Brazilian Lender Creditas Valued at $4.8B

Creditas, a Brazilian start-up specializing in insurance, consumer loans and used car sales, has raised $260 million in a funding round that valued the company at $4.8 billion.

As the Financial Times reported Tuesday (Jan. 25), this financing comes as investors continue to bet on the burgeoning FinTech sector in Latin America.

Read more: VC Funding, FinTech Unicorns Break Records in LatAm

“We want to continue growing fast,” said Creditas Founder and CEO Sergio Furio. “And that means that we need to invest in bringing in customers, so that over time, those customers generate the revenues in the recurring model we have.”

The new funding came a little more than a year after Creditas gained unicorn status following a $255 million funding round that valued the firm at $1.75 billion.

Founded 10 years ago, Creditas employs more than 4,000 workers and offers services in Brazil and Mexico. Its six funding rounds have yielded a total equity of $829 million. The company accepts three types of collateral — homes, vehicles and salaries — but instead of holding loans on its balance sheet, its credit portfolio is securitized and sold.

Furio declined to comment when asked if his company was planning to go public.

Learn more: Startups in Brazil Attract Capital Topping $9.4B in 2021, Doubling 2020

Last year saw Latin America receive record levels of venture capitalist funding, with $9.4 billion being funneled into companies in that region, more than double the amount from 2020. Nearly 75% of that money went to FinTech, eCommerce and PropTech companies. VCs backed 650 deals last year, with 16 FinTechs achieving unicorn status.