Kontigo
Ex-Venmo/Nubank/Rappi team hit $30M annualized revenue, $1B payment volume and 1M users in under 12 months — with six engineers and one designer.
USDC neobank for Venezuela + LatAm corridors.
- Who holds it
- A sponsor bank behind the brand — not the app you signed up with — Self-custodial MPC wallet (USDC); no license of its own; fiat rails via partners.
- The ledger
- Split between a program manager and the sponsor bank — the modular setup that broke in Synapse.
- If it fails
- Any claim runs through the sponsor bank, and only works if the two ledgers reconcile.
Derived from Kontigo’s regulation type and custody — a class of protection, not a guarantee. Limits and eligibility vary by scheme, balance and jurisdiction; confirm before you rely on it. What happens if a neobank shuts down →
The facts
| Category | web3-native |
| HQ | — |
| Founded | 2024 |
| Custody | Custodial |
| Regulation type | Partner-bank model |
| License detail | Self-custodial MPC wallet (USDC); no license of its own; fiat rails via partners |
| Card | Visa · Virtual + physical |
| Yield | USDC yield |
| Stablecoins | Yes |
| KYC | Yes |
| Active regions | Latin America |
| Countries | Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico |
| Founders | Jesus Castillo, Gino Guatavita |
| Funding | $20M seed (Dec 2025; DST Global, Y Combinator, Coinbase Ventures) |
Verified links: official site ↗ · privacy ↗ · @kontigoapp ↗
Common questions about Kontigo
What is Kontigo?
Kontigo is a self-custodial, on-chain-first neobank, founded in 2024. Your money is held custodially, so Kontigo or its partner bank holds the balance and you hold a claim on it. It operates on a partner-bank model (Self-custodial MPC wallet (USDC); no license of its own; fiat rails via partners).
Does Kontigo have a card, and where can you use it?
It issues a Visa virtual and physical card. It is available in 3 countries, across Latin America.
Does Kontigo require KYC?
Yes. Kontigo requires identity verification (KYC) to open an account, as a partner-bank model.
What does Kontigo cost?
From the verified fields: yield USDC yield. Cashback and yield are "up to" figures that change constantly and often depend on a paid plan — confirm current terms with Kontigo before relying on them.
Early investors
Peers
Phantom · Zengo · MiniPay · MetaMask · Solflare · Rainbow
Kontigo appears in
Neobanks running on someone else’s banking license (81) · Neobanks available in Latin America (113) · Neobanks that issue a Visa card (182)
Figures compiled from public sources, for comparison only — not financial advice. "Up to" rates change constantly; always confirm with the issuer. Spotted an error? Suggest a fix.