With experience gained from working for companies such as IBM, Cielo and Worldpay, Lavezzo arrives from the Canadian company Nuvei with the mission of taking Z.ro Bank's core banking to other Latin American countries, integrating it with local financial solutions.
As CEO of Z.ro International, executive Rafael Lavezzo will take the techfin’s banking core to a digital market that by 2026 is expected to represent US$ 1 trillion in Latin America, integrating it with local financial solutions.
This will allow clients in markets such as Chile, Argentina, and Peru to access the same standard of service quality that the company offers in Brazil.
Internationalization will give Z.ro Bank access to a growing digital market in Latin America, which reached USD 500 billion in 2024 and is projected to hit US$ 1 trillion by 2026, according to Lavezzo. For the techfin, which recorded R$ 101 million (US$ 17m) in revenue last year, a new growth avenue is opening.
With its entry into Chile, Argentina, and Peru—the first three markets that Z.ro Bank will explore—the company estimates a 50% revenue increase by the end of 2026, the first full year of its international operations.
While operations in Brazil will continue to be led by Edísio Pereira Neto, this move comes at a time when Z.ro Bank keeps gaining market share domestically but sees the importance of expanding into complementary markets abroad.
“Internationalization will allow clients to experience the same standard of service quality that Z.ro Bank offers in the Brazilian market, with the ability to create customized payment journeys tailored to the needs of each company. After a long search, we’re confident Rafael is the right leader who will bring all his experience to accelerate Z.ro’s journey around the world,” says Edísio.
“Many opportunities are opening up for us. Our Brazilian clients, who are already loyal to the brand, will follow Z.ro Bank into the other markets where it operates. Moreover, we may attract foreign clients interested in Brazil who currently lack a one-stop-shop solution,” explains Lavezzo.
In addition to offering the best payment experience with its bank-as-a-service model, Z.ro Bank—born as a multi-currency institution—offers a wide range of native foreign exchange and crypto solutions that provide convenience, agility, and cost savings for international clients.
Currency needs, which were once addressed through third-party partners in a bureaucratic and inefficient manner, can now be handled directly within Z.ro Bank—and its crypto solution enables instant, frictionless fund transfers between countries.
Another key differentiator compared to other payment solution providers is the possibility of monetizing received funds. Clients will have access to a range of investment products tailored to different profiles and liquidity needs. In doing so, they’ll find, in a single place, customized payment solutions, foreign exchange, crypto, and financial products. “We want to be not just the payment processor, but the bank of these companies in Latin America,” summarizes Lavezzo.
Also noteworthy is Z.ro Bank’s expertise in handling high-risk transactions, which require greater control and are characteristic of hyperscale markets such as iGaming and crypto trading.
The techfin provides all necessary security layers to process these operations solidly and reliably, thanks to the maturity gained from serving over 20 companies in the betting segment in full compliance with Brazilian law.
Z.ro Bank is a fintech born in Porto Digital in Recife and accelerated by Endeavor, Itaú, and the IDB. It operates as a payment institution authorized by the Central Bank and has processed over R$ 45 billion (US$7.7bn) in transactions in the past two years.
It is recognized in the market as a Pix specialist and, during several months of 2023, processed over 5% of all Pix transactions from individuals to companies in Brazil. It was also recognized and awarded by Exame magazine as the third fastest-growing company in Net Revenue in the country.
Recently, it launched the first “developer-first” bank, with fully open APIs, allowing large companies to plug in and shape interfaces their own way, customizing workflows, dashboards, and reports to enhance the efficiency of their financial management.
Source: GMB
