Global 66

Established in 2018 by co-founders Tomás Bercovich and Cristóbal Forno, Global66 is a Chilean fintech company strategically positioning itself as a comprehensive financial platform for individuals and businesses across Latin America. Bercovich, with a background as an economist and experience from his previous venture, Cuponatic Latam, and Forno, a commercial engineer, identified a critical gap in the market for accessible and affordable international financial services. Their shared vision was to create a solution that would eliminate the traditional barriers and high costs associated with cross-border transactions.

The company's core offering is the Global Account, a multi-currency digital account that serves as the central hub for its suite of services. This account enables users to hold and manage balances in various currencies, including US dollars, euros, and several Latin American currencies. Global66's business model revolves around facilitating international money transfers to over 70 countries, offering more competitive exchange rates than traditional banking institutions. Revenue is primarily generated from the spread on currency exchange transactions and fees associated with these transfers.

Beyond simple remittances, the platform has expanded its product line to serve a broader set of financial needs. It provides peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers between Global66 users, payment links for businesses and freelancers to request funds, and a Mastercard-linked SmartCard. The SmartCard is currently available in Chile, Colombia, and Peru, allowing users to make purchases and withdraw cash internationally. This expansion targets a diverse client base, ranging from individuals sending money to family abroad to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) conducting international trade and freelancers receiving payments from overseas clients.

Global66 has achieved significant milestones, including securing a strategic partnership with football club FC Bayern Munich, which enhances its brand visibility. The company has also successfully navigated several funding rounds, attracting investment from notable figures like Leon Howard, a partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, and participating in the Start-Up Chile accelerator program. These achievements underscore the market's confidence in its model to address the prevalent financial friction within Latin America, a region with a substantial population of unbanked and underbanked individuals. Keywords: fintech, international transfers, neobank, cross-border payments, currency exchange, remittance, financial services, digital account, SME finance, Latam