ProntoPaga Leverages Gaming Roots for Argentina Entry and $10bn Regional Volume Target

Sebastián Salazar, co-founder and CEO of Chilean payments fintech ProntoPaga, has detailed plans to open in Argentina this semester alongside the country’s leading betting and gaming operators. The step precedes a Mexico launch in the first half of 2027. Both moves support a target of processing $10bn across the region in 2027, up from a projected $4bn this year, according to G3 Newswire.

Salazar’s route into fintech runs through gambling. He previously chaired FIDEN, the Chilean association for neighbourhood slot machine operators, before founding EstelarBet, an online casino platform he still owns outright. That operation exposed the absence of fast, regulation-compliant payment rails for Latin American iGaming, the precise gap ProntoPaga was formed to close.

Co-founded with Evans Concha at the end of 2021, the company turned profitable in October 2023. Growth then became “explosive.” Gambling still drives roughly 70 per cent of transactions and 80 per cent of revenue even as ProntoPaga diversifies into e-commerce, healthcare and subscription services.

Compliance Infrastructure Built for Dual Regulatory Pressure

Salazar was direct on expansion requirements: individual licences secured market by market, already obtained in Argentina, Peru and Chile. The company follows a “compliance first” framework that simultaneously vets merchants, holds connected banks and partners to the same standard, and reports directly to each jurisdiction’s financial intelligence unit. Those reports flow to GAFILAT, the regional body overseeing financial integrity. In a sector where payment providers sit at the centre of anti-money-laundering obligations, the layered approach functions as both regulatory necessity and commercial differentiator.

Instant Payouts and the Shift Toward Broader Financial Infrastructure

Payout speed remains central to ProntoPaga’s operator pitch. The company originated the instant-withdrawal standard in the region, moving from an initial 20-minute commitment, when competitors needed 48 to 72 hours, to today’s sub-60-second processing. For betting customers, rapid access to winnings drives trust and retention as directly as any licence.

The Argentina and Mexico initiatives run alongside development of YOL1, a neobank constructed on existing payments rails rather than built from zero. Salazar’s five-year view centres on sustained leadership in gaming payments alongside digital infrastructure for cross-border trade between Latin America and Asia. This marks a structural shift from pure payments processing toward wider regional financial services.

Reporting: G3 Newswire