During this interview, the Argentine entrepreneur shared fascinating details about his career, the birth of his fintech, and its impact across Latin America.
The story of Alprestamo: From Marketing to Finance
Julián Sanclemente began his professional career in Marketing and Advertising after studying Communication Sciences at Austral University. His first job in the Mobile Marketing department at Telecom Personal allowed him to be part of the early days of smartphones and WAP portals, an experience that prepared him for future digital transformations.
In 2012, Julián founded the digital advertising agency DKS alongside lifelong friends, Martín García Moritán and Santiago Rivero, which operates in several Latin American countries. However, the real leap came in 2017 with the creation of Alprestamo, a financial services marketplace that emerged “from a market need and not from a sudden inspiration.”
Julián Sanclemente,“Today, users can complete the entire process of acquiring a financial service, from application to approval, in just a minute and a half.”
CEO and co-founder of Alprestamo.
Ideas transforming the online credit market
The idea for Alprestamo emerged from a real need. While running their advertising agency, Julián and his partners realized they were managing multiple campaigns for clients promoting online loans. “We realized we could centralize these campaigns into a single portal, capturing user data for future remarketing strategies,” the CEO recalled.
Thus, in October 2017, they launched a minimum viable product (MVP): a WordPress portal with no advanced technology or APIs. The name “Alprestamo” was chosen for its simplicity and market resonance, inspired by successful brands like “Almundo.”
A technology that analyzes millions of data points in seconds
Today, Alprestamo is much more than just a portal. It is a marketplace that enables users to compare credit, card, and bank account offers in real time. Julián emphasized the platform’s key value: providing clear information and personalized options, saving users the “hassle of navigating multiple websites”.
The app uses a sophisticated decision engine that analyzes user profiles in just five seconds and provides tailored offers. This approach benefits both users and financial entities, as the latter only pay for results, significantly reducing fixed marketing costs.
Overcoming challenges in the region over the years
During its expansion from Argentina to markets like Uruguay, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic, Alprestamo faced –and overcame– various challenges. Julián highlighted that each country has unique characteristics in its financial systems and regulations. “In Argentina, economic volatility taught us to adapt quickly.”
💡 Julián Sanclemente said…
“We work on a micro scale, but macroeconomics
plays a crucial role in the offer.”
Each market requires constant adjustments to strategies. The Data team regularly analyzes the needs of people in each market. Julián also highlighted the initial effort to register the brand in 18 countries, an investment he considers essential to avoid potential legal issues in the future.
Financial innovation at the service of Latin American users
Alprestamo’s success lies in its technological focus. The platform is supported by a decision engine named “Lewis” (in homage to F1 driver Lewis Hamilton), which analyzes millions of data points in real-time to connect user demand with the offerings of financial institutions. Understanding the sales cycle, conversion rates, and product selection rates in detail is key to continuous improvement.
The CEO explained: “We’ve invested in technology to ensure a seamless experience. Today, users can complete the entire process of acquiring a financial service, from application to approval, in just a minute and a half.” Julián emphasized the importance of having robust technological capabilities to “analyze millions of data points in real-time.”
This full onboarding feature was implemented this year and is offered to financial entities as an advantage for providing banking products to users. Customers choose from options available for their credit profile and complete the process without leaving the application. This development has significantly boosted user satisfaction with the experience.
Loans as a tool for financial inclusion
For Julián, loans represent much more than a simple financial product. “Credit is a tool to improve people’s quality of life. From remodeling a kitchen to buying a car, these experiences are made possible through accessible and well-managed loans,” he stated.
An impressive fact shared by Julián is that nearly 500,000 people in Argentina obtained their first loan through Alprestamo. This reinforces the platform’s role as a bridge to financial inclusion in the region. “We are also mindful of preventing over-indebtedness. Once a product is accepted, the platform doesn’t continue pushing related offers to the user.”
The transformative potential of embedded finance
Our guest also reflected on emerging trends in the fintech industry in Latin America. He highlighted the growth of open banking as a revolution for the sector: “Open banking is breaking the asymmetry of information between banks and users, enabling more personalized and fair offers.”
For instance, “issuing a credit card implies a mutual commitment. If the institution has access to a user’s banking transactions, it can better predict the likelihood of a default.” However, Julián warned that without open banking, those who pay on time often bear additional costs caused by others who miss their obligations.
The CEO and co-founder of Alprestamo also discussed “embedded finance,” which allows companies in other sectors to offer financial products through fintech infrastructure. “Any company can become a fintech, which is rapidly transforming the financial landscape,” he explained.
Looking ahead to the future of lending in LatAm and beyond
With seven years of experience and a presence in several markets, Alprestamo shows no signs of slowing down. Julián concluded the interview with a positive message: “We are committed to continuing to innovate and expand our presence to facilitate access to financial products across the region. The industry is changing rapidly, and we want to be part of this positive transformation.”
He assured us that, in the future, we will witness the personalization of money: “People will eventually lend money to each other, ushering in a paradigm shift.” Our CMO agreed, saying: “From crowdfunding to crowdlending is just one step.” With this idea our The Fintech Podcast ends today, we just want to thank Julián San Clemente and our audience for their attention.
See you very soon!
