Brazilian instant payment fintech Caliza raised $8.5M in a pre-Series A round led by Initialized Capital. New Form Capital, Abstract Ventures, Class 5 Global, Quona, Kraynos Capital, Digital Currency Group, and angel investors like Nubank’s former CFO Doug Scherrer and Remessa Online’s Co-Founder Alexandre Liuzzi also participated.
Caliza will use the funds to expand its operations and double its workforce in Brazil and launch operations in Mexico.
“A good portion of the funds we raised will be used in Brazil to develop products for companies involved in commerce, manufacturing, imports, and exports, as well as to intensify our banking operations,” said Ezra Kebrab, Founder and CEO of Caliza.
Caliza offers a payments infrastructure that enables companies to make instant international payments using USDC for real-time settlements, serving as an alternative to SWIFT.
Founded in 2021 by ex-Visa Director Ezra Kebrab, Caliza currently operates in Brazil and has an annualized processing volume of $900M.
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