English
ARGENTINE FINTECH UALÁ EXPANDS INTO MEXICO: POWERED BY GALILEO

Argentine Fintech Ualá Expands into Mexico: Powered by Galileo

November 17, 2020

Galileo’s API suite facilitates bringing financial services to all

Galileo, the financial technology company that powers many of the world’s leading fintechs, announced today it is powering an important cross-border initiative for Ualá, the fintech that leads the revolution of personal finances in Latin America. Galileo has partnered with Ualá to enable the company’s expansion into Mexico.

Founded by Buenos Aires-native and Harvard graduate Pierpaolo Barbieri, Ualá is improving financial inclusion in Latin America and bringing financial services into the 21st century. Ualá’s feature product is an app and a debit card that enables users to transfer money, pay bills and shop anywhere in the world 100 percent digitally. Since its launch in 2017, Ualá has issued 2.5 million cards in Argentina, a number equivalent to almost 6 percent of the country’s population.

Ualá recently announced its launch into Mexico, marking the company’s first expansion outside Argentina. Ualá provides a mobile app, linked to a digital account, and an international debit card with no issue, renewal or maintenance costs. Available throughout Mexico, for anyone over 18, in iOS and Android, the Ualá card can be topped up through SPEI transfers or cash deposits in more than 14,000 stores nationwide and used to make purchases using contactless, chip and offline PIN technology. In addition, the Ualá account enables customers to safely and easily conduct transactions, such as transferring and receiving money, and withdrawing cash from ATMs.

Ualá’s expansion into Mexico was made possible through its partnership with Galileo, a global payment processing platform that powers world-leading fintechs by providing access to its world-class suite of APIs. Galileo is directly connected to Mastercard MX to support real-time authorization for Ualá transactions and provides backend processing services for Ualá.

“Ualá has received global recognition and investment from some of the world’s biggest investors for good reason,” said Galileo In-Country Manager for Mexico Tory Jackson. “The company has revolutionized financial services in Argentina, and Galileo is honored to help facilitate Ualá’s expansion into Mexico. With Galileo providing processing services, Ualá can focus on what it does best: innovative payments and creating a financially inclusive environment for all.”

“Making personal finances more innovative, more accessible and more inclusive in Latin America is our dream. Mexico is a huge step forward for our company, and as Ualá embarks on this new journey, we are privileged to have an established partner like Galileo providing the processing services and expertise we need to support this international growth,” said Andrea Arrebola, head of payments of Ualá.

June 18, 2025

Is SoFi’s Galileo the Future of Embedded Finance?

The embedded finance sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, projected to continue growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.8% through 2029. Leading the charge is Galileo, the B2B financial services arm of SoFi Technologies.

See More
June 16, 2025

Debit Rewards Surge as Consumers Shift Spending Preferences

Debit rewards programs, which were significantly reduced by as much as 50% immediately after the Durbin Amendment capped fees on debit card payments, are now seeing new life. This comeback is fueled by the continued rise of debit as a preferred spending method.

See More
June 16, 2025

Galileo Transforms SoFi Into the Backbone of Embedded Finance

Galileo, the B2B financial services arm of SoFi Technologies, Inc. SOFI, is emerging as a key engine of growth in the rapidly expanding embedded finance market. By offering seamless payment and lending integrations, Galileo enables financial and non-financial firms to embed banking capabilities directly into their platforms.

See More
June 10, 2025

Virtual Cards Are Gaining Ground. Here’s What Banks Must Do Next

This shift highlights growing comfort with digital-first payments. But while usage is climbing, many banks and financial institutions still struggle to explain why virtual cards matter and how consumers can benefit from them.

See More
June 3, 2025

One-Tap Payment Switch Gives Banks the Edge in Account Primacy

Prashant Shah, VP of product management at Galileo Financial Technologies, challenged the PYMNTS audience to remember a recent bill paying experience where updating a subscription meant having to chase down Netflix or Amazon — even the local power company — to log into each individual site to update payment details.

See More