# Ualá

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/uala
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Ualá — official](https://www.uala.com.ar/)

## Overview

**Ualá** is **Argentina's leading fintech challenger to bank-consortium MODO**, founded **October 2017 by Pierpaolo Barbieri** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Argentina report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AR)</sup>. By **2025**, Ualá surpassed **10 million users across Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico** — with **6 million in Argentina alone (~17%+ of Argentine adult population)**. **Most-chosen Argentine investment application in 2025** competing directly with traditional banks across mutual funds + fixed-term deposits + savings accounts.

**Major March 2026 milestone**: **$195 million funding round led by Allianz X** (Stone Ridge + Tencent + Soros Fund Management) **valuing Ualá at $3.2 billion**.

## History

**October 2017 — Ualá founded** by **Pierpaolo Barbieri** in Buenos Aires.

**2018-2020 — Mass Argentine prepaid-card adoption** <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**2021-2023 — Multi-country expansion: Colombia + Mexico** <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**November 2024 — $300M round led by Allianz X** <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

**2025 — 10M+ users (6M Argentina ~17%+ adults; AR + CO + MX); most-chosen Argentine investment app 2025** <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**March 2026 — $195M Series (Allianz X + Stone Ridge + Tencent + Soros) at $3.2B valuation** <sup>[4][4]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Ualá** — Argentine fintech holding.

**Founder + CEO**: **Pierpaolo Barbieri** (Argentine entrepreneur).

**Major investors**: **Allianz X (lead in $300M Nov 2024 + $195M Mar 2026), Tencent, Soros Fund Management, Stone Ridge Holdings Group, Goldman Sachs, Tiger Global, SoftBank, George Soros, Steve Cohen, others**.

**Valuation**: $3.2 billion (March 2026 funding).

**Regulators**: **BCRA (Argentina) + Superintendencia Financiera de Colombia + CNBV (Mexico)**.

## Technical integration

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Channels** | Ualá mobile app (iOS + Android) + Ualá prepaid card (Mastercard) |
| **Identifiers** | Phone + email + card number |
| **Argentine rail** | **[Transferencias 3.0](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/transferencias-3-0)** integration |
| **Sub-products** | Ualá Card (Mastercard prepaid) + Ualá Cuenta + Ualá Plus (premium) + Ualá Investment + Ualá Loans + Ualá Crypto + Ualá Bis (business) |

## Users & growth

**2025** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- **Total users**: 10+ million across AR + CO + MX
- **Argentina users**: 6 million (~17%+ of adult population)

**Funding** <sup>[4][4]</sup>:
- **Nov 2024**: $300M led by Allianz X.
- **March 2026**: $195M led by Allianz X + Stone Ridge + Tencent + Soros Fund Management.
- **Valuation (March 2026)**: $3.2 billion.

## Use cases

P2P transfers via Transferencias 3.0; Ualá Card (Mastercard prepaid) spending; investments (most-chosen Argentine investment app 2025); savings; consumer loans (Ualá Loans); crypto trading; business banking (Ualá Bis).

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: **Ualá** (Pierpaolo Barbieri).

**Major investors**: **Allianz X + Tencent + Soros Fund Management + Stone Ridge + Goldman Sachs + Tiger Global + SoftBank**.

**Card-network partner**: **Mastercard**.

**Major Argentine competitors**: **[Mercado Pago](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/mercado-pago)**, **[MODO](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/modo)** (bank consortium), **[Cuenta DNI](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/cuenta-dni)** (Banco Provincia), **Personal Pay**, **Naranja X**.

## Fun facts

- **October 2017 founded by Pierpaolo Barbieri** — Argentine fintech entrepreneur.
- **10M+ users across AR + CO + MX (2025)**; 6M Argentine (~17%+ adults).
- **Most-chosen Argentine investment app 2025** competing with traditional banks.
- **March 2026 $195M round + $3.2B valuation** — Allianz X + Stone Ridge + Tencent + Soros Fund Management.
- **George Soros + Steve Cohen + Goldman Sachs early investors** — substantial international backing.
- **Multi-country LATAM expansion**: AR primary + Colombia + Mexico.

## Comparison

| Feature | Ualá | [Mercado Pago](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/mercado-pago) (AR + LATAM) | [MODO](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/modo) (AR bank-consortium) | [Nubank](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/nubank) (LATAM-largest) | [Cuenta DNI](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/cuenta-dni) (AR state) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Ualá (Pierpaolo Barbieri)** | MercadoLibre Inc. (NASDAQ: MELI) | 30+ AR bank consortium | Nu Holdings Ltd (NYSE: NU) | Banco Provincia |
| Type | **Standalone fintech neobank** | E-commerce-embedded super-app | Bank-consortium wallet | Mass-market LATAM neobank | State-bank wallet |
| Country footprint | **AR + CO + MX** | 8+ LATAM | AR-only | BR + MX + CO | Buenos Aires province |
| Users (2025) | **10M+ (6M AR)** | 107M (LATAM) | 3M+ (AR) | 131M | Multi-million |
| Valuation | **$3.2B (Mar 2026)** | NASDAQ-listed (MELI) | n/a | NYSE-listed (NU) | n/a (state-owned) |

## Status

**Active, leading Argentine fintech with multi-country LATAM presence** <sup>[1][1], [4][4]</sup>:
- **Ualá** since October 2017.
- **10M+ users across AR + CO + MX (6M AR, ~17%+ of AR adults)**.
- **March 2026 $195M round at $3.2B valuation** (Allianz X + Stone Ridge + Tencent + Soros).
- **Most-chosen Argentine investment app 2025**.

## Sources

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierpaolo_Barbieri "Pierpaolo Barbieri — Wikipedia"
[2]: https://www.letrap.com.ar/economia/uala-pierpaolo-barbieri-fue-la-mejor-aplicacion-invertir-2025-n5421700 "Ualá best investment app 2025 — Letra P"
[3]: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2024/11/13/800937.htm "Ualá $300M round — Insurance Journal"
[4]: https://www.larepublica.co/globoeconomia/la-fintech-uala-duplicara-su-base-de-clientes-en-tres-anos-dice-ceo-barbieri-3982508 "Ualá CEO Barbieri — La República"
[ar-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AR

- [1] [Pierpaolo Barbieri — Wikipedia][1]
- [2] [Ualá best investment app 2025 — Letra P][2]
- [3] [Ualá $300M round — Insurance Journal][3]
- [4] [Ualá CEO Barbieri — La República][4]
- <sup>[Argentina report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/AR)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/AR-argentina.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [uala.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/uala). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.