How one fintech is using AI to fix Latin America’s broken mortgage system

A broken mortgage system has shut out millions across Latin America. Now one Chilean fintech is using AI to change that by offering fairer, faster access to home ownership for families the banks have long ignored. By David Muñoz, CEO of Creditú

If you’ve ever tried to buy a home in Latin America without a perfect credit score, a steady pay packet, and a pile of paperwork, you probably hit a wall. Not a figurative one—an actual system that’s designed to keep most people out.

That’s the system we’ve been working to fix at Creditú.

We’re a fintech born in Chile, now active in Brazil and Peru, and focused on one thing: making home ownership possible for the people banks overlook. We started back in 2017, and while the mission hasn’t changed, the tools definitely have. This year, we became the first mortgage lender in South America to fully power its lending engine with AI. And it’s not just a headline—it’s working.

“Why AI? Because speed matters. But fairness matters more”

We use data to make credit decisions in seconds—not weeks or months. And not just the usual financial data. Our system looks at how people actually live and spend. We factor in things like income patterns, subsidy eligibility, spending behaviour. That single mum who runs a business from her home but doesn’t have formal payslips? She can now get a mortgage decision online, without setting foot in a bank.

That’s not just a faster process—it’s a fairer one. Because real life doesn’t fit into a bank’s checkbox.

“This isn’t about replacing banks. It’s about building what’s missing”

We don’t see ourselves as a bank. Or even as a challenger to banks. We’re building infrastructure for something bigger: a housing finance system that includes people, not filters them out.

Today, we’re originating and managing thousands of mortgages across three countries. We’ve built tech that serves investors, real estate partners, and, most importantly, families. We’ve already passed US$3 million in annual SaaS revenue and manage a portfolio of over US$500 million. And yes, that’s a big number—but what matters to us is that more than 12,000 families are behind it. Most of that money is going to people who never had this chance before.

In Chile we launched a new loan to help people pay the deposit on a home—usually the hardest part. Now adapting it to Brazil, where subsidy beneficiary segments need it more than ever, it’s picking up fast. In Peru, we’re preparing other home-related digital loans and services in a market where most people are self-employed or informal workers. We don’t assume what works in one place will work in another. We talk to people. We listen. And we build tech that adapts.

It’s probably no surprise that more than half our clients are women—many of them heads of household. That’s not a branding effort. That’s what happens when you design products for real life, not just for spreadsheets.

What’s next?

We’re building a platform that connects real estate companies, families, and the whole financial system—banks, non-banks, fintechs, whoever wants to be part of the solution. Brokers can simulate loans instantly. Government subsidies can plug in directly. Customers get answers right away.

And our SaaS tools are growing fast. Real estate companies are using them to digitize the process end-to-end. It’s not just more efficient—it’s a different experience altogether. Transparent, fast, and built around people, not bureaucracy.

We’re proud to have been finalists at South Summit 2025, selected by the Endeavor Peru Scale Up programme and winners at Proptech Latam Summit week, three milestones that reaffirm the relevance and scalability of our solution.

There’s still a long way to go. But every loan we approve is a step closer. Not just to a house—but to a system that actually works for the people who need it most.

At Creditú, we don’t think of technology as a magic fix. But used right, it can open doors. Literally.

Further information

Produced with support from Creditú. For further information, visit www.creditu.com