Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda.

What Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda. does

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda. is a member-owned savings and credit cooperative founded in 1964/1965, headquartered in Durán, Guayas, Ecuador, with a second branch in Guayaquil. It serves more than 17,000 retail members, primarily merchants, salaried employees, and retirees in the Durán-Guayas commuter corridor, offering a full stack of regulated financial products: savings accounts (including programmed and youth 'Chiqui Cuenta' variants), fixed-term deposits (DPF), certificates of contribution, consumer loans, microcredit, real estate loans, productive/commercial credit, Visa debit cards, interbank transfers, bill payments, Seguro de Desgravamen, MoneyGram international transfers, and cash-in/cash-out services. Operations are supervised by SEPS, with deposits protected by COSEDE, and the cooperative carries a BB Estable risk rating.

The cooperative runs on a digital banking platform comprising a mobile app (Banca Móvil on iOS and Android), web portals for individuals (Banca Persona) and businesses (Banca Empresa), a Portal de Pagos for bill settlement, a cash management platform for corporate clients (cash.ladolorosa.fin.ec via the wholly-owned CashManagement Dolorosa subsidiary), and an AI-powered WhatsApp-integrated chatbot ('Lolita') for customer service. Channels extend across two physical branches with extended and Saturday hours, a call center, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), and partner networks (MoneyGram, Servipagos, Pagoágil, Visa). Marketing combines organic social, community and sports sponsorship, monthly and semi-annual DPF sweepstakes, and financial-education modules mandated by SEPS.

The business model is a classic intermediation-plus-fees structure: net interest income from the loan book (credit portfolio above $8M) is supplemented by transaction fees on transfers, debit cards, bill payments, and MoneyGram, plus a small non-interest income stream from leasing office space inside the Durán headquarters. Pricing is usage-based with credit interest rates advertised starting from 4%. Capital base is more than $4.1M in equity, and the institution is privately held by its members with no external parent or PE ownership identified.

Name

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda.

Legal name

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda.

Website

https://ladolorosa.fin.ec

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda. is an Ecuadorian member-owned savings and credit cooperative founded in 1964/1965, serving more than 17,000 merchants, salaried employees, and retirees in Durán and Guayaquil with deposits, loans, debit cards, and digital banking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cooperative Banking

NAICS

Credit Unions (52213), Activities Related to Credit Intermediation (5223)

SIC

Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSABAEAG

Agricultural & Rural Cooperatives (Farm Credit/Co-op Banks)

Financial & Insurance/Banking (Commerical, Retail & Consumer)/Community & Cooperative Banking (Credit Unions, Mutuals)

Keywords

• Cooperative banking services
• Consumer credit products
• Microcredit lending
• Savings accounts
• Payment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Durán

HQ country

Ecuador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Interest Income from Loans: The cooperative generates revenue primarily through interest earned on various loan products including consumer loans, microcredit, real estate loans, and productive/commercial loans.
2. Deposit Taking and Savings: Accepts savings deposits, time deposits (plazo fijo/DPF), and certificate of contributions from members, paying competitive interest rates.
3. Service Fees: Revenue from service charges including transfers, debit cards, payment collection services (Servipagos, Pagoágil), insurance, and cash-in/cash-out services.
4. Office Rental Income: The cooperative leases office space in its building in Duran to third parties, generating additional non-interest income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda. is a community-based cooperative financial institution that provides savings products (savings accounts, programmed savings, Chiqui Cuenta for minors, time deposits/DPF, and certificates of contribution) and credit products (consumer loans, microcredit, real estate loans, and productive/commercial loans) to individual members and small merchants in the Durán–Guayaquil area of Ecuador. It also offers ancillary services such as Visa debit cards, interbank transfers, bill payment collection, credit life insurance, MoneyGram international remittances, cash-in/cash-out transactions, and office rental, delivered through two physical branches and digital channels including a mobile banking app, web portals, and a WhatsApp-integrated chatbot.

Product overview

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda. es una institución financiera cooperativa que opera como una plataforma unificada de productos y servicios financieros. Su oferta principal incluye Banca Móvil como canal digital principal, complemented by productos de Crédito (Consumo, Inmobiliario, Microcrédito, Productivo Comercial) y Cuentas de Ahorro (tradicional, Programado, Chiqui Cuenta para menores, y Plazo Fijo). Ofrece servicios de Tarjeta de Débito Visa, Transferencias Interbancarias, Pago de Servicios, Seguro de Desgravamen, Cash In Cash Out, y Banca en línea para Personas y Empresas. La cooperativa también ofrece servicios complementarios como MoneyGram, Cotizador de Créditos, Portal de Pagos y Alquiler de Oficinas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crédito Consumo (Consumer Credit) Consumer loans for individuals to finance home articles, travel, health expenses, furniture, appliances, and debt consolidation.
• Crédito Inmobiliario (Real Estate Credit) Real estate credit for the acquisition or improvement of real estate properties by cooperative members.
• Microcrédito (Microcredit) Microcredit for microentrepreneurs and small businesses for working capital and purchase of business assets.
• Crédito Productivo Comercial (Productive Commercial Credit) Credit product oriented to finance productive and commercial activities of cooperative members.
• Cuentas de Ahorro (Savings Accounts) Traditional savings accounts for deposits and withdrawals with member benefits at the cooperative.
• Ahorro Programado (Programmed Savings) Savings product that allows members to schedule periodic deposits to achieve savings goals.
• Chiqui Cuenta (Children's Savings Account) Savings account targeted at children and youth to promote financial education from an early age.
• Depósito a Plazo Fijo (Time Deposit / DPF) Fixed-term investments with competitive rates, including monthly and semi-annual promotional sweepstakes for savers.
• Certificado de Aportación (Certificate of Contribution) Certificate that represents the member's participation in the cooperative.
• Tarjeta de Débito Visa (Visa Debit Card) Visa debit card that allows members to access all benefits of the Visa Debit network with global acceptance.
• Transferencias Interbancarias (Interbank Transfers) Interbank transfer service that expedites the exchange of funds between financial entities.
• Pago de Servicios (Bill Payment Services) Service that facilitates the collection of payments for public and private sector services through cooperative offices.
• Seguro de Desgravamen (Credit Life Insurance) Life insurance that covers cooperative members holding credit products.
• Cash In Cash Out Cash-in and cash-out service for financial transactions supporting financial inclusion.
• Banca Persona (Online Banking for Individuals) Online banking portal for individual customers to access accounts, credits, and other services.
• Banca Empresa (Online Banking for Businesses) Online banking portal for business customers with financial management tools.
• Portal de Pagos (Payment Portal) Digital platform for making service and bill payments conveniently and securely.
• MoneyGram International Remittances Authorized MoneyGram payment agent for international money transfers, payment orders, and remittance services.
• Banca Móvil (Mobile Banking App) Mobile banking application for iOS and Android that enables members to perform financial operations, check balances, manage time deposits, and request loans.
• Alquiler de Oficinas (Office Rental) Office rental service in downtown Durán within the cooperative's building, including water, restrooms, elevator, and security services.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 17,000 satisfied customers
• +3 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

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SEPS (Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria)coreOthersPrimary regulatory oversight by Ecuador's Superintendent of Popular and Solidarity Economy. The cooperative operates under SEPS supervision and its representatives must complete SEPS-mandated training on popular and solidarity economy.
• COSEDE (Corporación del Seguro de Depósitos)coreOthersCOSEDE provides deposit insurance protection for cooperative depositors. The cooperative is an active member and displays COSEDE membership on its website, contributing to member confidence.
• Superintendencia de BancoscoreOthersBanking supervision authority that oversees the cooperative and is referenced in the cooperative's bylaws and representative eligibility requirements.
• Banco Central del EcuadorcoreOthersCentral Bank of Ecuador - the cooperative participates in the national financial system under BCE oversight and is listed as a member institution.
• UAFE (Unidad de Análisis Financiero y Económico)coreOthersFinancial Analysis Unit for anti-money laundering compliance. The cooperative provides AML training through its website education module and maintains compliance with UAFE requirements.
• MoneyGramcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe cooperative is an authorized MoneyGram payment agent, providing international money transfer, payment order, and remittance services for customers sending and receiving funds internationally.
• ServipagosminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAlliance with Servipagos network enabling the cooperative to offer bill payment and service collection services to its members through the Servipagos network.
• PagoágilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Pagoágil enabling bill payment and service collection services for cooperative customers through the Pagoágil payment network.
• Visa (Debit Card)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Visa for debit card issuance, providing Visa Debit card services to cooperative members with global acceptance through the Visa network.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BanEcuador: State-owned Ecuadorian development bank providing microcredit, agricultural, and SME financing, especially in underserved and rural areas. Comparable to La Dolorosa in microcredit focus and target segments (small merchants, workers, retirees), with substantially broader national reach.
• Banco Pichincha: Private commercial bank and one of Ecuador's largest financial institutions, offering retail deposits, consumer loans, microcredit, and digital banking. A broad incumbent competing with La Dolorosa for the same retail and SME deposit/lending customers across Ecuador.
• Banco de Guayaquil: Large retail and commercial bank headquartered in Guayaquil with broad deposit, lending, and digital banking products. Comparable to La Dolorosa as a deposit-taking and credit-issuing institution serving the Guayaquil metropolitan area.
• Produbanco: Mid-sized Ecuadorian private commercial bank offering consumer credit, mortgages, and SME banking with national branch distribution. Comparable as a broad-based incumbent competing for retail deposits and consumer credit in the same Ecuadorian market.

Regional players

• Compartamos Banco: Leading Peruvian microfinance bank serving micro-entrepreneurs and underserved retail customers with credit, savings, and insurance products. Comparable to La Dolorosa in microcredit-led business model and financial-inclusion target segments, though operating in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Banco Solidario: Ecuadorian microfinance bank focused on microcredit and financial inclusion for small entrepreneurs and underserved retail segments. Directly comparable to La Dolorosa's microcredit and productive-credit focus and lower-income customer base.
• Cooperativa Jardín Azuayo: Ecuadorian savings and credit cooperative regulated by SEPS offering savings, microcredit, consumer, and productive loans to retail and small-business members. Comparable to La Dolorosa as a member-owned cooperative with shared deposit-taking and lending business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CooperativaLaDolorosa
• Instagraminstagram.com/cooperativaladolorosa
• Xtwitter.com/cooperativaladolorosa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooperativa-de-ahorro-y-cr%C3%A9dito-la-dolorosa-ltda

Compliance1 record

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 Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito La Dolorosa Ltda.