Pomelo, an Argentine fintech focused on payments infrastructure, just closed a $55 million Series C round led by Kaszek and Insight Partners, with support from Index Ventures, Adams Street Partners, S32, Endeavor Catalyst, Monashees and TQ Ventures. This is a notable step for a company that has now raised about $160 million since its 2021 founding and serves more than 150 clients across banks, fintechs and large enterprises in Latin America.

That simple fact tells you something important: investors still see opportunity in Latin America’s financial infrastructure layer, even in a period when venture capital activity has softened in the region. The commitment from well-known global firms suggests confidence in both Pomelo’s execution and the broader shift toward modern payment systems across diverse markets with complex regulatory environments.

Building Beyond Cards

Pomelo’s roots are in card issuing and processing, helping partners launch and manage credit, debit and prepaid programmes by tying into Visa and Mastercard rails with a cloud-native, API-first platform. Over time, that architecture has allowed the company to handle significant volume and to tailor solutions to the quirks of different countries in the region, from Mexico to Brazil and beyond.

This new funding round isn’t just about scaling existing capability. Pomelo has outlined a clear agenda to expand into globally scalable products and new payment rails. That includes things like:

• Stablecoin-native global cards that could let users transact with cryptocurrencies that are pegged to traditional money.
  
  
• AI-driven chargeback management and tokenisation services.
  
  
• New business units tackling modern payments beyond the traditional card model.

Those are ambitious moves. But they aren’t just shiny new features. They reflect real demand from clients seeking deeper, more flexible infrastructure as competition for embedded finance and cross-border services heats up.

What This Means for the Region

Latin America’s payments landscape has long been marked by fragmentation. Each market has its own rules, legacy systems and local players. That makes scalable infrastructure hard to build, and expensive to maintain. So when a company like Pomelo attracts capital at this stage, it signals to founders and investors that infrastructure layers are now seen as investable and essential, not niche or too complex.

For banks and fintechs in the region, that matters. Better infrastructure means shorter time to launch products, fewer compliance headaches and a more consistent experience for end customers. Over time, that lowers costs and opens the door for innovations that were previously too costly to pursue.

There is also a broader signal here: global investors are prepared to back Latin American fintech companies that build deep tech, not just consumer apps. That is a shift worth noting for founders plotting their next roadmap.

Closing Thought

Pomelo’s Series C round is not just a financing milestone. It reflects evolving investor priorities and a maturing ecosystem in Latin America where infrastructure companies are now central to the next wave of digital financial services.

Key takeaways for fintech startups

Before wrapping up, here are a few concrete lessons founders can take from this round:

• Series C rounds in LatAm infrastructure startups show deep investor confidence in long-term fintech plays.
  
  
• Building scalable, API-first platforms helps win high-growth enterprise clients.
  
  
• Expanding into global products like stablecoin cards can differentiate offerings beyond local markets.
  
  
• Modern payments infrastructure remains a strategic backbone for banks and fintechs alike.

If you are thinking about the next step for your fintech startup, understanding where capital is flowing can offer useful context for your product and fundraising strategy. Your Fintech Story helps founders turn that context into a clear growth plan. Contact us.