Kontigo Launches: A USDC-Smart Neobank for Latinos

By
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February 9, 2026

Kontigo recently launched!

Launch YC: Kontigo - A USDC-smart neobank for Latinos
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"Your global credit and debit account in dollars."
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TL;DR; Kontigo is connecting all Latinos across the U.S. and Latin America through a single banking app that is global, instant, and stable.‍‍‍‍‍‍

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‍Founded by Jesus Alberto Castillo Ferrer & Gino Guatavita

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The real problem:

  • The fundamental problem behind high fees, underbanked users, and failed currencies, both in Latam and the US, is precisely the same: the lack of a stable currency with global access and minimum government interference.

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The consequence of the problem:

  • The U.S. is home to 65 million Latinos, representing the fastest-growing population in the country; despite this, 35% of them are underbanked.
  • Each year, Latinos in the U.S. send over $170 billion to Latin America, often incurring fees as high as 20%.
  • Once the money reaches Latam, recipients may incur additional fees of up to 10% to convert and cash out.
  • In contrast, Latin America has a population of 700 million, with 20% of households relying on remittances for income and 75% of the population being underbanked.
  • Latin America's financial fragmentation worsens the problem, with 33 countries using 39 different currencies. Over time, all of these currencies have failed due to devaluation, inflation, and poor monetary policies.

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Kontigo offers a USDC global wallet with a BTC savings account.

  • Like Venmo, but on USDC.
  • Like Zelle, but for cross-border payments. No limits.
  • Like Nubank & Revolut, but without inflationary currencies. Bitcoin-backed.

Made for real-life use cases—no crypto BS.

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Image Credits: Kontigo

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User wallets are connected to an AI-private banker on WhatsApp for their daily needs.

  • Execute international USDC transactions.
  • Build-Credit. Build Wealth.
  • Plan your BTC retirement.

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Image Credits: Kontigo

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They have brought together a “founder mode” dream team!

  • +10 years building in fintech.
  • CEO prev built the largest micro-lending app in Venezuela.
  • CTO prev built and scaled 2 fintech companies in Colombia, Mexico and Ecuador.
  • CPO prev built A WhatsApp co-pilot for business owners. Ex-Platzi and HolaCasa. (YC companies).
  • COO prev built an LLM marketplace for Latam using micro-payments instead of subscriptions.
  • Head of design prev was founding team at Rappi, Grability, Imaginamos and Yuno.
  • Head of branding prev built an ultra-premium hand-crafted agave spirit brand.
  • Head of Web3 prev built an on-chain grocery delivery app for Colombia.
  • Head of engineering prev was tech lead at Venmo app development. (+Built a B2B payment startup in Mex).
  • Head of Content prev developed Ualá and Mercado Libre marketing strategy.

Kontigo is:

  • Already backed by DST Global, Soma Capital, Pioneer Fund, Transpose, HF0, Founders, Inc. Orange DAO, Optimism. +10 YC Alum.
  • Profitable.
  • +2 year runway.

They are going to be successful because they have done it before. This time, they are aiming for the moonshot. Help them unlock universal wealth!

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Stable Currency, Global Access.

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Learn More

🌐 Visit www.kontigo.lat to learn more.
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🔄 Have a Latino friend? Share the app with friends who need it.
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🤝 Do you know any business, startup, or company that makes cross-border payments or needs a product like theirs? Connect them!
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👣 Follow Kontigo on
LinkedIn & X

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