Barri Financial Group

What Barri Financial Group does

Barri Financial Group, operating as Barri Money Services, LLC, is a Texas-headquartered, multi-channel financial services firm founded in 1984 and focused on the US Hispanic market. Its core offering is international money transfer from the United States to eight or more Latin American countries (Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru), delivered through a network of hundreds of physical stores, an authorized agent program, a bilingual iOS/Android mobile app (Barri Money Transfer, rated 4.9), and a web platform at barri.com. The company holds money-transmitter licensing under NMLS #937962, including via the DolEx DBA in 39+ states, with a recent regulatory extension into a seventh state (North Carolina) via a partnership with Alpha Modus Financial Services.

The product portfolio extends beyond remittances into adjacent transactional and stored-value services: check cashing at roughly 1% commission, US and cross-border bill payment (to Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala), instant mobile phone top-ups across the US and Latin America, money orders and postal money orders, and the Barri Visa Debit Card issued by Green Dot Bank (FDIC-insured, with early direct deposit up to 2 days for payroll and 4 days for government benefits). Credit is offered as a distribution partnership rather than a balance-sheet product: $300-$10,000 personal loans from Oportun, funded by Pathward, N.A., inside Barri locations. Technology infrastructure centers on the mobile app, the barri.com web platform, KYC/AML identity verification (biometrics, government ID, SSN/TIN, carrier data), Plaid bank-linking for the debit card, and agent-network management systems.

The business model is predominantly transaction-fee based on remittances, check cashing, bill pay, mobile reloads, and card interchange/overdraft, supplemented by a $5/month debit card fee (waived with $500+ direct deposits) and affiliate revenue from the Oportun loan referral channel. Go-to-market is community-rooted and bilingual, leveraging brand heritage (30+ years), in-store signage, social media, and word-of-mouth within the Hispanic community to drive high-volume, low-ticket retail transactions rather than enterprise contracts. Ownership remains private following a 2006 investor acquisition, with no disclosed venture or growth funding rounds and a leadership team including CEO Alberto Laureano and CFO Alexander Csitkovits.

Name

Barri Financial Group

Legal name

Barri Money Services, LLC

Website

https://barri.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Barri Financial Group is a Texas-based, multi-state licensed money transmitter serving the US Hispanic community via hundreds of retail stores, an agent network, and a bilingual mobile app, offering remittances to 8+ Latin American countries, check cashing, bill payment, mobile top-up, and a Green Dot-issued Visa debit card.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Remittance and Financial Services

NAICS

Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Remittances & Retail FX (Consumer Cross-Border) (FSABAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cross-Border Card-Based Transfers & Multi-Currency Cards (FSAGAKAE)

Keywords

• International money transfers
• Remittance services
• Check cashing
• Prepaid debit cards
• Bilingual financial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. International Money Transfers: Fees charged for international remittance services sending money to Mexico, Central America, and South America. Transfers available in minutes through physical kiosks and mobile app.
2. Check Cashing: Commission-based service with 1% fee for check cashing, providing immediate liquidity without requiring a bank account.
3. Barri Visa Debit Card: Monthly fee of $5 (waived with $500+ direct deposits), overdraft protection fees, and transaction fees. Issued through partnership with Green Dot Bank.
4. Bill Payment Services: Service allowing customers to pay utility bills, phone, cable, and other services in the US and internationally to Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.
5. Mobile Top-Up: Instant mobile phone recharges for prepaid phones across the US and Latin America.
6. Personal Loans Partnership: Partnership with Oportun for personal loans ($300 to $10,000). Barri acts as distribution channel for loan products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Barri Financial Group, operating as Barri Money Services, LLC, provides international remittance and consumer financial services primarily to the Hispanic community in the United States. Core offerings include international money transfers to Latin America, check cashing, bill payment, mobile phone reloads, and a prepaid Visa debit card, delivered through hundreds of physical store locations, a mobile application, and an authorized agent network.

Product overview

Barri Financial Group (operated as Barri Money Services, LLC) offers a multi-channel financial services platform centered on international money transfers and remittances to Latin America. The core product is the Barri Money Transfer service, accessible through physical store locations, the Barri Mobile App, and online platform. The product portfolio includes complementary financial services such as check cashing, bill payment, mobile phone reloads, personal loans (via Oportun partnership), and the Barri Visa Prepaid Debit Card (issued by Green Dot Bank). The company operates hundreds of physical store locations across multiple U.S. states and serves the Hispanic community with Spanish-language services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Barri Money Transfer International money transfer service enabling individuals to send funds from the United States to Latin American countries including Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Peru, accessible via physical stores, mobile app, and online.
• Check Cashing Service Check cashing service with approximately 1% commission, providing instant liquidity without requiring a bank account. Available at Barri physical store locations.
• Bill Payment Service Utility and service bill payment service enabling customers to pay electricity, water, gas, phone, cell, and cable bills domestically and internationally for family members in Latin America.
• Mobile Phone Reload Instant mobile phone recharge service for prepaid phones across hundreds of carriers in the United States and Latin America.
• Barri Visa Debit Card Prepaid Visa debit card issued by Green Dot Bank (Member FDIC) enabling users to send money, pay bills, manage remittances, make purchases, and access direct deposit up to 2 days early. Features include fee-free cash deposits at Barri stores and mobile banking via the Barri app.
• Personal Loans (via Oportun Partnership) Personal loans ranging from $300 to $10,000 offered through partnership with Oportun, with loans issued by Pathward, N.A., distributed at Barri store locations.
• Postal Money Orders (Giros Postales) Postal money order service for customers needing traditional document-based remittance options, available at Barri physical store locations.
• Agent Network Program Partner agent program allowing independent businesses to offer Barri financial services including money transfers, bill payment, and mobile recharges, generating additional revenue streams for participating agents.

Quantifiable outcome

• Available in 7 states with regulatory authorization covering 17+ million households
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alpha Modus Holdings (Alpha Modus Financial Services)coreTechnology or Integration · 23 June 2026Alpha Modus Financial Services received non-objection response from North Carolina Commissioner of Banks to operate as authorized delegate of Barri Money Services, enabling Alpha Cash check deposit and remittance services across kiosks and mobile app in North Carolina. This extends Barri's regulatory footprint to 7 states.
• OportuncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOportun partners with Barri to offer personal loans from $300 to $10,000 through Barri store locations. Loans are issued by Pathward, N.A. This partnership brings lending services to Barri's customer base.
• Green Dot BankcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGreen Dot Bank (Member FDIC, operating under brands including GO2bank, GoBank, Bonneville Bank) issues the Barri Visa Debit Card and provides FDIC-insured deposit accounts. Barri serves as distribution channel for Green Dot banking products.
• NetSpend CorporationminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerBarri operates as authorized delegate of NetSpend Corporation for prepaid card products under Chapter 151 of the Texas Finance Code.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Remitly: Digital-first remittance company publicly competing in many of Barri's same US-to-Latin America corridors; comparable target customer (Hispanic immigrants) but with a mobile-only delivery model.
• Western Union: The dominant global money transfer operator with extensive US-Latin America corridor coverage and a large agent/store network; competes directly with Barri in cross-border remittances and adjacent services like bill pay.
• MoneyGram: Large US-based money transfer company with strong Latin America remittance corridors and a multi-channel retail and digital model directly comparable to Barri's offering.
• Intermex: Money transfer company specializing in US-to-Mexico and Latin America corridors with both retail and digital channels; operates a similar retail-agent-plus-app hybrid model targeting Hispanic consumers.
• Unidos Financial Services (formerly Sigue): Hispanic-focused money transfer company with a comparable retail store and agent network serving US-to-Mexico and Central America remittance corridors, directly competing with Barri in the same customer segment.
• ACE Cash Express: Multi-state retail financial services chain offering check cashing, money orders, bill pay, prepaid debit cards, and money transfers; directly comparable store-based business model serving similar underbanked customers.
• PLS Financial Services: Retail financial services chain with hundreds of locations offering check cashing, money orders, prepaid cards, and money transfers to Latin America; highly comparable store-based model serving underbanked consumers.

Emerging players

• Felix Pago: WhatsApp-based remittance startup focused on US-to-Latin America corridors serving Hispanic customers; emerging competitor with overlapping corridor focus and customer demographic.

Broad incumbents

• Green Dot Corporation: Large fintech and bank holding company issuing the Barri Visa Debit Card and similar prepaid products; broader incumbent in the underbanked banking space and a critical infrastructure partner for Barri.

Others

• Oportun: Personal loan provider that distributes loans through Barri store locations and serves a substantially overlapping Hispanic customer base; a commercial partner today with potential to evolve into a more direct competitive overlap in consumer credit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barrigroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/barrigroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barri-financial-group

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barri Financial Group