Avista
Avista is a Colombian digital lending fintech founded in 2019 that originates libranza (payroll-deduction) credit to pensioners and government employees, serving 120,000+ customers across 500+ municipalities through proprietary risk analytics and partnerships with 20+ pension funds.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBogotá, Colombia
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Avista does
Avista Colombia S.A.S. BIC is a Bogotá-based digital lending fintech founded in 2019 that originates libranza (payroll- and pension-deduction) credit targeted at the Colombian silver economy—primarily retirees of Colpensiones, Protección, Porvenir, Colfondos, Skandia, Mapfre Pensionados, FIDUPREVIA, CREMIL, and CASUR, plus active and retired public-sector employees from education secretariats, police, and military. The company operates an end-to-end digital origination platform (AviSilver for pensioners, AviNómina for salary advances, and Salud Silver health-credit products), supported by a proprietary risk assessment system that lends to customers regardless of credit-bureau history and a Decree 2364/2012-compliant electronic signature stack using biometric facial recognition and OTP verification. Coverage extends to more than 500 municipalities across 32 departments, delivered through 25+ branches, a digital-first channel with WhatsApp-driven advisory support, and a Valemas/Valepass alliance reaching 32,000 tienda owners.
Monetisation rests on interest income from originated loans (effective annual rates of 19.5%-29% depending on credit profile), commissions on insurance and ancillary financial services, and emerging revenue from the AviClub marketplace and MoneyGram remittances. Loan tenors extend to 180 months with ticket sizes of COP $1M-140M, and repayment is auto-deducted from pension or salary flows via formal agreements with 20+ pension funds and employer convenios. Cumulative disbursements exceed COP $1.7 trillion (~$370M USD) across 120,000+ customers since inception, with portfolio under administration above COP $1.3 trillion growing 30% year-over-year as of November 2024.
Avista monetises captive cash flows through differentiated distribution rather than technology alone. Over $400M in cumulative funding has come from a mix of debt facilities (Accial Capital, Bancolombia, Ninety One) and Colombia's first fintech bond issuance (COP $40B, partially guaranteed by FNG). The company carries the highest fintech servicer rating in Colombia (Fitch ABPS2+) and a BRC S&P AA- bond/originator rating, with sub-1% portfolio delinquency. Loyalty and marketplace layers—Club Avista and AviClub—plus the new MoneyGram remittance partnership extend the relationship beyond credit into the broader consumption wallet of the pensioner segment.
Avista firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Avista
- Legal name
- Avista Colombia S.A.S. BIC
- Website
- https://avista.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Avista is a Colombian digital lending fintech founded in 2019 that originates libranza (payroll-deduction) credit to pensioners and government employees, serving 120,000+ customers across 500+ municipalities through proprietary risk analytics and partnerships with 20+ pension funds.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Avista industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Digital Lending (Libranza / Payroll Deduction Credit)
- NAICS
- Nondepository Credit Intermediation (5222)
- SIC
- Personal Credit Institutions (6141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Salary-Backed / Payroll-Deducted Secured Loans (FSAKALAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Underwriting Automation & Income/Employment Verification (FSAGAHAD), Multi-Loan / Multi-Creditor Consolidation Loans (FSAKAIAD), Lending & Credit Disbursements (FSAMAKAH)
Keywords
Where Avista is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bogotá
- HQ country
- Colombia
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Avista business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Interest Income from Loan Origination: Avista earns interest income by originating credit loans (libranza) to pensioners and employees. Loans are repaid via automatic payroll/pension deductions. Interest rates range from 19.5% to 29% effective annual depending on customer profile. The company also earns commissions on insurance products and other financial services offered to its customer base.
- Commission Income from Insurance Products: Avista offers insurance products (Salud Silver) to its pensioner customer base, earning commission income from these ancillary financial products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Credit for pensioners with amounts from $1M to $140M COP |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Avista product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Avista is a Colombian fintech that originates 100% digital libranza (payroll and pension deduction) credit products, primarily serving pensioners, government employees, teachers, military, and police personnel. Loans are repaid through automatic deductions from the borrower's pension or salary, with no cosigner required and acceptance regardless of credit history. The company also distributes complementary financial services including health insurance (Salud Silver), debt consolidation, international remittances via MoneyGram, and a seniors-focused marketplace (AviClub).
Product overview
Avista is a Colombian fintech offering a unified platform of digital lending products centered on libranza (payroll deduction credit). The core product family includes AviSilver (pensioner credits), AviNómina (salary advances), and Salud Silver (health-focused products), all processed through a 100% digital platform. The ecosystem is extended through AviClub marketplace for seniors and Club Avista loyalty program. Key differentiators include lending to clients regardless of credit history, no co-signer requirements, amounts up to $140 million COP, terms up to 180 months, and digital-only processing. The company also offers portfolio purchase services, international remittances via MoneyGram partnership, and reaches customers through Valemas/Valepass network of 32,000+ tiendas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AviSilver: Credit product specifically designed for pensioners under the libranza modality.
- AviNómina
- Salud Silver
- AviClub
- Avilife
Products and services
- AviSilver Digital libranza (payroll/pension deduction) credit product specifically designed for pensioners in Colombia, enabling access to loans regardless of credit history or bureau status, without a cosigner, with automatic repayment deducted directly from the borrower's pension.
- AviNómina Salary advance product for active employees with Avista employer convenios, allowing them to access a portion of earned salary before the regular pay date, with repayment deducted directly from payroll.
- Crédito por Libranza (Libranza Credit) Core credit product where loan installments are automatically deducted from the customer's pension or salary, designed for pensioners, teachers, military, and police personnel with active Avista agreements.
- Crédito de Libre Inversión Free-destination credit product allowing pensioner customers to use loan funds for any purpose, including debt consolidation, travel, home improvement, or personal projects, with flexible terms up to 180 months.
- Salud Silver Health-focused financial product and service line offering exclusive healthcare benefits, services, and dedicated WhatsApp support tailored for the senior (silver economy) population.
- Compra de Cartera (Debt Consolidation) Service allowing Avista to purchase a customer's existing debt from other financial institutions and consolidate it into a single loan with potentially better terms, repaid via libranza deduction.
- AviClub Marketplace Digital marketplace specifically designed for seniors, offering technology, wellness products, appliances, and tourism services, where customers can use Avista credit as a payment method.
- Club Avista Loyalty program providing exclusive offers and benefits to active Avista customers, including discounts on health services, education, gastronomy, tourism, and wellness products from partner brands.
- Giros Internacionales (International Remittances via MoneyGram) Service enabling Avista customers to receive international money transfers through MoneyGram directly via WhatsApp, without visiting offices or waiting in lines.
- Centro de Servicio y Atención al Cliente (Customer Service Center) Self-service digital portal that allows customers to submit requests, manage certificates, and receive filing confirmations and estimated response times via email.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30% monthly savings on loan payments compared to other financial institutions
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Avista
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Avista technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Avista partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- MoneyGramcorePartnership enables Avista customers to receive international remittances directly via WhatsApp, eliminating the need to visit physical locations. MoneyGram brings global remittance network while Avista provides digital access platform for pensioners.
- BiocreditminorBiocredit collaborated with Avista to curate products for the AviClub marketplace, providing technology, wellness, and lifestyle products for the silver economy segment.
- Valemas (Valepass)coreAlliance to reach 32,000 independent tienda owners (tenderos) with the Valepass loyalty application. Enables pensioners to access credit solutions near their place of residence through trusted neighborhood merchants.
- ColpensionescoreColpensiones (Colombian Pension Administrator) partnership enables pensioners to access Avista libranza credit with automatic pension deduction.
- Protección, Porvenir, Colfondos, Skandia, Mapfre PensionadoscorePartnerships with major Colombian pension funds enable libranza credit products for their pensioner members with automatic deduction from pension payments.
- Caja de Retiro de las Fuerzas Militares (CREMIL), Caja de Sueldos de Retiro de Policía Nacional (CASUR)corePartnerships with military and police pension funds enable libranza credit for retired armed forces personnel.
- Education Secretariats (Bogotá, Medellín, Antioquia, Cundinamarca, Quindio, Santander, Cesar)coreConvenios with education secretariats enable libranza credit for active and retired teachers in public education.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Avista competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Banco W: Colombian payroll-deduction (libranza) focused bank and Bancolombia Group subsidiary. Directly comparable to Avista as it serves payroll/pension credit to underserved Colombian borrowers, though operates primarily through physical branches rather than a digital-only model.
- Bancamía: Colombian microfinance bank focused on low-income entrepreneurs and underserved populations. Comparable mission (financial inclusion), similar customer profile, with a comparable suite of consumer and microenterprise credit products in Colombia.
- Crezcamos: Colombian fintech providing digital credit to underserved and informal workers. Comparable in target customer (underbanked Colombian borrowers), digital-first origination, and use of alternative data for underwriting.
- Kueski Pay: Mexican fintech specializing in digital consumer credit for underbanked borrowers. Comparable business model: alternative-data underwriting, payroll-deduction integration (Kueski Kaja), digital origination, and focus on previously excluded segments in LatAm.
- Stori: Mexican fintech credit card issuer serving mass-market and underbanked consumers. Comparable in alternative-data underwriting, digital origination, and the mission of extending credit to those rejected by traditional banks in LatAm.
Broad incumbents
- NuBank: Latin America's largest neobank with consumer credit, credit cards, and personal loans across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Comparable digital lending infrastructure, though much larger and broader — could be both a competitive threat and a potential acquirer of Avista.
- Lulo Bank: Colombian digital bank offering consumer credit and savings products. Comparable Colombian digital consumer credit competition, though broader in product scope (savings, payments) and aimed at a higher-income segment.
- Ualá: Large Latin American fintech operating across Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia with credit cards, personal loans, and payroll-linked products. Comparable mission (financial inclusion) and presence in Colombian consumer credit, though operates across multiple verticals.
Emerging players
- Konfío: Mexican fintech providing credit to SMEs and underserved borrowers using alternative data. Comparable use of proprietary risk technology for non-prime borrowers in Latin America, though focused on SME rather than pensioner segments.
- Addi: Latin American BNPL and consumer credit fintech operating in Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico. Comparable in Colombian consumer credit, alternative-data underwriting, and digital-first delivery — adjacent rather than direct overlap on libranza.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Avista social profiles
Digital presenceAvista compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Avista financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Avista leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Avista funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Avista M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Avista
What does Avista do?
Avista is a Colombian fintech that originates 100% digital libranza (payroll and pension deduction) credit products, primarily serving pensioners, government employees, teachers, military, and police personnel. Loans are repaid through automatic deductions from the borrower's pension or salary, with no cosigner required and acceptance regardless of credit history. The company also distributes complementary financial services including health insurance (Salud Silver), debt consolidation, international remittances via MoneyGram, and a seniors-focused marketplace (AviClub).
Is Avista a public or private company?
Avista is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Avista founded?
Avista was founded in 2019. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Avista based?
Avista is headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, in the Latin America region.
How does Avista make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Interest Income from Loan Origination is the primary driver. The others are commission Income from Insurance Products.
Who are Avista's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Banco W, Bancamía, Crezcamos, Kueski Pay and Stori. Broad incumbents are NuBank, Lulo Bank and Ualá. Emerging players are Konfío and Addi.
Does Avista have an API?
No public API is recorded for Avista.
What industry is Avista in?
Avista's product category is Consumer Digital Lending (Libranza / Payroll Deduction Credit). Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKALAI, Salary-Backed / Payroll-Deducted Secured Loans, with a secondary code of FSAGAHAD, Underwriting Automation & Income/Employment Verification. Its NAICS code is 5222 and its SIC code is 6141.