This Ualá company profile covers the company's valuation, revenue, funding rounds, investors and history. Ualá works in fintech, with a focus on digital banking in Latin America. It was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its latest valuation on record is US$3.2 billion (post-money) (March 2026). Every figure links to a public source, and anything the company hasn't disclosed is marked as such.
Revenue
| Metric | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customers | More than 11 million; nearly one in five adults in Argentina use the platform | March 2026 | Retail Banker International (Yahoo Finance) |
| Loans and investing | More than 9.2 million loans issued; over 3 million clients have used Ualá for investing | March 2026 | Retail Banker International (Yahoo Finance) |
Funding history
| Date | Round | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | Equity round | US$195M | US$3.2B | Allianz X (lead); Stone Ridge, Tencent, TABLE Holdings, Soros Fund Management, D1 Capital Partners | Retail Banker International (Yahoo Finance) |
| Nov 2024 | Series E | US$300M | US$2.75B | Allianz X (lead) | FinTech Futures |
| 2021 | Series D | US$350M | US$2.45B | SoftBank and Tencent (co-leads) | FinTech Futures |
Ualá timeline
Key dates from the sources on this page, oldest first. Metric snapshots are listed after the funding events.
- 2017 — Ualá is founded in Buenos Aires by Pierpaolo Barbieri (CEO).
- 2021 — Series D: US$350M, valuing the company at US$2.45B. Investors: SoftBank and Tencent (co-leads).
- Nov 2024 — Series E: US$300M, valuing the company at US$2.75B. Investors: Allianz X (lead).
- Mar 2026 — Equity round: US$195M, valuing the company at US$3.2B. Investors: Allianz X (lead); Stone Ridge, Tencent, TABLE Holdings, Soros Fund Management, D1 Capital Partners.
- March 2026 — Customers: More than 11 million; nearly one in five adults in Argentina use the platform.
- March 2026 — Loans and investing: More than 9.2 million loans issued; over 3 million clients have used Ualá for investing.
Investors
Overview
Ualá is an Argentine fintech that offers digital banking to millions of people in Latin America. Through its app, customers get a free account, a prepaid or debit card, credit cards, personal loans, investments, insurance and payments, and businesses can accept card payments through its merchant services. It started by serving people who had little or no access to traditional banks and has grown into one of the largest fintechs in the region, with more than 11 million customers.
Pierpaolo Barbieri founded Ualá in Buenos Aires in 2017 and is its CEO. Barbieri studied at Harvard and Oxford and worked in finance before returning to Argentina to start the company. Ualá now operates in Argentina and Mexico, holding banking licences in both.
Products
- Accounts and cards: free accounts with Mastercard cards, transfers and bill payments.
- Credit: personal loans and credit cards, with more than 9.2 million loans issued.
- Investments: money market funds and other investments that let customers earn returns on their balances, important in a high-inflation economy. More than 3 million clients have used them.
- Insurance: digital life and personal accident insurance, in partnership with Allianz.
- Merchant services: card readers and payment acceptance for small businesses.
How Ualá makes money
Ualá earns interchange fees on card payments, interest on loans and credit cards, fees from investments and insurance, and merchant fees from its payment acceptance business. Holding banking licences lets it take deposits and lend directly, which improves margins. The company doesn't publish its revenue, so we show it as not disclosed.
Funding history
- 2021, Series D: US$350 million co-led by SoftBank and Tencent, at a US$2.45 billion valuation.
- November 2024, Series E: US$300 million led by Allianz X, the digital investment arm of insurer Allianz, at a US$2.75 billion valuation.
- March 2026: US$195 million led by Allianz X at a US$3.2 billion post-money valuation, with Stone Ridge, Tencent, TABLE Holdings, Soros Fund Management and D1 Capital Partners.
Data providers record a smaller tranche from TelevisaUnivision in 2025. Ualá has raised money from a long list of investors over the years, including Goldman Sachs, SoftBank and Tencent.
Growth in Mexico
Mexico has become Ualá's second home market and a major growth engine. It obtained a banking licence there by acquiring a small bank, and reported customer activity growing rapidly after the licence. Mexico's large population and relatively low use of formal banking make it one of the most attractive fintech markets in the world, and competition is fierce.
Operating in Argentina
Argentina's economy has gone through repeated currency crises and very high inflation. That creates both challenges and opportunities. On one hand, revenue earned in pesos loses value in dollar terms, and the economic environment is volatile. On the other hand, people are eager for tools that help them protect savings, such as interest-bearing balances and investments, and digital apps are often more convenient than traditional banks. Economic reforms in Argentina since late 2023 have reduced inflation, which may make the market more stable for fintechs.
Competitive landscape
Ualá competes with Mercado Pago, the fintech arm of Mercado Libre and the region's largest; with Nubank, the Brazilian digital bank expanding in Mexico; with Naranja X and Brubank in Argentina; with traditional banks; and with other fintechs. Its advantages are its brand, product breadth, banking licences and strong investor backing.
What to watch next
Watch growth in Mexico, credit quality in its lending business, Argentina's economic stability, profitability, and any IPO plans.
Key facts at a glance
Ualá is a Buenos Aires fintech founded in 2017 by Pierpaolo Barbieri, operating in Argentina and Mexico with banking licences in both. It has more than 11 million customers and has issued more than 9.2 million loans. It raised US$300 million at US$2.75 billion in November 2024 and US$195 million at US$3.2 billion in March 2026, both led by Allianz X.
Strategic investors in fintech
Allianz X has led Ualá's last two rounds, and the companies also partner on insurance products. Strategic investors like this bring more than money: distribution partnerships, product expertise and credibility with regulators. For Allianz, investing in Ualá provides access to millions of potential insurance customers in Latin America through a digital channel. Such partnerships are increasingly common between large financial institutions and fintechs.
Questions to ask about a Latin American fintech
- Does it hold full banking licences, and in which countries?
- How exposed are results to currency movements and inflation?
- How are credit losses trending as lending grows?
- How does it compete with Mercado Pago and Nubank?
Why inflation shaped Ualá's products
In a country where prices rose very quickly for years, keeping money in a bank account that pays little or no interest meant losing value every month. Ualá's interest-bearing balances and easy access to money market funds became popular because they offered a simple way to protect savings. That experience shaped its product design and helped build trust with customers who had little reason to trust traditional banks.
What this means if you're…
A consumer in Argentina or Mexico: compare digital banks on fees, interest on balances, deposit protection and credit terms.
A fintech founder: Ualá shows how strategic investors can bring both capital and product partnerships.
An investor: weigh strong customer growth against currency and credit risks.
Latest developments (October 2026)
Ualá closed a round of about US$195 million led by Allianz X in March 2026 at a US$3.2 billion valuation, according to El CEO. Tether invested US$20 million as part of the round, according to Odaily, though founder Pierpaolo Barbieri said there are no plans to add stablecoins to the app. Ualá serves more than 11 million users in Argentina, Mexico and Colombia, and Mexico is its main focus for the new money. See our largest Latin American startups guide.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the public sources below. Where sources disagreed, we used the company's own announcement or a primary news report. Private-company data changes; check the date beside each figure.
Frequently asked questions
What does Ualá do?
Ualá is a fintech / digital banking in latin america company headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was founded in 2017.
What is Ualá's valuation?
Ualá was valued at US$3.2 billion (post-money) as of March 2026, according to Retail Banker International (Yahoo Finance). Private company valuations are set at funding rounds or share sales and can change significantly between them.
How much revenue does Ualá make?
Ualá is a private company and has not publicly disclosed its revenue. Figures on third-party sites are usually modelled estimates rather than numbers reported by the company.
What was Ualá's latest funding round?
The most recent financing we have verified is a equity round in Mar 2026: US$195M, at a valuation of US$3.2B. Source: Retail Banker International (Yahoo Finance).
Who are Ualá's investors?
Investors named in public announcements include Allianz X, Tencent, Soros Fund Management, D1 Capital Partners, Stone Ridge, TABLE Holdings, SoftBank and Goldman Sachs.
Who founded Ualá?
Ualá was founded in 2017 by Pierpaolo Barbieri (CEO).
Is Ualá a public company?
No. Ualá is a private company (private, venture backed), so its shares are not traded on a stock exchange and it isn't required to publish its financial results.
Where is Ualá headquartered?
Ualá is headquartered in Buenos Aires, Argentina.