Cooperativa JEP

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.

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

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

• Cooperative banking
• Savings accounts
• Credit services
• Microcredit lending
• Digital banking

Headquarters

HQ city

Cuenca

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Credit Interest Income: Interest income from personal loans, business credits (CrediPYMES), microcredit (MicroJEP), mortgages (CrediMIVIVIENDA), and other credit products extended to members
2. Savings and Investment Returns: Interest paid to members on savings accounts (AhorrosJEP, FondoJEP), time deposits, and investment certificates (InversionesJEP)
3. Credit Card Transaction Fees: Interchange fees and transaction charges from 215,000+ JEP Visa and MasterCard credit cards in circulation
4. Service Fees: Fees for services including money transfers (JEPGiros), electronic invoicing, and other complementary financial services
5. Digital Banking Services: Revenue from digital service offerings including online credit processing and virtual account management

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationJEP issues Visa-branded credit cards as part of its card portfolio, enabling members to access international payment network services
• MasterCardcoreTechnology or IntegrationJEP 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)coreOthersDeposit insurance corporation that protects member deposits up to specified limits, providing security for JEP depositors
• SEPS (Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria)coreOthersRegulatory oversight body for the popular and solidarity economy sector that supervises and regulates JEP's operations
• Superintendencia de Bancos y SeguroscoreOthersBanking and insurance superintendent that originally regulated JEP before SEPS took over in 2013

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging 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

• Xx.com/cooperativajep
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@COOPERATIVAJEP
• Facebookfacebook.com/coopjep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooperativajep
• Instagraminstagram.com/cooperativa_jep
• Pinterestca.pinterest.com/cooperativajep
• TikToktiktok.com/@cooperativajep

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cooperativa JEP