“Can the LatAm marketplace champion's payments arm become the region's largest fully chartered digital bank?”
Founded 2003 as the payments arm of MercadoLibre — Latin America's dominant marketplace. Evolved from PSP into a full digital bank: launched Mercado Crédito for SMB/consumer lending in 2020, layered on debit/credit cards, insurance, investments (Cofrinhos yielding up to 120% CDI), and POS hardware (Point maquininhas). Currently pursuing full bank charters in Mexico (CNBV) and Argentina (BCRA), positioning to become the largest digital bank in Latin America — graduating from regulated payment institution status into a chartered bank across multiple jurisdictions.