The Vision of Neobanks Redefining Mexico's Financial System: Fintech Mexico Festival 2026

This Thursday, February 26th, the Mexican financial ecosystem once again positioned itself on the global radar with the third edition of the FinTech Mexico Festival 2026, held at the iconic Papalote Museo del Niño. Furthermore, the event solidified its position as a turning point for an industry moving towards greater digitalization, inclusion, and convergence between traditional models and new financial architectures.

With the participation of over three thousand experts, business leaders, regulators, and investors, the festival outlined the roadmap for an increasingly technological financial system in Latin America. Throughout an intensive day, key topics such as digital payments, open finance, financial inclusion, and the dialogue between traditional and decentralized finance were discussed.

One of the most significant segments was the panel “Leadership in Transition: Neobanks,” where leaders from some of the most influential digital banks and fintechs in the market shared their business vision, as well as their understanding of leadership in contexts of high uncertainty.

Leading with Purpose Amid Uncertainty: Neobanks in Mexico

The conversation was moderated by Nicole Valentine, FinTech Senior Director, Finance Pillar at the Milken Institute, who posed a central question: what distinguishes the leaders currently building the banks of the future?

For Pedro Rivas, General Director of Mercado Pago Mexico, the answer lies in purpose. “We have a past, but we have to make things happen. For that, you need direction, and that is having a purpose. If you have purpose, you have magnitude. You navigate uncertainty, and you bring others along with you,” he stated.

Rivas emphasized that, in complex environments, leadership is not about getting stuck in the immediate problem, but about constantly remembering the underlying reason for the organization’s existence. “That purpose is what pushes you to break through the wall, because there is something better and bigger for others on the other side,” he added.

Drawing from the experience of building a bank from scratch, Neri Tollardo, CEO and co-founder of Banco Plata, agreed that leadership begins with setting an example. “You are the person everyone looks to when there are questions or challenges. If you want people to work hard, you must be the first. If you want commitment, you have to show it before anyone else.”

For Tollardo, leading also means shouldering uncertainty to transmit confidence to the team. “There are moments when you don’t know exactly how to solve things, but you have to send the message that we will find a way. That also means internalizing concerns and, sometimes, maintaining a poker face, because there are people who depend on you.”

Leadership as Shared Responsibility

From a more organizational perspective, Juan Miguel Guerra, CEO of Revolut Bank SA, emphasized that leadership should not solely be concentrated in the figure of the CEO. “The mission is key, but so is management. Leadership occurs when someone takes responsibility for results, when they don’t wait for permission and do the right thing, even when the path is difficult.”

In his view, organizations that achieve scalability are those where leadership is distributed and experienced at all levels. “If you want to see that happen, you have to be the first to set the example and be explicit about it.”

Resilience, Culture, and Recognition: The Internal Foundations

For René Saúl Farro, CEO and co-founder of

leadership is measured by resilience. “It’s about setting the pace for the company. It’s about never giving up, even on difficult days, and showing your team that the dream is possible.”

Farro emphasized a point often left out of traditional corporate discourse: recognition. “Most of the time, leaders only point out what’s wrong. But you also have to acknowledge what’s being done well. That provides relief, motivates, and creates a positive environment. And that spreads positively throughout the organization.”

Mexico: A Fintech Ecosystem the World Should Watch

From a global perspective, Nicole Valentine challenged the panel: to tell the world why Mexico has become one of the most relevant fintech ecosystems. “I know the ecosystems of Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Africa, and South Asia. And Mexico is on my list as one of the fintech markets with the highest growth and potential. Investors and users should be watching this region very closely.”

René Saúl Farro’s response was direct and imbued with an entrepreneurial narrative. “We started from scratch, and today we are one of the most relevant B2B fintechs in the region. We achieved this by believing in a clear mission: to help SMEs grow.”

The co-founder explained that Kapital was born to solve two major structural problems for small and medium-sized enterprises: access to financial services and access to their own data. “We built a data-driven banking platform that allows us to analyze our clients faster than anyone else and provide them with immediate services. Mexico has a huge advantage: it is a country based on electronic invoicing, and that changes everything.”

Demographics, Inclusion, and Remittances: The Equation of Opportunity

For Juan Miguel Guerra, Mexico’s appeal can be summarized in a single phrase: demographics are destiny. “It is a young country of 130 million people, where every year, for the next 20 years, 2.5 million will turn 18. Furthermore, almost half of the population remains unbanked.”

Added to this is one of the most important remittance corridors on the planet: the United States–Mexico. “If we manage to make it more efficient, we could unlock up to 6 billion dollars annually for those who need it most. That could change the country in just two or three years.”

Financial Dignity: Beyond Inclusion

From a more social perspective, Armando, CEO of Nu Mexico, shared a personal reflection on his recent arrival at the company. “There’s a moment in life where you start distinguishing between validation and value. I chose to speak about financial dignity, not just inclusion.”

For Armando, dignity implies giving visibility to the more than 20 million Mexicans who remain outside the financial system. “When someone opens an account, they entrust us with their dreams: a wedding, their children’s university education. That is dignity. And doing it at scale, with purpose, can change lives.”

Key Takeaways from the Neobank Leaders Panel in Mexico

-Purpose as a compass in contexts of uncertainty. -Leadership as an example, not just discourse. -Resilience and recognition as cultural pillars. -Mexico as one of the most attractive fintech markets in the world. -Regulation as an enabler of long-term growth.

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