In recent years, fintechs have disrupted markets across Panama, Colombia, and the United States, offering agile alternatives to traditional banking. But their biggest challenge is not launching an innovative product — it’s how to scale users efficiently and sustainably.
According to a McKinsey (2023) report, nearly 70% of fintechs that succeed in attracting early users fail to reach the critical scale they need, mainly due to high customer acquisition costs (CAC) and low retention rates. The reality is simple: without a solid digital growth model, even the most disruptive product risks losing relevance within months.
Common Challenges for Scaling Fintechs
- High acquisition costs (CAC): digital campaigns drive downloads, but not active users.
- Low onboarding conversion: customers download the app but drop off before completing registration or their first transaction.
- Complex multi-market scaling: expansion across countries multiplies challenges in media, segmentation, and compliance.
- Escalamiento regional complejo: al operar en varios mercados, se multiplican los desafíos de pauta, segmentación y cumplimiento normativo.
- Subutilización de la tecnología: CRMs o plataformas de automatización usadas solo en un 30% de su potencial, lo que genera fugas en el funnel.
A BCG (2022) report on LatAm’s digital economy highlights that companies combining customer journey automation with advanced analytics can reduce CAC by up to 40% and improve retention by more than 25%.
Case Study: Wally
At Tree Digital Growth, we partnered with Wally, one of LatAm’s most promising digital wallets, with one clear goal: scale 10X with measurable, sustainable impact. In just three years, we achieved:
- 1M+ active installations across multiple Latin American markets.
- 10X CAC optimization, leveraging Meta Ads, Google Performance Max, and TikTok with growth hacking strategies.
- End-to-end automation with HubSpot as the central integrator:
* Welcome and onboarding flows.
* Activation campaigns to drive first transactions and reloads.
* Reactivation of dormant users. - Expansion into five markets, tailoring strategy and creative execution for each country.
Most importantly: we built sustainability. Not just a peak in downloads, but a digital funnel capable of consistently attracting, activating, and retaining users.
Key Lessons for Fintechs
- Acquisition alone isn’t enough — activation matters. HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2024 shows that 61% of companies with automated funnels report higher onboarding conversions compared to those relying on manual processes.
- CAC is not fixed — it’s optimizable. McKinsey highlights that businesses using dynamic segmentation and personalized targeting reduce CAC by up to 50%.
- Lifetime value (LTV) is built on retention. Long-term growth depends on reactivation flows and data-driven retention strategies.
Toward Sustainable Growth
The fintechs that scale are not necessarily the ones spending the most on media — they’re the ones building integrated growth engines that align strategy, automation, and performance marketing.
The roadmap includes:
- Designing 90-day growth sprints to drive measurable traction.
- Implementing integrated MarTech platforms that connect marketing, sales, and product.
- Running systematic growth hacking experiments with continuous optimization.
- Tracking what truly matters: CAC, LTV, retention, and NPS.
At Tree Digital Growth, clients have consistently rated us with a 100 NPS for three consecutive cycles. This validates that when strategy, technology, and team expertise align, the results are visible not only in business metrics but also in customer experience.
Conclusion
Fintechs in Panama, Colombia, and the United States face a unique opportunity: grow fast, but with sustainable impact. Successful cases show that the key is not “spending more on ads,” but building a digital growth engine that integrates acquisition, activation, and retention.
As Harvard Business Review (2023) states, competitive advantage is no longer about the product itself, but about the ability to learn and adapt faster than the competition.
That is the true challenge for fintechs. And also, their greatest opportunity.
👉 If your fintech is facing these challenges and you want to identify where your main growth leaks are, Tree Digital Growth invites you to start with a Performance Growth Diagnostic — the starting point to build a 90-day plan for impact and speed.
📚 References:
- McKinsey & Company (2023). How fintechs can achieve profitable growth.
- Boston Consulting Group (2022). The Digital Acceleration Imperative.
- HubSpot (2024). State of Marketing Report.
- Harvard Business Review (2023). Why Adaptive Companies Win.
How Fintechs Can Scale 10X with Growth Hacking, Automation, and an Integrated Digital Strategy