MercadoLibre vs Nubank: Founders, CEOs and History
MercadoLibre was founded in 1999 by Marcos Galperin, Hernan Kazah and is led by Ariel Szarfsztejn. Nubank was founded in 2013 by David Vélez Osorno, Cristina Helena Zingaretti Junqueira, Edward Wible and is led by David Vélez.
Company facts
MercadoLibre
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- Montevideo, Uruguay
- Current CEO
- Ariel Szarfsztejn
- Employees
- 123,670
Nubank
- Founded
- 2013
- Headquarters
- Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Current CEO
- David Vélez
- Employees
- 10,027
Founders
MercadoLibre
Marcos Galperin
Marcos Galperin is an Argentine entrepreneur who founded MercadoLibre in 1999 and was its CEO for more than 26 years. He led it through the dot-com crash, the 2001 eBay deal, the 2007 NASDAQ IPO and the build-out of Mercado Pago and Mercado Envios.
Hernan Kazah
Hernan Kazah co-founded MercadoLibre and held senior operating and finance roles during its first decade. He left around 2011 and co-founded Kaszek Ventures, one of Latin America's best-known venture capital firms.
Nubank
David Vélez Osorno
David Vélez was born in Medellín, Colombia, studied engineering and earned an MBA at Stanford, and worked at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital before founding Nubank in 2013.
Cristina Helena Zingaretti Junqueira
Cristina Junqueira co-founded Nubank in 2013 and helped design its early credit card and customer-service model. After the 2021 IPO she became one of Brazil's few self-made female billionaires.
Edward Wible
Edward Wible co-founded Nubank in 2013 and served as its first CTO, choosing a cloud-based stack built largely in the Clojure language and the Datomic database. That architecture let Nubank add products and markets without a legacy core banking system.
CEOs and their tenures
MercadoLibre
- Marcos Galperin1999–2025
Founder & CEO (now Executive Chairman)
Led the company for more than 26 years before becoming executive chairman on January 1, 2026.
Source - Ariel Szarfsztejn2026–present
Chief Executive Officer
Joined in 2017 and ran the commerce business; became CEO on January 1, 2026, when founder Marcos Galperin became executive chairman.
Source
Nubank
- David Vélez Osorno2013–present
Founder, Chairman, and CEO
Vélez founded Nubank in 2013, raised capital from Sequoia and Kaszek, took the company public on the NYSE in December 2021 and led it to its first annual profit in 2023 and a $1 billion quarterly profit in Q2 2026.
Source - Cristina Junqueira2013–present
Co-Founder; CEO, Nu US
Co-founded Nubank in 2013 and shaped its early card product and customer-service culture, then took charge of the US expansion.
Source
Timeline: MercadoLibre and Nubank side by side
1999MercadoLibre
MercadoLibre Founded in Buenos Aires: Marcos Galperin and Hernan Kazah established MercadoLibre in a garage in Buenos Aires, securing seed funding from HM Capital after a Stanford pitch.
2001MercadoLibre
Strategic Partnership with eBay: eBay acquired a 19.5% stake in MercadoLibre in exchange for its Brazilian subsidiary iBazar, providing vital capital to survive the dot-com crash.
2003MercadoLibre
Launch of Mercado Pago: Introduced Mercado Pago to provide secure digital escrow and payment processing across Latin America's cash-reliant economies.
2007MercadoLibre
Landmark Initial Public Offering on NASDAQ: Listed on NASDAQ under ticker symbol MELI, becoming the first Latin American technology company to debut on the US exchange.
2013MercadoLibre
Launch of Mercado Envios Logistics: Built proprietary fulfillment infrastructure and warehousing to overcome regional courier inefficiencies and accelerate delivery times.
2013Nubank
Nubank founded in So Paulo
David Vélez, Cristina Junqueira, and Edward Wible founded Nubank in a suburban house in So Paulo, Brazil, with the mission to fight complexity and democratize financial services in Latin America.
2014Nubank
Launch of the purple credit card
Nubank launched its first product a no-annual-fee credit card managed entirely through a smartphone app on April 1, 2014.
2017MercadoLibre
Adoption of NASDAQ-100 & Offline POS Expansion: Included in the NASDAQ-100 index; scaled Mercado Pago into offline brick-and-mortar retail via mobile QR codes and Point mPOS card readers.
2017Nubank
Launch of digital account (NuConta)
Nubank launched its digital account product, allowing customers to receive salaries, make transfers, and pay bills without fees.
2019Nubank
Expansion to Mexico
Nubank launched operations in Mexico, beginning with credit cards and later expanding to digital accounts. Mexico would become the company's second-largest market, reaching 10 million customers by 2024.
2020MercadoLibre
Pandemic Acceleration & Meli Air Launch: Pandemic lockdowns accelerated online shopping and digital payments across Latin America; MercadoLibre began operating dedicated Meli Air cargo flights in Braz…
2020Nubank
Launch of NuInvest and expansion to Colombia
Nubank launched NuInvest, a zero-fee brokerage platform for stocks and ETFs, and expanded operations to Colombia with the Cuenta Nu digital account. The company also reached 30 million customers globally.
2021Nubank
IPO on the New York Stock Exchange
Nubank completed its IPO on December 9, 2021, raising $2.6 billion at $9 per share and achieving a valuation of approximately $41-45 billion. The IPO made co-founder Cristina Junqueira one of only two self-made female billionaires in Brazil.
2022Nubank
Acquisition of Olivia AI and first annual profitability path
Nubank acquired Olivia AI, an American startup providing AI-powered financial management services, to strengthen its data and personalization capabilities. The company also reduced losses significantly as it moved toward profitability.
2023Nubank
First annual net profit and 85 million customers
Nubank reported its first annual net profit of $1.03 billion in FY2023, with revenue of $8.03 billion. The company reached 85 million customers and demonstrated that its digital-only model could generate sustainable profitability.
2024MercadoLibre
Revenue passes $20 billion: Revenue reached $20.8 billion and net income $1.9 billion, as Mercado Ads and the credit business scaled.
2024Nubank
Record revenue and 114 million customers
Nubank reported FY2024 revenue of $11.52 billion and net income of $1.97 billion, crossed 100 million customers in May 2024, acquired AI startup Hyperplane, and invested $150 million in South Africa's Tyme Group as part of its $250 million Series D.
2025MercadoLibre
$28.9B revenue year: Revenue grew 39% to $28.9 billion and net income reached about $2.0 billion. In May 2025, the company announced Galperin's planned transition to executive chairman.
2025Nubank
131 million customers and ARPAC of $15
Nubank added about 17 million customers in 2025, ending the year with 131 million, while quarterly ARPAC reached about $15. FY2025 IFRS revenue was $15.77 billion and net income was $2.87 billion.
2026MercadoLibre
New CEO and first $10B quarter: Ariel Szarfsztejn became CEO on January 1, 2026, with Marcos Galperin as executive chairman.
2026Nubank
Conditional US national bank charter
In January 2026, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency granted Nu conditional approval to establish a national bank, with Cristina Junqueira leading the US business.
2026Nubank
First $1 billion quarter and Mexican bank launch
Nu reported Q2 2026 net income of $1.061 billion on gross revenue of $5.88 billion and 139 million customers. In August 2026 it launched its bank in Mexico with 16 million customers.
2026Nubank
US product launch
On September 10, 2026, Nubank launched US products in Miami, including a credit card, high-yield savings and remittances, through sponsor bank Lead Bank while its own charter is pending.
Acquisitions
MercadoLibre
- Kangu (Brazilian PUDO Logistics Network)2021Undisclosed
- Redelcom2021Undisclosed
- DeRemate.com (from DeRemate Holding)2008Undisclosed
Nubank
- Hyperplane2024Undisclosed
- Olivia AI2022Undisclosed
- Spin Pay2021Undisclosed
- Easynvest2020Undisclosed
Questions about MercadoLibre vs Nubank
Who is the CEO of MercadoLibre, Inc. and Nu Holdings Ltd.?
MercadoLibre, Inc. is led by Ariel Szarfsztejn and Nu Holdings Ltd. is led by David Vélez. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was MercadoLibre, Inc. founded vs Nu Holdings Ltd.?
MercadoLibre, Inc. was founded in 1999 — 14 years before Nu Holdings Ltd., which was founded in 2013. MercadoLibre, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Nu Holdings Ltd..
How many employees does MercadoLibre, Inc. have compared to Nu Holdings Ltd.?
MercadoLibre, Inc. employs approximately 123,670 people, while Nu Holdings Ltd. employs approximately 10,027. MercadoLibre, Inc. has the larger workforce at 123,670 employees, compared to Nu Holdings Ltd.'s 10,027. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are MercadoLibre, Inc. and Nu Holdings Ltd. headquartered?
MercadoLibre, Inc. is headquartered in Uruguay and Nu Holdings Ltd. is headquartered in Brazil. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded MercadoLibre, Inc. and Nu Holdings Ltd.?
MercadoLibre, Inc. was founded by Marcos Galperin, Hernan Kazah. Nu Holdings Ltd. was founded by David Vélez Osorno, Cristina Helena Zingaretti Junqueira, Edward Wible.
Which company has a longer operating history — MercadoLibre, Inc. or Nu Holdings Ltd.?
MercadoLibre, Inc. has been operating for approximately 27 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Nu Holdings Ltd. has been in operation for around 13 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the MercadoLibre vs Nubank overview