Cooperativa JEP
Cooperativa JEP is Ecuador's largest member-owned financial cooperative, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Cuenca. It serves 1.5M+ members with savings, credit, mortgage, microcredit, and card products across 64 agencies, 1,000+ ATMs, and digital banking channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersCuenca, Ecuador
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cooperativa JEP does
Cooperativa JEP (Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito "Juventud Ecuatoriana Progresista" Ltda.) is an Ecuadorian member-owned financial cooperative headquartered in Cuenca, founded in 1971 and recognized since 2007 as the largest cooperative in Ecuador and the third-largest in Latin America and the Caribbean. The cooperative operates as a multi-product financial services platform: it accepts deposits through branded savings vehicles (AhorrosJEP, FondoJEP, JEPito for children, AhorroINTELIJEP, InversionesJEP), extends credit across consumer (CréditosJEP), microcredit (MicroJEP), SME (CrediPYMES), and mortgage (CrediMIVIVIENDA) products, and issues Visa/MasterCard credit and debit cards under the Tarjetas JEP brand.
JEP's underlying technology stack centers on digital banking infrastructure rather than novel AI: a web-based online banking platform (JEPVirtual, available in Spanish, English, and Kichwa), a mobile application distributed across iOS, Android, and Huawei's AppGallery (JEPMóvil), a QR-based payment feature launched in 2024 (JEPFaster) operating at 100,000+ affiliated merchants and CajerosJEP ATMs, and a proprietary network of more than 1,000 ATMs nationwide. Distribution combines 63–64 physical agencies across 17 provinces, the ATM/QR network, field-based credit advisors, a 24/7 bilingual call center, and self-serve digital channels.
JEP's revenue model is a classic cooperative spread business: it earns net interest income from its credit book, transaction fees from 215,000+ credit cards, and service fees from money transfers (JEPGiros), e-invoicing, and complementary services. Pricing is regulated by the Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria (SEPS) and not publicly itemized. The cooperative serves a long-tail of Ecuadorian consumer and SMB segments — individuals, PYMES, microentrepreneurs, homebuyers, and children — across urban and rural areas, where it ranks among the top eight financial institutions in Ecuador and holds an AA local risk rating.
Cooperativa JEP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cooperativa JEP
- Legal name
- Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito "Juventud Ecuatoriana Progresista" Ltda.
- Website
- https://jep.coop
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Cooperativa JEP is Ecuador's largest member-owned financial cooperative, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Cuenca. It serves 1.5M+ members with savings, credit, mortgage, microcredit, and card products across 64 agencies, 1,000+ ATMs, and digital banking channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cooperativa JEP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cooperative Banking
- NAICS
- Credit Unions (522130), Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (522)
- SIC
- Savings Institution, Federally Chartered (6035), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus) (FSABAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs) (FSABAEAC)
Keywords
Where Cooperativa JEP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cuenca
- HQ country
- Ecuador
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Cooperativa JEP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Credit Interest Income: Interest income from personal loans, business credits (CrediPYMES), microcredit (MicroJEP), mortgages (CrediMIVIVIENDA), and other credit products extended to members
- Savings and Investment Returns: Interest paid to members on savings accounts (AhorrosJEP, FondoJEP), time deposits, and investment certificates (InversionesJEP)
- Credit Card Transaction Fees: Interchange fees and transaction charges from 215,000+ JEP Visa and MasterCard credit cards in circulation
- Service Fees: Fees for services including money transfers (JEPGiros), electronic invoicing, and other complementary financial services
- Digital Banking Services: Revenue from digital service offerings including online credit processing and virtual account management
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Savings accounts with variable interest rates based on balance and account type |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Credit products with interest rates based on creditworthiness and loan type |
| Subscription | Annual | Investment certificates with fixed or variable returns |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cooperativa JEP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cooperativa JEP is a member-owned cooperative financial institution that provides retail savings accounts, investment certificates, and a range of credit products (personal, microcredit, SME, and mortgage) to Ecuadorian individuals, microentrepreneurs, and SMEs. Members access these services through 64 physical agencies, 1,000+ proprietary ATMs, Visa/MasterCard-branded cards, and proprietary digital banking platforms (JEPVirtual and JEPMóvil), supported by a 24/7 bilingual call center and field-based credit advisors.
Product overview
Cooperativa JEP operates as a multi-product cooperative financial institution organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offering spans savings products (AhorrosJEP, FondoJEP, Ahorros JEPito for children, AhorroINTELIJEP, InversionesJEP), credit products (CréditosJEP general loans, MicroJEP microcredits, CrediMIVIVIENDA housing loans, CrediPYMES SME loans), and card services (Tarjetas JEP Visa & Mastercard credit/debit cards across a network of 1,000+ CajerosJEP ATMs). Digital access is delivered through JEPVirtual (web-based online banking in Spanish, English, and Kichwa) and JEPMóvil (iOS/Android/Huawei mobile app), which includes JEPFaster QR payment functionality. Supplementary services include JEPGiros money transfers, Factura Electrónica e-invoicing, and complementary insurance offerings. The cooperative also provides financial education content and savings/credit simulator tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- JEPVirtual: Online banking platform for persons and businesses
- JEPMóvil
- JEPFaster
- CréditosJEP
- AhorrosJEP
- FondoJEP
- JEPito
- AhorroINTELIJEP
- InversionesJEP
- MicroJEP
- CrediMIVIVIENDA
- CrediPYMES
- CajerosJEP
- Tarjetas JEP
Products and services
- AhorrosJEP Core savings account allowing members to deposit and withdraw funds with monthly interest accrual; serves as the primary transaction and savings vehicle for individual members.
- FondoJEP Fund-style savings/investment product offered to members for accumulation of funds with returns, accessed via the online banking platform.
- Ahorros JEPito Savings account targeted at children and adolescents, opened by parents or guardians to promote early financial education and savings habits.
- AhorroINTELIJEP Intelligent savings product with enhanced features designed for strategic, goal-oriented saving by individual members.
- InversionesJEP Investment certificates allowing members to invest funds for fixed or variable returns over annual periods, with minimum investment amounts applicable.
- CréditosJEP General-purpose credit/loan product covering member needs such as health, business, housing, vehicle purchases, and personal expenses, with interest rates varying by loan amount, term, and member profile.
- MicroJEP Microcredit product targeting microentrepreneurs and small informal businesses, providing small loans with quick approval processes for business startups and income-generation activities.
- CrediMIVIVIENDA Housing mortgage credit product for the purchase, construction, or improvement of homes, providing long-term affordable financing to individual members.
- CrediPYMES Credit product designed specifically for small and medium-sized enterprises (PYMEs), providing business financing, working capital, equipment purchases, and growth expansion financing.
- Tarjetas JEP Credit and debit cards issued under Visa and MasterCard networks, with over 215,000 active cards enabling access to international payment network services for members.
- JEPVirtual Web-based online banking platform enabling account management, transactions, credit applications, investment certificate inquiries, and electronic invoicing for individual and business members; supports Spanish, English, and Kichwa.
- JEPMóvil Mobile banking application for iOS, Android, and Huawei devices providing account access, transfers, transaction management, credit operations, and QR payment (JEPFaster) functionality for individual and business members.
- JEPGiros Domestic money transfer and remittance service enabling members to send and receive funds through the cooperative's branch network.
- Factura Electrónica Electronic invoicing service for businesses, integrated with the JEPVirtual online banking platform to issue and manage electronic invoices.
- Servicios Complementarios Supplementary financial services including insurance products and complementary offerings extended to members alongside core banking.
Quantifiable outcome
- Serving 1.5+ million members as of 2025
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cooperativa JEP
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cooperativa JEP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Cooperativa JEP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- VisacoreJEP issues Visa-branded credit cards as part of its card portfolio, enabling members to access international payment network services
- MasterCardcoreJEP issues MasterCard-branded credit cards as part of its card portfolio, enabling members to access international payment network services
- COSEDE (Corporación del Seguro de Depósitos)coreDeposit insurance corporation that protects member deposits up to specified limits, providing security for JEP depositors
- SEPS (Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria)coreRegulatory oversight body for the popular and solidarity economy sector that supervises and regulates JEP's operations
- Superintendencia de Bancos y SeguroscoreBanking and insurance superintendent that originally regulated JEP before SEPS took over in 2013
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Cooperativa JEP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Banco Solidario: Ecuadorian microfinance-oriented bank focused on microcredit and SME lending. Overlaps with JEP's MicroJEP and CrediPYMES franchises, though Banco Solidario operates as a regulated microfinance bank rather than a cooperative.
Broad incumbents
- Produbanco (Grupo Promerica): Major Ecuadorian commercial bank offering retail and corporate banking, credit cards, and digital channels. Competes with JEP in savings, lending, and card products but as a regulated commercial bank with a wider service range.
- Banco Pichincha: Ecuador's largest private commercial bank, offering deposits, credit, cards, and digital banking nationwide. Comparable as a competing provider of retail financial services, but operates as a for-profit commercial bank with a much broader portfolio and balance sheet than JEP.
- Banco del Pacífico: One of Ecuador's largest commercial banks, providing deposits, credit, and payment services nationwide. Comparable in retail financial product breadth, but as a full-service commercial bank rather than a member-owned cooperative.
Direct peers
- Cooperativa Jardín Azuayo: One of the largest savings and credit cooperatives in Ecuador, serving retail members across multiple provinces with savings, credit, and digital banking. Directly comparable in product mix, member-owned model, and SEPS-regulated cooperative structure.
- Cooperativa 29 de Octubre: Large Ecuadorian savings and credit cooperative offering personal loans, microcredit, and SME financing to members. Comparable to JEP as a top-tier Ecuadorian cooperative serving similar retail and SMB segments under SEPS oversight.
- Cooperativa Mushuc Runa: Ecuadorian indigenous-led cooperative focused on savings, credit, and microfinance for underserved populations. Comparable to JEP in cooperative structure, member-owned model, and emphasis on financial inclusion across rural provinces.
- Cooperativa El Sagrario: Mid-sized Ecuadorian savings and credit cooperative operating in retail and SME lending under SEPS. Comparable business model and product set to JEP, though at a smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cooperativa JEP social profiles
Digital presenceCooperativa JEP compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Cooperativa JEP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cooperativa JEP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cooperativa JEP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cooperativa JEP 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 Cooperativa JEP
What does Cooperativa JEP do?
Cooperativa JEP is a member-owned cooperative financial institution that provides retail savings accounts, investment certificates, and a range of credit products (personal, microcredit, SME, and mortgage) to Ecuadorian individuals, microentrepreneurs, and SMEs. Members access these services through 64 physical agencies, 1,000+ proprietary ATMs, Visa/MasterCard-branded cards, and proprietary digital banking platforms (JEPVirtual and JEPMóvil), supported by a 24/7 bilingual call center and field-based credit advisors.
Is Cooperativa JEP a public or private company?
Cooperativa JEP is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Cooperativa JEP founded?
Cooperativa JEP was founded in 1971. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Cooperativa JEP based?
Cooperativa JEP is headquartered in Cuenca, Ecuador, in the Latin America region.
How does Cooperativa JEP make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Credit Interest Income is the primary driver. The others are savings and Investment Returns, credit Card Transaction Fees, service Fees and digital Banking Services.
Who are Cooperativa JEP's main competitors?
Banco Solidario is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Produbanco (Grupo Promerica), Banco Pichincha and Banco del Pacífico. Direct peers are Cooperativa Jardín Azuayo, Cooperativa 29 de Octubre, Cooperativa Mushuc Runa and Cooperativa El Sagrario.
Does Cooperativa JEP have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cooperativa JEP.
What industry is Cooperativa JEP in?
Cooperativa JEP's product category is Cooperative Banking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSABAEAA, Community Credit Unions (Retail/Consumer Focus), with a secondary code of FSABAEAC, Community Development Credit Unions (CDCUs). Its NAICS code is 522130 and its SIC code is 6035.