Brazil is home to 33% of Latin America’s fintech companies

Just five years ago, however, fintech was a relatively unknown concept in the region. But, thanks to rapid advances in technology combined with increased mobile and internet use across the region, it seems that the fintech revolution is showing no signs of slowing down.

Every country in Latin America has shown growth in this sector, although 86 percent of all growth is contained within just three countries. Brazil has 380 fintech companies (33% of regional total), Mexico has 273 (23%), Colombia boasts 148 (13%) and Argentina and Chile bring up the rear with 116 (10%) and 84 (7%) respectively.

“Even if five countries concentrate 86 percent of the fintech businesses in the region, there have been startups identified in every single country in Latin America, along with a growing tendency towards internationalisation,” explained Juan Ketterer, the head of Connectivity, Markets and Finance at the BID. “This shows that entrepreneurs are aware of the opportunities available to them, but also the importance to keep strengthening dialogue and harmonisation at a regional level.”

One of the reasons why fintech is experiencing such a boom in the region is due to a general distrust of banks, especially after the financial crisis of 2007-2008. This sentiment is even stronger in Argentina, as their economic crisis in 2001 led to the “corralito,” where the government almost completely froze bank accounts and forbade withdrawals from US dollar- denominated accounts.

As well as this, only 54 percent of people in Latin America had access to a bank account in 2017. This is a marked increase from 39 percent in 2011, but also reveals a reliance on cash as well as a lack of financial education throughout the region. A consequence of this, explained the BID study, is that in order to persuade those who work primarily in cash to move over to fintech solutions, the platform will have to be very easy to understand and access, as well as providing extra value to them.

Fintech companies often provide simple and low-cost financial alternatives which are extremely popular with Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMEs), of which 90 percent of the regions companies pertain to. Added to the fact that the region boasts a 50 percent rate of mobile internet coverage, which is higher than the world average of 43 percent, the space for budding fintech companies has never been more positive.

Brazil

Brazil is one of the fintech leaders in Latin America with 380 establishments across the country, and boasts some of the fastest growth in the region. This has caught the attention of numerous investors, such as China’s Tencent which invested US$180 million into Brazil’s fintech unicorn Nubank, reported ImpactAlpha.

The site also highlights that around 70 percent of Brazil’s micro and small business owners are locked out of getting a loan by both traditional banking institutions, and even fintech companies, which have focused on individual consumers. This led to the creation of BizCapital, group that helps SMEs secure the capital necessary for the growth and daily maintenance of their young companies. Quona Capital, a venture-capital firm that invests in growth-stage fintech companies in emerging markets, invested US$5 million into BizCapital, with Quona’s Jonathan Whittle explaining that “the relationship you build with small businesses leads to repeat business with better and better underwriting.”

As fintech continues to grow throughout the region, it will bring more financial autonomy and security for those individuals who don’t have access to a bank account, as well as providing additional support for SMEs who play a huge part in the region’s economy. Mexico’s Ley Fintech highlights the necessity of a framework to regulate these frantically-growing companies, as it is possible that the one of the principal reasons people in the area trust them over traditional banks is that they haven’t experienced a crisis – yet.

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