Blanco accelerates its expansion in Latin America after a US$5,2 million round

Blanco Financiero announced the closing of a US$5,2 million seed round, funds it will use to accelerate its growth in Chile and expand into other Latin American markets, with a strategy centered on artificial intelligence to transform financing for small and medium-sized businesses.

Krealo leads the round alongside investors from Chile’s startup ecosystem

The round was led by Krealo, Credicorp’s startup investment arm. Before the corporate fund joined, Blanco ran a crowdfunding campaign through the Broota platform, in which 160 investors from Chile’s startup ecosystem participated.

Founded in 2024 by Cristóbal Contreras, Diego Contreras and Andrés Hortal, the fintech currently has 66 employees, generates US$8,4 million in annualized revenue, and manages a portfolio of more than US$33 billion.

Following the investment, Diego Contreras, cofounder of Xepelin, took on the role of CEO to lead the company’s evolution toward a fully AI-native model.

Artificial intelligence automates the financing process

The Blanco model aims to simplify access to factoring for SMEs through fully automated processes.

When a company issues an invoice, an artificial intelligence agent automatically analyzes it, assesses the risk, sets the price, and sends the customer a financing offer via WhatsApp. From that same conversation, the user can accept the offer or request changes, without human intervention.

The platform offers financing starting at US$200, with no maximum amount.

Technology sets it apart from traditional factoring

Blanco’s main competitive advantage lies in its platform’s technological architecture.

The solution connects directly to the Internal Revenue Service (SII) using the SME’s credentials, automatically detects newly issued invoices, and handles the entire customer onboarding, validation, risk analysis, pricing, and collections process without manual steps.

According to Diego Contreras, the company’s goal is to develop Latin America’s first AI-native digital bank for SMEs.

As part of this strategy, the roadmap includes adding new financial products, including leasing, installment loans, surety bonds, cards, and checking accounts.

Krealo will drive the fintech’s regional expansion

For Blanco, bringing Krealo on board represents much more than a capital investment. The partnership will give the company access to Credicorp’s financial ecosystem, facilitating its expansion into Peru and Colombia.

“We see this round as a strategic partnership to accelerate our expansion in Latin America. We are grateful and feel a deep sense of responsibility—and more conviction than ever—that you have trusted Blanco as a partner on this journey,” said Diego Contreras.

With the funds raised, the company plans to consolidate its growth in Chile and enter new Latin American markets, leveraging Credicorp’s regional presence to lower barriers to entry and accelerate its expansion.