The raise combines venture equity and institutional debt with the region's first token-based credit structure — a coming-of-age moment for Central America's emerging fintech ecosystem. San Salvador, El Salvador.
Ábaco, a Salvadoran fintech reinventing how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) access working capital, today announced the close of a US$53 million round — the largest capital raise ever completed by a fintech in Central America. The round combines venture capital and institutional debt, setting a new benchmark for the region's fintech ecosystem and expanding financing access for thousands of SMEs.
With this close, Ábaco, founded by salvadoran entrepreneurs Alejandro McCormack, Carlos Villlalobos and Moises Hasbún, surpasses US$60 million raised since it began operating in 2023, one of the fastest growth trajectories in the region — and proof that technology companies built in Central America can attract institutional capital of global reach.
Central America remains one of the world's most underserved yet fastest-emerging fintech frontiers. Much of the region's business fabric operates on collection cycles of up to 120 days, straining cash flow precisely when companies must pay suppliers, payroll and taxes. Ábaco replaces the slow, paper-based processes of traditional banking with a data- and AI-driven model that approves credit lines in real time and disburses funds in under 24 hours.
A capital structure engineered to scale credit
Beyond the headline figure, the round is a case study in financial innovation built from El Salvador. It combines a US$50 million warehouse facility anchored by U.S.-based fund Accial Capital alongside existing lender Pomona Impact, together with a Seed equity round featuring leading venture funds including Promotora Social México, Nazca Ventures, Alaya Capital, Caricaco Ventures and Innogen Capital, among others.
The structure also integrates mechanisms enabled by El Salvador's Digital Asset Issuance Law (LEAD) — making this one of the first operations in the world to incorporate a tokenized element as part of its collateral and security package. The process was supported by INVEST El Salvador and the Ministry of Economy, and recognized by CAF's financial-inclusion laboratory.
“This raise represents far more than a financial milestone for Ábaco. It's a signal that from Central America it is possible to build companies capable of attracting world-class institutional capital to solve one of the region's greatest challenges: SME access to financing.” Alejandro McCormack, CEO and co-founder of Ábaco
“Ábaco meets every criterion we look for in a financing partner. Supply-chain finance is exactly the kind of underserved, high-impact segment we focus on — the suppliers Ábaco serves are the backbone of Central America's formal economy, yet they've historically been overlooked by traditional banks. The team pairs deep local knowledge with real fintech operating experience and a strong proprietary credit-risk framework, reflected in consistently strong portfolio performance. This is also one of the first operations in the region to use token-based structuring as part of its collateral framework — where we believe private-credit infrastructure in emerging markets is headed. We're proud to support this next stage of growth with this US$50 million line.” Jared Miller, CEO of Accial Capital
Ábaco's proprietary risk engine combines artificial intelligence, big data and automation to analyze thousands of variables in real time, enabling faster, more precise credit decisions aligned with the reality of SMEs — with no traditional collateral required. Under co-founder and COO Moisés Hasbún, the company set out to reinvent factoring from the technology up, connecting capital with SMEs in a smarter, more efficient and scalable way. In practice, that means approving credit lines in real time and disbursing funds in under 24 hours, without relying on manual processes or traditional guarantees.
The effect is already showing up in the performance of the SMEs Ábaco finances. According to the company's official economic-impact survey: more than 80% of clients accelerated growth within the first 60 days of improved cash flow; more than 90% grew their customer base; 97% secured better terms with suppliers; 69% increased headcount; and 92% reduced their cost of financing.
The logic behind those numbers is straightforward: when a company gets liquidity on time, it can take on new contracts, hire more people and grow faster. For co-founder Carlos Villalobos, that is precisely the impact Ábaco aims to scale with its new capital structure — "turning access to financing into a competitive advantage for thousands of SMEs across Central America."
What's next
In just three years, Ábaco has originated more than US$100 million in credit across 25,000+ disbursements. With this new raise, the company projects originating more than US$350 million in loans over the short term, reaching 10,000+ SMEs and consolidating operations across El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica & Dominican Republic.
About Ábaco
Founded in El Salvador in 2023 by Alejandro McCormack, Carlos Villalobos and Moisés Hasbún, Ábaco is a fintech transforming SME access to capital across Central America through AI-powered digital financing. Its platform turns accounts receivable into working capital in under 24 hours — with no added traditional debt and no personal or property guarantees. Ábaco is registered as an official creditor in El Salvador before the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) and the Financial Investigation Unit (UIF). Learn more at www.abacocapital.co.
About Accial Capital
Accial Capital is a private-debt fund manager specializing in structured credit for emerging markets, connecting global institutional capital with fintechs and non-bank lenders serving small businesses and consumers underserved by traditional banking, with a primary focus on Latin America and Asia. Since 2018, its credit lines have supported more than US$4.5 billion in loans — including US$3.4 billion to MSMEs — reaching over one million borrowers, more than half of them women.