitment to the Brazilian and broader Latin American markets by offering Pix—a trusted and familiar payment option to millions. 3️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: Leverage the familiarity and trust of Pix to boost your sales conversions significantly in Brazil. By adopting Pix, you align with local payment preferences and enhance your market penetration and customer satisfaction in one of Latin America's largest economies. #Brazil #PaymentSolutions #Ecommerce #localization

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Even the largest bank in Brazil, Itau Unibanco opens cryptocurrency trading services for all customer! 💹 https://lnkd.in/dJR8phEA They are now realizing the potentials and opportunities of cryptocurrency. You don't want to miss this. Make your decision today! Invest now and retire early! #Bitcoin #Cryptocurrency #Millionaires #Finance #Investing

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😎 **How We Searched for Respondents for CustDev in Brazil Without Knowing Portuguese: Top 3 Methods** Right now, I’m helping three startups enter global markets in parallel, working with them on customer development. -One team has a valuable social capital asset in their founders. They’re entering the U.S. market with a service that’s similar to ClickFunnels but much more attractive and user-friendly. Their question is where to find respondents? The founder uses his Instagram accounts to reach out to friends, or friends of friends who work in the U.S. market, asking them to post a call for interviews. -The second team is entering the LATAM market, the founder does not speak Portuguese, making the task seem almost impossible. But with the right approach, options appear! They initially tested Google Ads and Facebook Ads as hypotheses. Google Ads turned out to be unsuitable because it takes too long to optimize. With tight deadlines and KPIs, we switched to more quickly testable hypotheses. Facebook ads, for example, worked. -They also found local platforms, where people buy or rent apartments. Since their product targets real estate agents, they started reaching out on these platforms, requesting their time for CustDev interviews for €150. In my observation, CustDev is often a decisive factor when forming a business strategy. Founders frequently avoid certain markets because they fear or don’t know how to conduct CustDev, which becomes a deciding factor for market choice. It’s not about market size, target queries, competitor presence, population, growth rate, or GDP per capita—it’s a question of whether they can enter the market, connect with people, and conduct CustDev. I once had a case where a russian speaking team planned to enter familiar CIS markets like Kazakhstan and Georgia. But in a consulting session, when we delved into their real ambitions, it turned out that no one on the team actually wanted to go into Kazakhstan—they all wanted to target the U.S. They just weren’t pursuing it because they didn’t know how to package the product, were afraid of CustDev, and didn’t know where to start or how to find interviewees from the right segment. So CustDev often becomes a cornerstone, even if unconsciously. Of course, entering an unfamiliar market is challenging, especially if the language isn’t even English. But there are frameworks, experts, and consultants to help you! Don’t skip this step! I’ve seen hundreds (if not thousands) of startups lose their market battle not because their product was bad or the founders were inactive. They lost because they simply didn’t enter the market and ask what the user in that segment really wanted! -What do you think about CustDev? Share your experience if you’ve had this experience.. -What methods do you use to find respondents in the market? -Like this post if you agree with me or it responds. #custdev #promotion #newmarket #advice #usa #startups #investment #fundrising

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RecargaPay, a "Super App" with over 7 million customers, has announced a brand repositioning after more than 14 years in the Brazilian 🇧🇷 market. With the campaign titled “Rethink the Obvious,” the FinTech aims to establish itself as the smart payment option that supports customers in managing their finances. It also seeks to highlight the app’s benefits in convenience, fees, and savings. Diego Belbussi, CMO of RecargaPay, explains the company's decision: “We operate in an extremely competitive market with major players who do not offer the best advantages and benefits to their customers. At this moment, we are the main challenger of the status quo, offering more convenience and savings along with a superior experience. Therefore, we need to invite the Brazilian community to rethink their choices when making payments.” Belbussi also notes that the new campaign aligns with the current profile of the fintech’s customers: “Our customers are independent men and women, including businesses, who are striving to achieve goals and make significant strides in their lives. Whether it’s buying a house, a car, studying, or seeking financial stability, our customers understand that RecargaPay combines convenience and savings, allowing them to centralize their payments in one place with the lowest fees in the market.” More info: https://lnkd.in/eAvCSmFM Find this helpful? [ 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 ] Anything to add about this subject? [ 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ] Nice story, Marcel. Next! [ 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 ] 

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In our August 8, 2023, report, we highlighted MercadoLibre (MELI) as it broke out from $1358.81, setting resistance at $1700. Now, with shares near $2000 and a 47.6% return over the past year, MELI continues to lead in Latin America's e-commerce and digital payments markets. Point and figure charting shows key resistance at $2000, with potential for further gains. The SIA 5 Stock NASDAQ Model, now including MELI, boasts a 51.37% YTD return. For further details and insights, please reach out. https://lnkd.in/gSFgag7C #SIACharts #bigdata #datascience #Ai #investing #fintech #wallstreet #wealth #stockmarket #profit #leadership #innovation #analytics #productivity #money #markets #technology Sign up for 3 week free trial with complimentary training sessions. https://lnkd.in/g8hPmPy3

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I took this picture on the first day of Web Summit Rio. It’s a good snap on crypto adoption in Brazil, led by stablecoins and Bitcoin. It was also interesting to learn that 40% of Brazilian startups are fintech. It was vivid, beyond the Web Summit, how traditional players, like Mastercard, try hard not to get obsolete. It’s always fascinating to observe how industries undergo disruptive transformation, and it felt so true for Finance being disrupted in Brazil this time. It’s already partly and will be more being run on new rails. Probably, there will be even no traditional banks in 20 years from now. “Evolve or die” would say the legendary biologist.

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What ensures the price stability of BRZ? 🇧🇷 The principle used is collateralization: for every unit of BRZ in circulation, there is an equivalent reserve in reais. With this security behind it, BRZ has become a tool for payments and the largest non-dollar stablecoin in the market.

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Circle Integrates USDC with Brazil and Mexico’s National Payment Systems 🌍 💎 Key Highlights: 🟡USDC Integration: Circle has integrated its USD Coin (USDC) with Brazil’s PIX and Mexico’s SPEI real-time payment systems. 🟡Instant Transfers: Businesses can now access USDC in local currencies (BRL and MXN) through local banks without relying on slow international wire transfers. 🟡Faster Access: Circle claims this move reduces settlement time from days to minutes, boosting liquidity for businesses. 🟡Strategic Impact: This expansion enhances cross-border payments in Latin America, particularly for remittances and trade. ✨ The Significance: 🇧🇷 Brazil: PIX has 168 million users, and 95% of Brazil’s $640B annual foreign trade happens in USD. 🇲🇽 Mexico: Remittances from the U.S. to Mexico hit $63B in 2023, representing 4% of Mexico's economy. ➡️ This integration strengthens USDC's position in cross-border finance, making it a key player in the global payments infrastructure. 🔗 Read Full Details: Here (https://lnkd.in/gxZHyVuV) #USDC #Circle #Brazil #Mexico #Fintech #Stablecoins #Crypto

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🌐 A Game Changer for Financial Inclusion: Brazil’s PIX 💸     After introducing Hamburg's Urban Data Challenge Felix Sieker now shifts focus to a larger-scale example of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) – Brazil's PIX. Launched by the Central Bank of Brazil in 2020, PIX revolutionized payments with a public-first model, offering:    ✅ Instant Transfers: No more waiting days for payments to clear  ✅ Low Fees: Significantly cheaper than traditional methods  ✅ Interoperability: Seamless transactions across platforms  ✅ Financial Inclusion: Over 50 million previously unbanked individuals now have access to the financial system    🌍 PIX showcases the transformative power of DPI, reshaping financial access and promoting economic inclusion through digital means. Its success offers a compelling vision for how public-first digital payment systems could reshape financial services on a global scale.    Could PIX be the future of global payments? 💭 What are your thoughts? Read the full article in our blog ▶ https://lnkd.in/eprBW_Wa Follow for the next DPI-topic: India’s digital identity infrastructure Aadhaar.     #DigitalInfrastructure #PIX #FinancialInclusion #TechPolicy #FinTech

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