Soon after obtaining authorization from the Brazilian Central Bank for its financial solutions platform to operate under the Direct Credit Society license, Via (formerly Via Varejo, the parent company of brands such as Casas Bahia and Ponto) announced that it will now offer personal credit through its digital wallet banQi. Until then, banQi only offered credit for in-store use.
To finance this new personal credit line, Via’s Directors Board approved the allocation of BRL 300 million of its own capital for credit concession.
The amount released for personal credit will vary from BRL 800 to BRL 15,000 and will be available in the banQi account within one day after hiring. The customer will be able to simulate the loan conditions and the number of installments through the banQi app.
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According to Via, banQi already has 2 million digital accounts and, considering the pre-approved clients, it already has a list of 250,000 people interested in personal credit.
The launch of personal credit via banQi is part of Via’s strategy to expand its financial solutions’ portfolio, build loyalty among marketplace partners and expand the group’s presence in the financial lives of thousands of Brazilians.
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“Offering this credit line aims to broaden our relationship with the customer, through trust in granting a loan that can be used beyond our stores,” said André Calabró, CSFO of Via.
In addition to its own resources, Via informed that it may seek other financing options for the credit line, such as Credit Rights Investment Funds.
banQi also offers services such as payments and deposits via PIX (Brazil’s instant payment system), a physical and virtual prepaid card for online purchases, as well as offering contactless and QR code payment solutions.
Calabró says that the next launch of banQi, later this year, will be the Legal Entity account, aimed at micro-entrepreneurs and self-employed workers, to offer credit solutions directly on the POS terminals connected to the Celer network, fintech acquired by Via in April.
“This means anticipation of receivables for merchants, who can invest in their business and still offer credit to their customers,” explained the executive.
