PicPay adds 50m users; MACH and EBanx team up; New stats show reality of e-commerce
PicPay, a mobile payments fintech in Brazil, has just surpassed 50 million users. The app, which seeks to position itself as the Brazilian WeChat, is currently valued at US$ 35 billion. The company says it’s on target to finish the year with 80 million users.
MACH and EBanx partner to facilitate international purchases
MACH, a fintech launched by Chile’s Banco de Crédito e Inversiones, and EBanx, the Brazil-headquartered payments enabler, will work together to facilitate international e-commerce. Through MACH Pay, Chileans will be able to buy from international websites through the digital wallet.
See also: Regulatory sandboxes in LatAm: Fintech test environments take shape
Neon becomes a Brazilian payment institution
The Brazilian fintech Neon has received authorization from the Central Bank of Brazil to operate as a payment institution, which allows it to issue and manage electronic money.
Online purchases rise, but still low, in Latin America
E-commerce has been a “lifeline” for business during the pandemic, according to Mastercard. However, the vast majority of purchases in Latin America still take place in person. Just 4.4% of retail sales went through e-commerce channels before the pandemic, a figure that rose to 6.8% during the crisis and currently stands at 5.1%, according to a study by the company.
BTG Pactual launches bitcoin investment fund
The Brazilian investment bank launched BTG Pactual Bitcoin 20 FIM, the first bitcoin investment fund from a bank in Brazil. Users can open accounts for free and invest as little as one real (US$ 0.18) in the cryptocurrency that hit a new ceiling – above US$ 64,000 per unit -this month.
Are you subscribed to our weekly newsletter? Click here to do it. Every Monday we will send you a special report on the fintech sector in Latin America. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.