Today, we celebrate a major milestone: 25 years of Latinia. A quarter-century filled with learnings, challenges, successes, and, most importantly, constant and transformative innovation. This is the story of how we started as a small startup with big dreams and became a benchmark in the banking software industry.
The Early Years: A Vision in the “Digital Wild West”
It was the year 2000 when a group of visionaries came together in Barcelona, Spain, with a shared goal: to create something “on and with the Internet.” These were the days of the “Digital Wild West,” a time with no clear rules regarding the Internet but an ocean of possibilities.
In a landscape where everything was yet to be built, creativity and perseverance became the pillars that defined Latinia’s early steps. From the very beginning, we knew the journey wouldn’t be easy, but we had something even more important: a shared vision and the support of strategic investors who believed in us.
Every Beginning Comes with Challenges
Despite the inherent difficulties of building a company, we faced the challenge of developing products for an environment that was still uncharted territory—just like the Internet at the time.
On top of that, we encountered a skeptical market, hesitant to break away from the dominance of traditional technologies in the sector. But with every obstacle, we gained experience and a clearer sense of purpose.
Our early years were marked by experimentation. We developed multiple MVPs (minimum viable products), including thematic portals and alert engines, targeting both end consumers (B2C) and businesses (B2B). However, we quickly learned that in technology, success is about matching the right solution with the right moment—both in space and time.
One of the most important lessons from this stage was understanding that the market has its own rules and sets the pace of the game. While our first ideas were innovative, the industry wasn’t yet ready to adopt them at scale. But instead of giving up, we used those insights as the foundation for our next big move.
That’s when we found our first major breakthrough: selling technology as SaaS (Software as a Service). This shift marked the beginning of our relationship with the corporate sector, opening doors to opportunities in the Public Sector and, ultimately, in Banking.
The Turning Point: Banking Software
One of the key moments in our history came when we identified a unique opportunity: the way banks communicated with their customers was changing. Around 2005, a new communication channel was emerging—banks could now reach their customers through mobile devices. At a time when Spain led the way in mobile phone penetration, we saw an extraordinary opportunity to transform banking interactions.
This shift led us to specialize in software solutions for financial institutions, a decision that marked a turning point in our journey. Over time, Latinia established itself as a leader in real-time banking communication, helping banks connect with their customers more efficiently, personally, and securely.
Latinia Crosses the Atlantic: International Expansion and Consolidation
In 2010, we decided it was time to take the leap and expand internationally. Latin America was the natural choice, given the cultural ties with Spain and the region’s rapidly growing banking industry. This move was crucial in establishing ourselves as leaders in banking software across the region. Since then, we have worked with top financial institutions in over 15 countries, bringing expertise, continuous innovation, and a deep understanding of local needs.
With a region known for its fast adoption of technology and strong focus on financial inclusion, Latinia has played a key role in transforming the way banks interact with their customers, helping them seize the opportunities presented by digitalization.
In 2015, continuing our global expansion, we decided to bring our experience and innovation to the United Kingdom, marking a milestone with the arrival of our first client in the country. This new stage not only consolidated our presence in Europe, but also allowed us to apply the learning acquired in markets such as Spain or Latin America, adapting to the particularities of the British banking sector.
Looking Ahead: Leading in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
In 2024, we processed a total of 20,782,069,000 real-time events. We are present in 14 countries, working with 37 banking clients that serve a total of 120 million end customers. To put that into perspective, in Latin America alone, our products enable banks to communicate with one in every five people in the region. Additionally, real-time banking alert services powered by our technology grow at an average rate of 30% year after year. But we want to go even further.
What do the coming years hold for us? We find ourselves in a situation similar to the early 2000s. A new technology is emerging, one that promises to reshape the Internet as we know it: the era of Artificial Intelligence. Just like in our early years, we are stepping into an environment filled with both uncertainty and opportunity. And the key remains the same: curiosity, passion, and perseverance.
Today, we are ready for this new era, integrating Artificial Intelligence into our solutions so banks can anticipate customer needs, focus on what truly matters, and harness the full potential of open finance. Because, just as we believed 25 years ago, technology is not an end in itself—it is a means to connect, transform, and create real value.
Our Legacy: 25 Years of Trust
The true success of Latinia is not only measured by the number of clients we serve or the solutions we have developed, but by the trust and relationships we have built with every client, employee, and investor. We have proven that even in the most uncertain times, the combination of vision, passion, and hard work can deliver extraordinary results.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey:
- To our clients, for trusting us to transform their banking operations.
- To our team, for their talent, dedication, and creativity.
- To our partners and investors, for believing in our vision from the very beginning.
