Panacrédito turns 15: more than 100,000 clients served and a new alliance with Claro to expand access to technology
The company was born with a simple premise: to be the financial “pana” of the people the traditional system left out.
EL NUEVO DIARIO, SANTO DOMINGO. — Panacrédito, a Dominican company specializing in alternative credit, celebrates 15 years of operations with a milestone few in its segment can match: more than 100,000 clients served since its founding in 2011.
It does so with a strategic alliance with Claro and a commitment to double its impact over the next five years.
The company was born with a simple premise: to be the financial “pana” — the trusted friend — of the people the traditional system left out.
Entrepreneurs without credit history, independent workers, foreign residents and people with a damaged record who needed a second chance found in Panacrédito what banks would not offer them: someone who said yes, the company notes.
Its model is based on agile, vehicle-backed financing, combining technology and specialized risk evaluation to serve a segment that traditional banking cannot reach.
Today, more than 40% of its clients access formal financial services for the first time through Panacrédito, and a significant share later integrates into the conventional banking system.
New alliance with Claro. As part of its growth strategy, Panacrédito announced an alliance with Claro, the country’s leading telecommunications operator, to expand access to smartphones through accessible financing.
The alliance builds on the experience of CrediGo, Panacrédito’s business line that has already put more than 100,000 smartphones in the hands of people who lacked access to financing to acquire them.
“A smartphone is not a luxury. It is the key to working, communicating and existing in the digital economy. With Claro at our side, we are going to multiply that social impact,” said Víctor Óscar Pacheco, CEO and founder of Panacrédito.
Double in 5 years what was built in 15. The company has set an ambitious goal for the coming years: to double in five what it built in fifteen. To achieve it, it is developing new financial products that combine inclusion with high technology — among them Pananómina, a payroll-based credit that works through HR management platforms and cuts the time between application and disbursement from two weeks to a single day.
“I always explain it with a metaphor: picture a mango tree. Banks are good at picking the low-hanging mangoes — the easy ones, within reach. But there are mangoes higher up, behind the branches, that need a different ladder. That is Panacrédito. We don’t climb blindly: we bring better ladders, ropes and even helmets. We can reach the mangoes the banks cannot, safely,” said Pacheco.
With this milestone, Panacrédito reaffirms its position as the leader in alternative credit in the Dominican Republic and its commitment to keep building bridges between people and the formal financial system, with accessible, transparent solutions centered on those who need them most.