The Good Tech Companies - Dmytro Rukin on how fintech is shaping the next wave of startups in Brazil

Episode Date: April 7, 2026

This story was originally published on HackerNoon at: https://hackernoon.com/dmytro-rukin-on-how-fintech-is-shaping-the-next-wave-of-startups-in-brazil. Brazil is one of the few markets where financial infrastructure has reached a level of maturity that directly accelerates startup growth Check more stories related to finance at: https://hackernoon.com/c/finance. You can also check exclusive content about #fintech, #web3, #lafinteca, #ceo-insights-fintech, #good-company, #fintech-for-startups-in-brazil, #la-finteca-brazil-startups, #startup-insights, and more. This story was written by: @lafinteca. Learn more about this writer by checking @lafinteca's about page, and for more stories, please visit hackernoon.com.

This audio is presented by Hacker Noon, where anyone can learn anything about any technology. Dimitro Rukin on how fintech is shaping the next wave of startups in Brazil. By La Fintecha, in Brazil, startups are no longer built around financial limitations. They are built on top of a strong financial infrastructure. What differentiates Brazil is not just market size, but the depth and maturity of its financial infrastructure, now robust enough to support rapid, large-scale innovation. The numbers reflect this shift. Brazil has over 160 million internet users and more than 220 million active smartphones,

creating one of the largest digital consumer bases in the world. In parallel, the country's fintech sector has grown to 1,400 plus companies, while venture capital investment consistently positions Brazil as the top destination in Latin America, often capturing 40 to 50% of total regional funding in recent years. At the center of this transformation as PICS, The Instant Payment System launched E'd be the Central Bank in 2020. Its adoption has been unprecedented, over 160 million users and more than 4 billion transactions per month as of 2025.

PICS now accounts for a significant share of all electronic payments in Brazil, surpassing traditional methods in frequency. For startups, this means operating in a market where instant, low-cost payments are already embedded in daily behavior. This level of infrastructure fundamentally changes how businesses are designed. In many Latin American markets, startups still need to navigate fragmented payment ecosystems, combining card processors, cash-based methods, and local bank transfers with varying levels of reliability. In Brazil, however, solutions like PICS and a more integrated financial system

allow startups to build directly owned top of widely adopted infrastructure from day one. The result is faster go-to-market, lower operational complexity, and the ability to focus on product differentiation rather than financial plumbing. Greater than Brazil is one of the few markets where financial infrastructure has reached a greater than level of maturity that directly accelerates startup growth, says Dimitro, Rukin, CEO of La Fintecha. When payments, identity, and banking systems are greater than already digitized and widely adopted, companies can scale in months instead of greater than years. This environment is also enabling new business models. In Brazil, embedded finance is moving beyond early adoption into a growth layer. The market is projected to reach over $18 billion by 2030, with consistent growth

driven bypayments, lending, and platform-based financial services. Infrastructure providers like LaFintecca play a strategic role in this shift by connecting startups to local payment methods and financial systems, not only in Brazil but across Latin America. As more companies expand regionally, the ability to replicate performance and user experience across different markets becomes a key growth factor. Looking forward, Brazil's trajectory suggests that fintech will continue to shape how startups emerge and scale. With continued regulatory support, widespread digital adoption, and constant innovation in financial services, the country is setting the foundation for a more integrated and scalable startup ecosystem. In this context, the next wave of startups in

Brazil will be defined not just by digital first models, but by how effectively they leverage financial infrastructure as a core component of their growth strategy. Between now and 2030, as instant payments, open finance, and embedded financial services continue to expand, infrastructure will increasingly determine which companions are able to scale and which are not. Thank you for listening to this Hackernoon story, read by artificial intelligence. Visit hackernoon.com to read, write, learn and publish.