Mexico FinTech News
Nu Mexico’s losses mount as credit quality issues continue and deposit success comes at a cost
Nu Mexico reported its weakest quarter to date in 3Q24, with losses before taxes of P$850mn, as both provisions for loan losses and absolute cost of deposits (on which the company continues to pay above reference rates) reached record highs. The performing loan portfolio grew a decent 8.5% QoQ (better than the 4.0% suggested by the seemingly preliminary Condusef-reported figures), but still well below the non-performing portfolio, which surged 25.9%. Moreover, while the company maintained an extraordinary performance in deposits, vastly outperforming peers, this came at a cost, as Nu Mx reported a record-low financial margin; meanwhile, the loans-to-deposits ratio declined to just 0.23x. While not entirely surprising given recent trends, this set of results does come as a contrast to bootstrapped fintech peers such as Klar, which reported last week it had reached monthly profitability.
Nu Mexico – Selected Financial Metrics
Is Spin By OXXO gearing up to offer credit?
FEMSA’s fintech, Spin by OXXO, is considering expanding credit services, to increase its financial product offerings according to its quarterly analyst conference call. The company also talked about growing its cash-out infrastructure which, integrated with Spin, it hopes will increase its remittance market share, (OXXO lags Elektra/Azteca and Coppel in remittances which have banks and largely unlimited cash-outs) and fulfillment business, to support smaller e-commerce players. Meanwhile cash burn at Digital has come down, as OXXO now has direct access to SPEI, reduced customer acquisition costs, and lower debit and credit card fees. Initially focused on remittances and payment services, Spin by OXXO had 8.2 million active users in 3Q24 representing 28.9% growth compared to 3Q23 while Spin Premia had 23.8 million active loyalty users representing 34.6% growth compared to 3Q23, and an average tender of 38.5%. This credit move could eventually position Spin to compete with major players in Mexico’s digital finance arena, including Mercado Pago, Nu, and traditional banks like BBVA. It remains unclear how material and fast this credit initiative will be, whether Femsa will use its own balance sheet and/or that of others to offer credit and whether, eventually, Femsa will seek a bank license. Femsa’s methodical and low-risk, negative margin approach to growing its Fintech business (first loyalty card and promotions, then payments, then it seems eventually credit) stands in sharp contrast to Nu’s (theoretical) high-margin (but in fact loss-making), high-risk credit-first approach, and Mercado Pago’s aggressive and yet seemingly profitable simultaneous expansion in both payments and credit, tied into to its e-commerce ecosystem. Of the three, Mercado Pago is probably the happiest with the Mexico FInTech results to date, but there is a still long way to go.
Other Sources: El CEO.
BBVA reports softer but still impressive Mexico 3Q24 results
BBVA’s Q3 global results showed a 26% rise in net profit, driven by a strong performance in Spain. However, Mexican profits fell 2.4% in EUR due to increased loan loss provisions and peso depreciation, with net interest income down 3.7% year-on-year. Still in the quarter, and “excluding the effect of exchange rate fluctuations, BBVA Mexico generated net attributable profit of €1,451m, which represents a 6.4% increase with respect to the previous quarter as a result of the favourable evolution of all the lines that make up the gross income (especially the contribution of net interest income), which comfortably offset the higher level of loan loss provisions affected by higher requirements as a result of the updated macroeconomic scenario.“ Despite five years of Fintech expansion and competition from incumbents via new digital banks, BBVA continues to maintain its dominant market share of banking profits in Mexico, representing around 35%-40% of total Mexican bank earnings.
Other Sources: Reuters.
Openbank Receives Approval from CNBV to Launch in Mexico
Openbank, Santander’s digital-only bank, has finally received approval from CNBV to start operations. The platform plans to provide a variety of financial products, including accounts, loans, and investment options, tailored to meet the needs of Mexican consumers. As with Banorte’s Bineo, it remains unclear what the value proposition of Openbank will be, with the logic behind incumbent banks opening separate fintech banks versus further digitalizing and segmenting products and clients getting harder and harder to understand. It might be simpler if they followed BBVA’s example and invested in improving their existing digital products and services.
El Universal, 10/28/2024, Antonio Hernández: Openbank de Santander Closer to Opening in Mexico, Receives Green Light from CNBV
Other Sources: Díafintech, Informador
Mercado Pago and BBVA Claim To Lead Digital Banking Evolution in Mexico
At the seventh edition of the No Money Forum, Pedro Rivas, CEO of Mercado Pago, and Joe Naffah, Head of Banking Products at BBVA Mexico, discussed the challenges and opportunities of financial digitalization in Mexico. Both emphasized the need for a more empathetic digital evolution, tailored to the real needs of Mexican users. Rivas highlighted how user trust has driven the rise of new companies and the advancement of leaders like BBVA and Mercado Pago in democratizing financial services.
El País, 10/31/24, Ricardo Pineda: A more real ‘fintech’ face: Mercado Pago and BBVA lead the digital banking evolution in Mexico.
Kueski Achieves 20 Million Loans Dispersed and Positions Itself As Number 5 in Business Ethics Rankings
Kueski has reached the milestone of 20 million loans granted. The company has also been recognized for its commitment to ethical business practices, ranking at the top of a recent business ethics evaluation.
Radio Fórmula, 10/30/2024, Staff: The Success of Kueski: 20 Million Loans, on the Top of Business Ethics
Other sources: Yahoo finance, NoticiasRed
Iberia Partners with Mercado Pago for Plane Ticket Purchases in Mexico
Iberia has partnered with Mercado Pago to streamline plane ticket purchases for customers in Mexico. This collaboration enables travelers to buy Iberia tickets through the Mercado Pago platform, using various payment options like account balance and credit cards. This payment option will soon expand to Argentina and other Latin American markets.
Axis Negocios, 10/31/2024, Staff: Iberia enables ticket purchases via Mercado Pago in Mexico.
Other sources: Iberia, Aviacionline
Other News
El Economista, 10/29/2024, Ana Karen Garcia: Mujer Móvil and FINSUS present mobile service designed for women.
El Pais, 10/28/2024, Nayeli Cruz: The Seventh Edition of the ‘Foro No Money’ in Images.
Ramp Network enables crypto-to-Mexican Peso transactions via SPEI.
LatAm FinTech News
Pomelo Expands into Traditional Banking in Latin America
Pomelo, an Argentine fintech, is extending its reach by offering its products to traditional banks throughout Latin America. Pomelo now operates in six Latin American markets, with Mexico and Colombia as key areas of focus, and has secured partnerships with major financial institutions like Bancolombia. The fintech has raised a total of $103 million, including a $40 million Series B round in early 2024.
Bloomberg Línea, 10/31/24, Sebastián Osorio: Pomelo expands into traditional banking in Latin America.
Nubank Prepares to Launch Nucel, Its Mobile Phone Service
Nubank is preparing to launch NuCel, its mobile phone service, expanding its offerings beyond financial products. The service will feature three monthly plans ranging from 45 to 75 reais (around $7.80 to $13.00), payable through Nubank credit cards. Covering 93% of Brazil, NuCel will operate on the network of Claro, a subsidiary of América Móvil.
La Jornada, 10/29/2024, Reuters: Nubank prepares NuCel, its mobile phone service.
Other sources: Latamfintech, La Republica, Iupana
Other News
Latamlist, 10/31/2024, Matheus Tomé: AgriCapital raises $7.4M in a mix of debt and equity.
FinTech Magazine, 11/01/2024, Louis Thompsett: PagBrasil Expands Pix Payments Beyond Brazilian Borders.
CoinTelegraph, 10/28/2024, Ray Jiménez: British fintech Neverless arrives in Argentina as a first approach to LatAm.
Global FinTech News
Moniepoint Secures $110M in Series C Funding
Moniepoint, Africa’s fastest growing fintech, has raised $110 million in a Series C funding round led by Development Partners International’s African Development Partners III fund, with participation from Lightrock, Google’s Africa Investment Fund, and Verod Capital. Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, Moniepoint offers business banking, payments, and credit services, processing $17 billion in transactions monthly.
Fintech Futures, 10/29/2024, Cameron Emanuel-Burns: Africa’s “fastest-growing tinech” Moniepoint secures $110m Series C funding
Other Sources: PitchBook, Techcrunch, FinTech Global
Mastercard Expands Product Express for Fintechs
Mastercard has expanded its Product Express platform to new regions, enabling fintechs to launch card programs in as little as 15 days. Originally launched in Latin America, the platform offers pre-approved card designs and certified partners to simplify onboarding.
The platform has already partnered with companies like Brazil’s Foxbit, which highlighted its efficient integration. Upcoming features will enhance global payments acceptance for fintechs.
The Fintech Times, 10/27/2024, Staff: Mastercard Expands Product Express to Accelerate Global Card Launches for Fintechs
Other Sources: IBS Intelligence
Melio Secures $150M Funding Led by Fiserv
Israeli payments platform Melio has raised $150 million in a funding round led by US investor Fiserv, valuing the company at $2 billion. This funding comes as Melio rebounds from recent layoffs and a failed sale, despite a drop from its previous valuation of $4 billion. The company has reported a tenfold increase in revenue, focusing on streamlining payment management for small businesses. Since its founding in 2018, Melio has raised a total of $650 million.
Fintech Global, 10/30/2024, Staff: Isreali FinTech Melio secures $150m led by US company Fiserv
Other Sources: Yahoo Finance, Finextra Research, Fintech Finance News
Other News
Fintech Futures, 10/29/2024, Tyler Pathe: Dutch paytech Online Payment Platform secures EMI licence in the UK
Fintech Futures, 11/01/2024, Cameron Emanuel-Burns: Osigu raises $25m Series B and partners with Visa to streamline healthcare payments
Fintech Finance News, 10/30/2024, Staff: TBC Uzbekistan Announces Strategic Partnership with Mastercard
Fintech Finance News, 10/31/2024, Staff: Luna and Saldo Bank Forge Partnership to Transform Nordic Banking and Payment Solutions
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