Fabio Iunis de Paula

MercadoLibre, Latin America’s largest company by market cap, reported strong revenue growth in Q2, but missed profit estimates as strategic shifts in Brazil weighed on margins. 🟡 Net revenue rose 34% year-over-year to $6.8B, exceeding the $6.7B consensus. 🟡 Gross merchandise volume increased 37% on a currency-neutral basis. 🟡 Net income declined 1.5% YoY to $523M, falling short of the $596M forecast (LSEG). 🟡 Shares declined ~4% in after-hours trading. The margin impact appears to be related to recent changes in Brazil, where MercadoLibre lowered the free shipping threshold in June and cut shipping costs for sellers in May — a clear response to intensifying competition in the region’s e-commerce sector. While the company continues to scale across its core markets and expand its fintech arm, Mercado Pago, the focus now shifts to how effectively it can manage profitability while defending market share. #MercadoLibre #Ecommerce #LatinAmerica #Fintech #Q2Results #TechEarnings #Logistics #Brazil #GrowthVsMargins https://lnkd.in/d5PHGx7y

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This year's FEBRABAN (Federation of Banks in Brazil) tech conference leaves no doubt that #Brazil is a massive and boiling hot cutting-edge innovation hub for #FinTech, #DeFi, #DigitalAssets and related AI-powered tools in strong collaboration with Banco Central do Brasil (the Central Bank of Brazil) - everything in parallel with domestic #regulatory frameworks catching up rapidly for test and deployment. Live video transmission likewise available via link here in the comments

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Brazilian reforestation firm MOMBAK has secured $30 million in a funding round led by venture capital firm Union Square Ventures. https://lnkd.in/eP_4mG6M #ClimateTech #investing #technology

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Capital Networks Are Like Zip Codes (If you are a latam founder raising in the US, please read this). I often explain to our founders that access to capital networks works like zip codes, and your zip code defines your capital neighborhood. If your zip code is just one country, say Colombia, your capital network consists mostly of local investors or international funds that have an appetite for secondary markets in LatAm. You’re essentially operating in a local ecosystem, and raising capital within those boundaries. Now, if your zip code expands, say you’re gaining traction in both Mexico and Colombia, you’re playing in a primary and secondary market in LatAm. That broader footprint gives you access to regional capital, from both local and international players who are betting on the LatAm region, not just one country. But here’s where many founders get it wrong: If you’re a LatAm startup planning to operate in the US, but you don’t yet have traction in the US, that doesn’t make you a US startup. You’re still considered a LatAm company, one without validation in the US market. Being Latino doesn’t automatically give you access to the Latino capital networks in the US. You have to earn that zip code. Until then, you’re often seen by US investors as a LatAm startup without product-market fit in the US, which can limit your fundraising potential.

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Fu2re Smart Solutions, a Brazilian AI startup, has raised $2.2 million to expand its commercial operations and enter new markets. The funding round was led by Copel Ventures, managed by Vox Capital, and Indicator Capital, contributing $1.3 million and $908k respectively. Fu2re's technology, which includes a no-code platform and pre-trained models, is used in the energy sector for tasks like automated meter readings and fraud detection. Andre Sih, Founder of Fu2re, said their solutions deliver productivity gains and cost reductions for major companies. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ezTwaddF 📰 Subscribe to the weekly AI Funding News Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/enH99b34 #ai #artificialintelligence #ainews #aifunding

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I read today the EXAME article below shared by the great Paulo Passoni from Valor Capital Group. It discusses a McKinsey & Company study highlighting how Brazil could redefine the global financial standard with Pix and Drex. It’s a great read, and it made me think. Brazil is about to give the world an even bigger lesson. And maybe it won’t come from Pix or Drex, but from our simplest, most human, and most Brazilian model: the consórcio. A system that, for decades, has enabled millions of people to achieve their goals in an organized, accessible, and interest-free manner. The same model that most countries still don’t understand, but that quietly changes lives every single day. This is the model we’re now taking to the world with savings.club. And at the speed we’re growing, there will come a time when even Pix’s impressive numbers will look small next to the revolution we’re building. Imagine giving a family the chance to finance a $400,000 home by paying $1,500 a month. Or a $30,000 car for $300. Even if their credit is low, or if they have no access to credit at all. Pix showed the world the power of digital inclusion. Now the consórcio will show the power of financial inclusion. And this, my friends, is only the beginning. With that, I hand it over to everyone who’s been supporting us on this journey: Adriano Marques, Valeska Martins, Fernando Lamounier, Paulo Veloso, Pierre Schurmann, Luís Otávio Matias, Elcio Gomes, Felipe Buniac, Victor Yudi, Leonardo Batistella, Lucas Weber Chaise, Diego Carmona, Eduardo Porath, Giovanni Rotta.

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