Pomelo Raises $55 Million in Series C to Expand Latin American Payments and Launch Global Financial Products

Pomelo, the Argentina-born payments infrastructure fintech, has secured $55 million in a Series C funding round, marking one of the most significant fintech investments in Latin America so far in 2026. Co-led by Kaszek and Insight Partners, with participation from Index Ventures, Adams Street Partners, S32, Endeavor Catalyst, monashees and TQ Ventures, this financing brings Pomelo’s total capital raised to approximately $160 million since its founding in 2021.

The new capital will be used to strengthen Pomelo’s core payment infrastructure, enhance card issuing and credit processing capabilities, accelerate product innovation, and support expansion into global markets with products such as a stablecoin-native payment card and AI-powered solutions.

From Regional Payments Stack to Global Financial Infrastructure

Pomelo was established in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2021 by fintech veterans including Gastón Irigoyen, Hernán Corral and Juan Fantoni — leaders with experience at Mastercard, Mercado Pago and other major financial technology firms. The company builds API-first, cloud-native systems that enable banks, fintechs, corporate clients and global payment providers to issue, process and manage debit, credit and prepaid card programs with a single technological integration.

Today, Pomelo operates across Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru, serving more than 150 corporate clients — including major banks like BBVA, Santander and Bancolombia, as well as fintech and tech companies such as Rappi, Binance, AstroPay, Stori, PayJoy and DollarApp. This broad customer base reflects Pomelo’s growing importance as a core financial infrastructure partner in the region.

Why the Series C Matters

Series C rounds of this scale are rare in Latin America’s fintech ecosystem, especially for a home-grown infrastructure startup. The fresh capital signals renewed investor confidence in the region’s digital payments opportunity — even as venture capital activity more broadly has softened.

Nicolás Szekasy, co-founder and Managing Partner at Kaszek, commented that Pomelo had “built infrastructure real to scale regionally” and that its execution and technology stack justified the renewed backing. Meanwhile, Deven Parekh, Managing Director at Insight Partners, highlighted Pomelo’s demonstrated traction with enterprise customers and its potential to play a central role in shaping Latin America’s payment ecosystem.

The investment comes after a pause in larger funding deals across the region, which saw a slowdown in startup investments in 2025. Pomelo’s round — among the first large fintech financings of 2026 — may help signal a broader re-acceleration of venture capital flows into Latin America’s growth segments, particularly digital payments and financial infrastructure.

Product Roadmap: Stablecoins, Payment Rails and AI Tools

Pomelo’s Series C funding is earmarked for both scaling core business functions and building new product lines that go beyond traditional payment processing:

1. Enhanced Issuance and Card Capabilities

Pomelo will continue strengthening its card issuing and processing solutions — including support for debit, credit and prepaid programs — to meet rising demand from clients across sectors.

2. Stablecoin-Native Global Card

One of the most ambitious projects in Pomelo’s roadmap is a global payment card denominated in stablecoins — digital assets pegged to fiat currencies like the US dollar. This product aims to facilitate borderless payments and settlements, especially for customers operating across Latin America, the Caribbean and potentially beyond.

Stablecoin payment products reflect growing interest in digital dollar-pegged assets as viable tools for cross-border commerce, remittances and global spending without some of the traditional costs and delays associated with legacy systems. This move positions Pomelo at the intersection of both traditional payments and emerging digital asset rails.

3. Payment Tokenisation and Modern Rails

Pomelo plans to expand its portfolio with payment tokenisation services, which can enhance security and interoperability for digital transactions. In tokenised systems, sensitive account data is replaced with encrypted identifiers that reduce fraud risk and improve processing efficiency.

4. AI-Powered Chargeback and Dispute Management

Another innovative use of the new capital will be directed toward AI-driven chargeback handling and dispute resolution tools, enabling merchants and processors to handle contested transactions more efficiently and accurately through automation.

Strategic Expansion: Beyond Latin America

While Latin America remains Pomelo’s core base, the company’s roadmap includes expansion into global markets:

• Cross-border payment systems that leverage real-time settlement rails.
• Stablecoin-linked products that appeal to both emerging-market users and global customers seeking reduced friction in international spending.
• Partnerships with global fintechs and banks to bring Pomelo’s infrastructure to new regions.

The stablecoin card and other globally oriented products indicate that Pomelo is positioning itself not just as a regional infrastructure provider but as a potential global payment platform capable of serving markets in North America, Europe and Asia in future phases.

Industry Impact: Reinforcing Fintech Infrastructure in the Region

Pomelo’s traction highlights a larger trend in Latin America’s fintech landscape: the shift toward infrastructure-as-a-service — where companies build the backend systems that other fintechs, banks and enterprises use to launch their own digital financial products. This stands in contrast to the earlier era of “front-end” consumer fintech apps, showing a maturing market where developers and enterprises seek scalable, compliant, and flexible platforms.

Increased funding into companies like Pomelo supports the growth of more advanced ecosystems, enabling startups and incumbents alike to innovate without building costly infrastructure themselves. This dynamic mirrors the growth seen in other regions where API-based fintech infrastructure providers have become central to digital banking, card issuing, payments and wallet services.

Challenges and Market Considerations

Despite the optimistic outlook, Pomelo will face several challenges:

• Regulatory Compliance Across Borders: Expanding internationally requires navigating complex regulatory frameworks in multiple jurisdictions — a resource- and time-intensive endeavor.
• Competition from Global Players: As fintech infrastructure becomes strategically important, global incumbents and well-funded startups may compete for the same clients and markets.
• Adoption of Stablecoins: Regulatory clarity around stablecoins varies widely by region, and widespread adoption depends on evolving legal frameworks and consumer trust.

However, Pomelo’s strong investor base, diverse client portfolio and proven execution give it a solid foundation for addressing these challenges.

Conclusion: A Fintech Powerhouse in the Making

Pomelo’s $55 million Series C round signals a new chapter for the Argentine fintech, highlighting both strong investor confidence in Latin America’s payments infrastructure and a strategic pivot toward innovative global products that combine traditional payments with digital asset and AI-driven features.

As the company works to expand beyond regional card issuing into stablecoin-enabled payment solutions and modern rails, Pomelo could play a major role in shaping the future of digital finance — not only in Latin America but on the global stage.

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