Cafaba

What Cafaba does

Cafaba, formally Caja de Compensación Familiar de Barrancabermeja, is a Colombian non-profit "caja de compensación familiar" founded in 1965 and headquartered in Barrancabermeja, Santander. It operates as a government-regulated social welfare administrator for the Magdalena Medio region, funded by mandatory 4% payroll contributions (aportes parafiscales) from affiliated employers, and supervised by the Superintendencia de Subsidio Familiar and the Ministerio del Trabajo.

Its service portfolio spans monetary subsidies, school subsidies, housing subsidies, unemployment benefits (FOSFEC), social credit, an employment agency, recreation and tourism, and a wholly-owned vocational training subsidiary called Instituto Técnico CAFABA. Delivery channels include a physical headquarters and a satellite operating unit in Puerto Wilches, the TUCAFI self-service web portal, and the PSE electronic payment gateway, with Daviplata digital wallet enablement recently added. Commercial alliances (for example with pet service providers such as Smart Pets, Los Cachorros, and Mundo Animal) and a strategic inclusion partnership with the regional disability association AMDIS round out the ecosystem.

Commercially, Cafaba does not charge individual members for affiliation; revenue is structurally derived from the 4% employer contribution, with modest fees on specific services such as technical institute courses and tourism. The model is defined by its regulatory mandate rather than market competition, and the organization's growth path is tied to payroll base evolution in its assigned regional catchment rather than to product or geographic expansion.

Name

Cafaba

Legal name

Caja de Compensación Familiar de Barrancabermeja

Website

https://cafaba.com.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cafaba (Caja de Compensación Familiar de Barrancabermeja) is a Colombian government-regulated non-profit family compensation fund, founded 1965, that collects mandatory 4% employer payroll contributions in the Barrancabermeja/Magdalena Medio region and delivers monetary, housing, education, recreation, social credit, and employment services to affiliated workers and employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Family Compensation Fund / Social Welfare Services

NAICS

Credit Unions (522130), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310)

SIC

Short-Term Business Credit Institutions (6153)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs) (FSABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ)

Keywords

• Family compensation fund
• Social welfare services
• Monetary subsidies
• Housing assistance
• Technical vocational training

Headquarters

HQ city

Barrio La Granja

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employer Contributions (Aportes Parafiscales): As a Colombian family compensation fund (Caja de Compensación Familiar), Cafaba collects mandatory contributions from affiliated employers at a rate of 4% of the monthly payroll. These funds are used to provide social benefits including monetary subsidies, housing assistance, recreation, education, and employment services to affiliated workers and their families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cafaba (Caja de Compensación Familiar de Barrancabermeja) is a Colombian government-regulated family compensation fund that collects mandatory employer contributions (4% of monthly payroll) and redistributes them as social welfare benefits to affiliated workers and their families in the Barrancabermeja region. Its service portfolio includes monetary, school, housing, and unemployment subsidies, technical-vocational training through Instituto Técnico CAFABA, recreation and tourism programs, social credit, and employment agency services, delivered through a physical headquarters, the TUCAFI online portal, and the PSE payment gateway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Monetary Subsidy (Subsidio Monetario)
• School Subsidy / School Kit 2026 (Subsidio Escolar)
• Housing Subsidy (Subsidio de Vivienda)
• Services Subsidy (Subsidio de Servicios)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Smart PetsminorOthersCommercial partnership providing pet-related services and discounts to affiliated members. Listed under commercial alliance categories on the Cafaba partners portfolio.
• Los CachorrosminorOthersPet services commercial alliance offering discounts and benefits to Cafaba affiliated members.
• Mundo AnimalminorOthersPet care services partnership providing member benefits through the commercial alliance program.
• AMDIS (Asociación del Magdalena Medio Para la Discapacidad)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional disability advocacy organization that visited Cafaba offices to acknowledge the organization's work supporting people with disabilities in the Magdalena Medio region. Demonstrates Cafaba's commitment to social inclusion.
• Super Subsidio (Superintendencia del Subsidio Familiar)coreOthersGovernment regulatory body overseeing family compensation funds in Colombia. Supervises and regulates Cafaba's operations.
• Ministerio de TrabajocoreOthersColombian Ministry of Labor, the government authority responsible for labor policy and oversight of compensation fund system.
• Servicio de EmpleocoreOthersNational employment service platform operated by the Colombian government, partnered for employment agency services and job placement.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Cajacopi Atlántico: Regional Caja de Compensación Familiar serving Atlántico and northern Colombia. Comparable as a Caja operating under the same regulatory regime with similar subsidy, housing, education, and employment services, but in a different Colombian region.
• Comfenalco Valle: Caja de Compensación Familiar based in Valle del Cauca. Comparable as another Colombian Caja with the same statutory mandate, parafiscal revenue model, and diversified welfare-service portfolio, but serving a different regional economy.
• Comfenalco Cartagena: Regional Caja de Compensación Familiar operating in the Bolívar/Cartagena area. Comparable as a peer Colombian Caja with the same 4% parafiscal funding model and statutory welfare, housing, education, and recreation services, though serving a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Comfama: Major Antioquia-based Caja de Compensación Familiar. Comparable as a Caja with an extensive education, housing, health, credit, and recreation portfolio under the same regulatory regime, providing a benchmark for service breadth within the Colombian Caja system.
• Compensar: One of the largest Cajas de Compensación in Colombia, headquartered in Bogotá. Comparable as a Caja operating the same parafiscal model with a much broader service portfolio (health, education, recreation, credit, housing), illustrating the upper bound of scale Cafaba could aspire to within the same regulatory framework.
• Cafam: Large Bogotá-based Caja de Compensación Familiar. Comparable as a Colombian Caja operating the same parafiscal contribution model with a wide service portfolio including clinics, education, recreation, and credit — relevant for benchmarking service diversification.
• Colsubsidio: Major Bogotá-based Caja de Compensación Familiar. Comparable as a Caja running the same parafiscal-funded welfare, education, housing, recreation, and credit model at national scale, providing a reference point for digital and service-line maturity within the regulatory framework.

Direct peers

• Comfenalco Santander: Caja de Compensación Familiar operating in the same Santander region with overlapping employer pool and statutory service mandate. Directly comparable as a competing regional Caja serving similar workers and employers in adjacent Santander municipalities.
• Cajasan: Caja de Compensación Familiar also operating in the Santander department of Colombia. Closely comparable because both are regional Santander Cajas providing the same statutory subsidy, housing, education, and credit services to affiliated workers under the same Colombian regulatory framework.

Others

• Superintendencia del Subsidio Familiar: Colombian government regulator that supervises all Cajas de Compensación Familiar, including Cafaba. Relevant as the principal counterparty and rulemaker for Cafaba's contribution rate, subsidy rules, and operational scope; not a peer in product terms but the defining institutional relationship.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cafaba38

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cafaba