Ant International Invests in R2 to Scale SME Lending Infrastructure Across Latin America

Ant International R2 investment marks a new chapter in Latin America’s fintech and credit-infrastructure story. Ant International, the Singapore-based operator of Alipay+ and global AI-risk systems, has taken a strategic position in R2, the embedded-lending platform enabling digital marketplaces to extend working-capital credit to SMEs across Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Brazil.

R2 powers financing inside platforms such as inDrive, Uber Eats, Rappi, Haulmer and PayU, allowing more than 100,000 small businesses to access capital directly in their transaction flows. Instead of submitting collateral or lengthy documentation, merchants qualify based on real-time revenue behavior and platform trust signals. The amount was not disclosed and represents a primary capital injection supporting R2’s underwriting capacity and regional expansion.

Founded in 2020 by Roger Larach (CEO) and Roger Teran, R2 emerged from the founders’ experience building lending and data-driven financial products for underserved merchants in Latin America. Both founders come from a background at the intersection of technology, underwriting and marketplace economics, recognizing that platform-based commerce in the region generated rich transaction data that banks were not using.

Their thesis — that real-time marketplace signals can outperform collateral-based credit models in emerging markets — led to the creation of R2’s API-driven lending infrastructure and the company’s rapid adoption among gig-economy and delivery-ecosystem platforms.

Ant International R2 investment and AI-driven credit rails in Latin America

This Ant International Latin America credit move reflects a global transformation in SME finance. Credit is migrating from branch networks and paper files toward systems built on data, embedded distribution and AI scoring.

Ant International contributes AI fraud-intelligence, merchant-risk modeling and cross-border connectivity through Alipay+, which links more than 1.8B users to over 100M merchants worldwide. R2 brings deep execution in embedded lending, platform-native underwriting and Latin American regulatory adaptation.

Together, the companies are helping define a credit model where platforms become continuous data engines, similar to the evolution of Stripe Capital, Shopify Capital and Southeast Asian mobility-commerce fintechs.

Brazil in the Ant International Latin America credit strategy

Brazil anchors this Ant R2 fintech deal due to:

• instant payments via Pix
• an open-finance regulatory framework
• a deep fintech talent base and capital markets
• large-scale SME activity

Brazil’s infrastructure leadership makes it a natural launch point for global players deploying AI-driven credit and embedded-finance products across Latin America.

The Firms Behind the Deal

Legal counsel for this Ant International R2 investment has not yet been disclosed. BYL will update partner and associate names once officially confirmed.

Historical legal mandates for R2 include Gunderson Dettmer, advising investors Hi Ventures and Cometa on R2’s 2024 equity round led by Bradley D. Krack and Daniel Gallo, and Holland & Knight, advising Community Investment Management on R2’s 2023 US$100 million debt facility with a cross-border team including Guillermo Uribe Lara, Adrián Gay Lasa, Jorge González Carlini, Michael Emerson, Tatyana Bloom, Fan Yang and Ana Moreno.

If BYL confirms counsel for this transaction first, the article will be updated.

Why this Ant R2 fintech deal matters for LatAm Fintech

This R2 embedded lending architecture reflects a structural shift: financing delivered at the point of economic activity, underwritten by behavioral data and strengthened by AI.

The Ant International R2 investment underscores that the region’s competitive edge in fintech is now defined by infrastructure, not apps — payments create data, data fuels underwriting, and underwriting builds economic rails.

This Ant International Latin America credit strategy positions global fintech technology inside Latin America’s credit backbone, not just alongside it.

Related Reading

• Legal Investment in Brazil and Mexico 2025: Strategy and Growth Insights — provides legal & investment context for Brazil/Mexico.
• Kapital Becomes Latin America’s First AI-Fintech Unicorn With $1.3 B Valuation, Beating Brazil On AI-Fintech Front
• Embedded Finance: Pioneering Pathways to Revenue, Relevance

Resumo em português

A Ant International realizou um investimento estratégico na R2, plataforma de crédito embarcado que já financiou mais de 100 mil PMEs em mercados como México, Chile, Colômbia, Peru e Brasil via marketplaces como Uber Eats, Rappi, inDrive e outros. O valor não foi divulgado. A operação combina o motor de risco baseado em IA da Ant com a infraestrutura de crédito da R2. BYL atualizará os escritórios jurídicos quando confirmados.

Resumen en español

Ant International anunció una inversión estratégica en R2, plataforma de crédito embebido que ha financiado más de 100 mil PYMEs en México, Chile, Colombia, Perú y Brasil. La R2 opera dentro de apps como Uber Eats, Rappi e inDrive. Valor no divulgado. BYL actualizará los asesores legales cuando sean confirmados.