Zimago

Zimago

Zimago

Transforming financial inclusion by linking education to interest rates—the more users learn, the less they pay.

Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia

Colombia

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Across Latin America, financial exclusion and poor financial literacy keep more than 65% of workers—over 20 million people in Colombia alone—and the businesses that employ them trapped in cycles of debt, low productivity, and limited mobility. Many employees—especially women workers madres cabeza de hogar (female heads of household)—live paycheck to paycheck and rely on informal lenders charging interest rates up to 380% annually, often using intimidation to collect payments. At the same time, companies—especially in labor-intensive sectors—face workforce instability, cash flow pressure, and high turnover driven by employee loans and financial stress. The core problem is twofold: workers lack access to financial education and tools to improve their behavior, and current credit systems exclude them due to rigid, outdated risk models. Education and access remain disconnected. Despite efforts in financial education, traditional credit models and weak regulatory oversight continue to exclude vulnerable groups—trapping them in a cycle of poverty and high-cost debt with few alternatives. This is not merely a market failure, but a humanitarian issue perpetuating intergenerational financial instability. By failing to link education to access, the financial system systematically excludes those it should empower.

Zimago is a digital platform that transforms financial education into a pathway to fair credit. We partner with companies to help underbanked minimum-wage employees improve their financial well-being, credit scores, and access to responsible loans—reducing reliance on gota a gota lenders charging up to 380% annually and easing the burden of employee loans on company cash flow. At the core of our model is an AI-powered learning journey: users complete short, personalized lessons and quizzes. As they progress, they unlock immediate financial benefits—lower interest rates of up to 7 percentage points. This links education directly to credit access, making learning the key to inclusion. Loan amounts grow with responsible use, enabling users to build credit history even without formal access. Progress is tracked through Zimago’s educational credit score, which redefines risk by valuing engagement and behavior—not just past credit files. Delivered through trusted employer relationships, Zimago lowers acquisition costs, builds user trust, and supports companies facing high turnover and financial stress. The platform is fully digital, mobile-first, and designed to scale sustainably across Colombia and Latin America—offering a real alternative to predatory lending.

Zimago serves underbanked minimum-wage employees in small and medium-sized companies across Colombia—particularly in labor-intensive sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. These workers often have poor or no credit history and limited financial education, excluding them from formal credit. Many—especially women workers madres cabeza de hogar (female heads of household)—rely on informal lenders charging up to 380% annually or take loans from employers, creating cash flow stress for companies. We partner with employers to provide free mobile financial education and fair, payroll-deducted loans. As users complete personalized lessons, they unlock lower interest rates and build an educational credit score—improving access to formal credit products. This benefits employees and helps companies reduce turnover, salary advance requests, and financial stress. We’ve supported 300+ employees, all of whom saw improved credit scores through Zimago’s reporting. 75% of loans included educational benefits, and 68% completed learning modules. 57% were women. On average, users saved 52% compared to loan sharks—the equivalent of saving $280 on a $200 loan, or nearly 69% of Colombia’s minimum wage. For example, Catalina, a nurse in Bogotá, avoided a gota a gota loan thanks to Zimago. After learning, she accessed a lower-rate loan, paid off debt, and began saving.