Emerging Fintech

About Emerging Fintech

A podcast covering frontier fintech and emerging markets. The name is deliberate. We write and talk about both kinds of "emerging": the categories shaping the next decade of financial services and the markets where the impact lands hardest — Latin America primarily. www.emergingfintech.co (https://www.emergingfintech.co?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Tony Cueva Bravo

Category

business · business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Apr 2025

Latest episode

21 Jul 2025

Latest episodes

3 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   21 Jul 2025

   A founder's guide to radical transparency: Why Noh shares everything with employees and customers | Ana Zucato (CEO & Co-founder, Noh, ex-Truora, ex-Guiabolso)

   Ana Zucato is the co-founder and CEO of Noh, Brazil's first social fintech built specifically for couples and families. Ana has raised over $3 million in seed funding - one of the largest pre-seed rounds for a female-led company in Latin America - and Noh has already processed over $60 million in transactions with 400,000 app downloads. Before founding Noh, Ana built her career in Brazil's early fintech ecosystem, working at Guiabolso (one of Brazil's open banking pioneers) where she helped grow the platform to 6 million users, followed by roles at Intuit and as country manager for Colombian company Truora's Brazil expansion. Ana discovered the idea for Noh through personal experience - realizing there was no good way for couples to manage money together in Brazil, where joint accounts were still designed with women as "second-class citizens." In this episode, we discuss how Ana identified and validated this overlooked market, the unique challenges of building a "multiplayer" financial product, and her vision for transforming how Brazilian families manage their entire financial lives. In this conversation, you'll learn: 1. How Ana discovered that joint accounts in Brazil were designed for "one person plus a second person" - historically women who weren't allowed their own bank accounts 2. The manual validation process of funding 50 couples' spending with her own money while embedding in their WhatsApp groups 3. Why Ana calls Noh a "social fintech" and how it mirrors the way Latin Americans actually live their interconnected lives 4. How Brazil's PIX instant payment system and payment initiation through open banking became the foundation for Noh's multiplayer banking experience 5. The clever marketing strategy behind becoming Brazil's first white debit card to spark curiosity and word-of-mouth growth 6. Ana's radical transparency approach where all employees know everyone's salaries, read the company P&L, and participate in every major decision 7. How content creation and a reality show featuring real couples helped Noh go viral on social media 8. Why the average Brazilian household has seven different bank accounts and Ana's vision to consolidate everything into "one Noh" 9. The evolution from couples banking to becoming the financial operating system for entire Brazilian families including kids and elderly parents 10. Ana's philosophy that AI should maximize your money's value rather than replicate your (financially "stupid") brain 11. How Ana's fundraising experience differed from expectations and her advice for fintech entrepreneurs pitching in today's market 12. The importance of separating "signal from noise" when building something truly new and why Ana stopped reading business books 13. Her backup career plans: becoming Brazil's president or running a neighborhood hair salon - both with the same commitment to transparency Where to find Ana Zucato • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anazucato/ • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azucato/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anadanoh Where to find Noh: • Website: https://www.noh.com.br/ • TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fazumnoh • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fazumnoh Where to find Tony Cueva Bravo: • Newsletter: https://emergingfintech.co • X: https://x.com/tonycueva • LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tonycueva In this episode, we cover: (00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY)) Episode Highlights (02:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=123s)) Welcome to Emerging Fintech and Ana's Introduction (04:39 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=279s)) Ana's Journey in Fintech - From E-commerce to Guiabolso (06:46 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=406s)) Key Lessons from Guiabolso and Intuit (07:48 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=468s)) Learning Transparency at Truora - Building Philosophy (10:17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=617s)) Discovering the Problem - Personal Aha Moment with Joint Accounts (13:34 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=814s)) The Concept of Social Fintech - Beyond Individual Banking (16:15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=975s)) Cultural Dynamics - Banking for Relationships, Not Just Money (17:37 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1057s)) Leveraging Open Banking and PIX for Innovation (20:15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1215s)) Expanding Beyond Accounts - Investment and Financial Stack (22:13 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1333s)) User Acquisition Strategy - The White Card and Word-of-Mouth (27:17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1637s)) Social Media Strategy - Authenticity and Reality Shows (30:03 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1803s)) Vision for Multiplayer Banking - The Future of Household Finance (30:23 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1823s)) Vision for the Future of Noh (32:14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=1934s)) Five-Year Vision - Organizing Brazilian Family Finances (34:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=2051s)) Fundraising Experience - $3M Seed Round Success (36:47 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=2207s)) Fundraising Advice - Industry Fit and Hair-on-Fire Problems (39:32 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=2372s)) Building the Right Team - MVT (Minimum Viable Team) (41:26 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=2486s)) Core Values in Practice - Proposals and Customer Focus (44:15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=2655s)) Radical Transparency - Open Numbers and Company Culture (48:33 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=2913s)) Scaling Transparency - Maintaining Culture as You Grow (50:35 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=3035s)) Leadership Challenges - Learning to Delegate and Ask for Help (52:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=3131s)) Best Career Advice - Separating Signal from Noise (55:17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=3317s)) AI and the Future of Fintech - Automation vs. Human Touch (01:00:34 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=3634s)) Final Question - Alternative Paths if not building Noh (01:02:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UNUXqpqebY&t=3750s)) Closing Thoughts and Thank You

2. 

   5 Jun 2025

   Pioneering open banking in Brazil and building financial infrastructure for 5M Brazilian SMBs | Benjamin Gleason (Co-founder Kamino, ex-GuiaBolso)

   Kamino Co-founder Benjamin Gleason discusses pioneering open banking in Brazil and building financial infrastructure for SMBs with Tony Cueva Bravo, highlighting opportunities and challenges in emerging markets in this interview.

3. 

   28 Apr 2025

   Building Pagaleve: How Brazil's BNPL Leader Reached R$1B Volume & Profitability at 8x YoY Growth | Henrique Weaver (CEO & co-founder, ex-Uber, ex-OYO)

   Henrique Weaver is the co-founder and CEO of Pagaleve, a Brazilian fintech pioneering buy now, pay later services via Brazil's instant payment system PIX. Before founding Pagaleve, Henrique held leadership positions at global companies including Uber, OYO, and McKinsey. He recently led Pagaleve to reach over 1 billion reais in payment volume and achieve positive EBITDA while growing 8x year-over-year. In this episode, we discuss how Pagaleve is revolutionizing credit access in Brazil, the impact of payment innovation on financial inclusion, and the future of fintech in emerging markets. In this conversation, you'll learn: 1. How Pagaleve serves three underserved customer groups: people without credit cards, those with insufficient credit limits, and consumers who prefer alternative payment methods 2. Why Pagaleve's purchasing process is faster and simpler than using a credit card online 3. How PIX, Brazil's instant payment system, has created new opportunities for fintech innovation 4. The cultural lessons Henrique brought from Uber's "big bold bets" philosophy to Pagaleve 5. How Pagaleve's AI-driven credit engine analyzes 100+ variables in real-time to achieve 70% approval rates with delinquency below 2% 6. The three key traits Henrique looks for when hiring: high energy levels, interpersonal skills, and strong analytical capabilities 7. How Pagaleve is testing physical retail with 2,000 locations while maintaining focus on e-commerce 8. The strategy behind securing a $25M Series A led by Salesforce Ventures (their first investment in Latin America) 9. How Pagaleve achieved positive EBITDA while maintaining 8x year-over-year growth 10. Practical advice for entrepreneurs building fintech solutions in emerging markets — Where to find Henrique Weaver: • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/henriqueweaver/ (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0RTUFYtMVJrSXloV1VnZjZOdzBDNzNpdnhoZ3xBQ3Jtc0ttUzcxTDFHLXBmWi03eVNfZnA3eTd6dDdlQ093NUVHTmN2ZjJGWmdkZ1ZmcS1YcmZseU5vaDV4Y0JUcmRNaHYxS1FJajlOS2prMTlQZEZxa0NlQ0wxZG9DbmtFU2ZwMzBibkF5Sl9rYUhleDhDdE1yRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fhenriqueweaver%2F&v=GtzCDeu_FHs) — Where to find Pagaleve: • Website: https://www.pagaleve.com.br (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWQ4WlZWalZFdDVHdmgzZE9fZzdaSFFTUWd2Z3xBQ3Jtc0trX1E5NHBGd2dWQmJtM19Bb2FhN3V2VzJseTlmT2pfMThvUVRmblZDNUl3MUpMdnZveXhXZDByaUV1YUw1dmg1WGZzc25CNy1RNHRYcFBLb0lwYUpwMHFHNlFwczNiajJMNm9VRGhpMG5hd1pUVU1wcw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pagaleve.com.br%2F&v=GtzCDeu_FHs) • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pagaleve/ — Where to find Tony Cueva Bravo: • Newsletter: https://emergingfintech.co (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0xtWkhXbndYRnY0WXl5SHJ2WnBld1BPcnRHZ3xBQ3Jtc0tscUN1RXJtWHZXQnFhdGxMdm5iZzVCelZnbEE4Z2NHRzVZZ2JLUjk2UV96V182bzlSamp3NFhWR3RNUGxPYWdveFNORHctY01pWTlyazk0YUVQRXNQdTRmbUE1M3FrZWc0NDNFM1RlWEJ0X0JKTEFrNA&q=https%3A%2F%2Femergingfintech.co%2F&v=GtzCDeu_FHs) • X: https://www.x.com/tonycueva (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbm5nTF9ZM25vTVhWNUkzSENVaVJqYU43YVQyd3xBQ3Jtc0tudDI4aDlVMXJHVE9RLWpLS3RuN3lJOEs1cUktY3JfRlJ5bVdsejljWHhlYXB6MnVTdDlLbHRVU2lpaHVsZzJ3QVQ2RnJqTVJVQkprU0QxajRQdTVXQmJsNTN2czJWd29sLVkzNzg4WGEwZFctb0cwaw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.x.com%2Ftonycueva&v=GtzCDeu_FHs) • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonycueva/ — In this episode, we cover: (00:00) Introduction to Emerging Fintech (03:23) Henrique Weaver's Journey to Fintech Entrepreneurship (07:05) Lessons from Uber and OYO: Building a Strong Foundation (11:35) Understanding Brazil's Unique Payment Culture and Initial Hypothesis about Pagaleve (15:05) Validating the Pagaleve Hypothesis: Research and Insights (16:47) Building a Diverse and Talented Founding Team in Pagaleve (19:23) Cultural Values at Pagaleve: The Foundation of Success (21:19) The Initial Pitch of Pagaleve: Convincing Investors and Employees (24:27) Differentiating Pagaleve: Competitive Advantages in the Market (26:34) Pagaleve's Innovative Risk Assessment: Understanding Consumer Behavior (32:19) Leveraging AI: Enhancing Pagaleve's Decision-Making Process (33:54) Securing Investment: Pagaleve's Series A Journey (36:21) Understanding Pagaleve's Product-Market Fit (37:23) Evolving Pagaleve's Product Strategy Through Feedback (38:32) Pagaleve's Innovative Features and Their Impact (41:22) Pagaleve's Scaling Success: From 30 to 7,000 Merchants (43:01) Pagaleve's Customer Stories and Competitive Edge (44:09) Pagaleve's Inflection Points in Growth (45:11) Pagaleve's Challenges of Expanding to Physical Stores (49:46) Navigating Crisis as a Leader (52:36) The Buy Now Pay Later Landscape (53:57) Remarkable Growth and Future Expectations (56:03) Vision for the Future of Pagaleve (57:00) Challenges in Execution and Prioritization (58:13) Potential for Expansion Beyond Brazil (59:31) Predictions for Financial Services in Emerging Markets (01:00:21) Best Piece of Advice Received (01:01:33) Advice on Hiring A Players for Your Startup (01:03:49) Rapid-Fire Questions and Personal Insights (01:07:49) Closing Thoughts and Reflections — Get full access to Emerging Fintech at www.emergingfintech.co/subscribe

Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

42

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0