Kontigo

Kontigo is a San Francisco, California-based neobank providing USDC-smart financial services for Latinos in the US and Latin America. It offers a global wallet for instant, stable cross-border payments, a Bitcoin savings account, and features like peer-to-peer onramps, remittances, and credit building, with an AI-private banker on WhatsApp for wealth planning. The company operates with 10 employees and, shortly after launching its peer-to-peer onramp, secured $540k in deposits and attracted 10k active users, alongside a waitlist exceeding 300k. Investors include DST Global and Soma Capital, while founders Jesus Alberto Castillo Ferrer and Gino Guatavita bring prior experience from companies such as Venmo, Nubank, and Rappi. Kontigo was founded in 2023 by Jesus Alberto Castillo Ferrer and Gino Guatavita. Its business model centers on freemium neobank services with peer-to-peer onramps, transaction fees, credit products, and savings, already profitable with +2 year runway.

High-Level Overview

Kontigo is a USDC-smart neobank designed specifically for Latinos across the U.S. and Latin America, offering a global, instant, and stable banking experience through a single app. It provides a USDC global wallet combined with a Bitcoin (BTC) savings account, enabling users to execute international USDC transactions, build credit, and plan wealth accumulation without exposure to inflationary local currencies. Kontigo integrates an AI-powered private banker accessible via WhatsApp for daily financial needs, making cross-border payments seamless and cost-effective. The platform targets the financial fragmentation and currency instability prevalent in Latin America by leveraging stablecoins and Bitcoin to offer a reliable alternative to traditional banking[1][2][3].

Origin Story

Founded in 2023 in San Francisco by fintech and crypto veterans from Latin America, Kontigo’s founding team includes CEO Jesus Castillo, a three-time founder from Venezuela focused on financial inclusion, and CTO Gino Guatavita, with extensive fintech experience in Colombia, Mexico, and Ecuador. The idea emerged from firsthand experience with the financial exclusion and currency volatility affecting millions of Latinos. The founders converged in San Francisco, attracted by its diverse tech ecosystem, to build a solution that combines stablecoins and Bitcoin to address these challenges. Early traction includes backing from prominent investors such as DST Global, Soma Capital, and Y Combinator alumni, alongside a profitable business model and a runway exceeding two years[1][2][3].

Core Differentiators

• Product Differentiators: Combines USDC stablecoin for stability with Bitcoin as a store of value, offering a unique dual-asset wallet.
• Developer Experience: Employs advanced technologies like MPC (Multi-Party Computation) and zkTLS for secure, decentralized, peer-to-peer transactions.
• Speed and Pricing: Enables instant, no-fee cross-border payments in USDC, overcoming traditional remittance costs and delays.
• Ease of Use: Integrates an AI-driven private banker via WhatsApp, providing personalized financial assistance in a familiar communication channel.
• Community Ecosystem: Focused on Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America, addressing a large underserved market with tailored financial products like BTC retirement plans and USDC savings pools.
• Compliance and Security: Partners with Flagright for real-time AML and transaction monitoring to ensure regulatory compliance and user safety[1][4][6].

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Kontigo rides the wave of stablecoin adoption and decentralized finance (DeFi) innovation, targeting emerging markets where currency instability and financial exclusion are rampant. The timing is critical as Latin America faces persistent inflation and fragmented financial systems with multiple unstable currencies. By leveraging USDC and Bitcoin, Kontigo offers a stable, borderless financial infrastructure that aligns with global trends toward digital currencies and decentralized banking. Its approach not only facilitates remittances and savings but also introduces scalable credit solutions integrated with payments and wealth-building tools, potentially reshaping financial access for over a billion people in emerging markets[3][6].

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Kontigo aims to expand its fully on-chain peer-to-peer marketplace, eliminating intermediaries and enhancing global liquidity. The company plans to deepen its savings and credit products, including BTC-based long-term retirement plans and transparent USDC rotating savings pools. As stablecoins and crypto adoption grow, Kontigo is well-positioned to become a cornerstone for financial inclusion in Latin America and among Latinos in the U.S. Its influence may extend beyond banking, fostering a new ecosystem of decentralized financial services tailored to emerging market realities. The combination of stable currency access, AI-driven support, and blockchain security sets Kontigo on a trajectory to unlock universal wealth for its community[1][2][6].