Addi

Market position

Addi positions itself as the leading financial and commerce platform in Colombia, with investors framing it as a leader in Latin America's financial infrastructure sector. Fast Company named the company one of the world's three most innovative fintech companies in 2026. Backers include Citius, BTG Pactual, GIC, Monashees, Quona, Union Square Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Greycroft, GGV Capital and others.

Approval requires only a national ID and a WhatsApp number rather than the extensive documentation typically demanded for Colombian bank credit, with credit lines issued in minutes and interest-free short-term installments for eligible users. The company combines a proprietary in-house underwriting, onboarding and fraud stack with a dual consumer-and-merchant ecosystem, an owned marketplace, regulated-entity status in Colombia and large-scale warehouse debt funding.

Technology

The company has rebuilt onboarding, underwriting and fraud detection in-house to approve consumers quickly with minimal documentation, and describes itself as an AI-first technology company applying AI at scale to the credit experience for consumers and merchants. Delivery channels include WhatsApp-based flows, e-commerce checkout integration, a one-click checkout solution and a consumer app with an embedded marketplace.

Go-to-market

Distribution is merchant-led: Addi is offered at the checkout of physical stores and integrated as a payment method in e-commerce sites, with onboarding completed in minutes via cédula and WhatsApp. The company also operates its own app-based marketplace of partner brands. Earlier growth included brand partners such as Arturo Calle, Mario Hernandez, Keep Running and Claro, and a strategic partnership with Banco Santander announced in 2021; the 2026 Series D includes joint strategic initiatives with BTG Pactual in Colombia.

Colombian consumers who lack or under-use credit cards and face burdensome documentation requirements for bank credit, plus merchants ranging from small businesses to large brands selling in store, online and via the Addi marketplace.

Geography

Headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, with Colombia as its core market. In 2021 the company operated with dual headquarters in Bogotá and São Paulo, Brazil, was live for e-commerce, mobile and in-store purchases in both countries, and planned Mexican market entry in early 2022; 2026 coverage describes the business and product roadmap as Colombia-focused.

History

Founded in September 2018, Addi began with a buy-now-pay-later product and earlier raised $12.5m from Andreessen Horowitz. It lost roughly 99% of its GMV within 20 days at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cut staff and refocused on e-commerce and digital payments, returning to pre-COVID volumes by March/April 2021 and growing about 3x from there. In May 2021 it announced a $35m equity round led by Union Square's Opportunity Fund plus $30m in debt from Architect Capital, then extended the Series B by $75m in September 2021 to a $140m total round, at which point it had dual headquarters in Bogotá and São Paulo and planned entry into Mexico in early 2022. By 2026 the company reported profitability for two years, regulated-entity authorisation in Colombia, a $150m J.P. Morgan-arranged warehouse facility in April 2026 taking total debt commitments above $680m, and an $85m Series D in July 2026 led by Citius and co-led by BTG Pactual.

Risks & controversies

The business is exposed to consumer credit risk and to funding dependence on warehouse and other debt facilities exceeding $680 million in commitments, and it operates as a regulated entity supervised by the Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia. Demand shocks have hit the model before: the company lost about 99% of its GMV within 20 days at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced headcount as a result. Revenue is concentrated in a single market, Colombia, and competitors in Latin American BNPL include Nelo in Mexico.