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Pierpaolo Barbieri

CEO & Founder, Ualá

Search every verified Pierpaolo Barbieri interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Pierpaolo Barbieri, founder and CEO of Ualá, discussed the company’s growth and strategy in recent podcast appearances. He described Ualá as a tech company that provides financial services, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a technology-focused culture to avoid becoming like traditional banks. Barbieri stated that Ualá has become the largest bank in Argentina by number of users within eight years, with over 20% of the country holding an account, and noted that 80% of new customers arrive organically. He also mentioned the company’s expansion into Mexico and Colombia, reporting millions of clients in those markets. Barbieri reflected on his personal journey, including growing up during Argentina’s 2001 financial crisis and his initial reluctance to become CEO. He credited early support from investors, including a $250,000 check from Scott Bessent, and discussed Ualá’s approach to credit, which involves building proprietary data sources rather than relying solely on traditional credit bureaus. In a Spanish-language interview, he stated that in Argentina, 50% of people previously lacked access to a card or account, and he framed his work as aimed at improving financial access and social mobility, adding that “privilege creates duty.”

Recent appearances

Notable quotes

“So we started with credit in 2018, 2019, but we didn't really scale it until 2024. Why? Because we were not confident of our credit models. Most of the banks in the world they originate credit based on existing data from bureaus. So they all draw on the similar bureaus, and depending on their risk appetite, they give you a loan or not, they give you a credit card or not. What we've done is build our own sources of da”

“Look, the reality is that I never expected to start a business of this kind of quality. When I started Greenmantle with Neil, who was my mentor, it was a relatively small firm full of PhDs in history and in politics or economics that try to understand the world and do what we call applied history, to try to understand how the forces that you study in history interact with the realities of today to shape different pol”

“El rico es rico porque papá o mamá me dan plata para un departamento. La única manera que exista movilidad social, vos tenés que tener acceso al crédito. Yo creo que el privilegio crea deber.”

“Argentina era un país donde el 50% de la gente nunca había tenido una tarjeta, nunca había tenido una cuenta. No tenían acceso al crédito, no tenían acceso a las inversiones. Entonces yo tuve la idea de crear algo para dar ese acceso. O sea, la idea era hacer una billetera 100% gratis, cuenta para todos.”

“We charge VAT on loans, and that pushes the total financial cost of consumer credit much higher because of VAT, provincial turnover taxes and stamp duties. That tax burden is regressive, penalizes those with less and hurts financial inclusion and development.”

“Walá’s position is that we want the formalization of the economy. If money held offshore is declared and kept in Argentina because people trust the country, its rules and institutions, that capital becomes available for investment, new businesses and job creation.”

The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →