BANKING & INSURANCE

Kapital Raises $165M to Empower Small Businesses and Expand Global Banking Reach

Our goal is to build a global bank to eventually connect everybody in the world.

By Donna Joseph
Dec 19, 2023 2:19 AM Updated December 19, 2023
Kapital Raises $165M to Empower Small Businesses and Expand Global Banking Reach Photo by SBR

Bank and technology platform Kapital has successfully secured an additional $40 million in Series B funding and $125 million in debt financing, with Tribe Capital leading the Series B round and support from investors such as Cervin Ventures, Tru Arrow, MS&AD Ventures, and Alumni Ventures.

This marks Kapital's second investment this year, following the $20 million Series A round in May, which also included $45 million in debt. Co-founded by Rene Saul and Fernando Sandoval in 2020, Kapital aims to provide small businesses with financial visibility using data and artificial intelligence, akin to what larger enterprises enjoy. This empowers customers to oversee and manage their business operations and cash flow in real time, with the added benefit of AI-driven underwriting for small business loans.

Saul emphasized the disparity in credit access for small businesses, noting that in Mexico, only 10.5% of such enterprises have access to total bank credit. Kapital seeks to address this issue by offering financial visibility to small businesses, a mission that has propelled its customer base to 80,000 small businesses in Mexico, Colombia, and Peru by 2023. In September, the company acquired Banco Autofin Mexico S.A., which already boasted 65,000 customers. Kapital, having achieved profitability, reported a remarkable sixfold increase in revenue over the past year.

With plans to allocate the new funding to research and development, as well as technology development, Kapital aims to enhance its cross-border offering and expand its product suite to provide valuable insights for customers. One key focus is accelerating the development of predictive analytics technology, enabling business customers to optimize margins by choosing different vendors.

Saul highlighted the broader capabilities now available, stating, “Now we have a bank, and we can create embedded finance options. We also control the payments and can connect to everything around customers seamlessly. Having operations in three different countries in Latin America also means our customers can move the money faster. Our goal is to build a global bank to eventually connect everybody in the world.”


What To Read Next

9/11, Ground Zero and the Disruption of the Business District

9/11, Ground Zero and the Disruption of the Business District

The Sept. 11 attacks disrupted Lower Manhattan, displaced businesses and workers, and produced economic losses that extended far beyond the World Trade Center site.
AI Cannot Solve the Marketing Data Problem Alone
Companies do not need more marketing metrics nearly as much as they need better context for understanding what those metrics actually mean.
When Financial Communications Work, Everyone Wins
For banks and credit unions, dependable document delivery protects customer trust and institutional reputation while helping institutions meet regulatory obligations and allowing account holders to receive financial communications in the format they prefer.

Business