Z1 carried out a mass layoff in December 2024; reporting said more than 70 employees were cut across marketing, compliance, CX, finance, and backend functions.
SourceDigital bank for teenagers in LatAm connected to prepaid card
Public company, workplace, funding, and market signals
Z1 was a São Paulo-based Gen Z neobank for teenagers and young adults in Brazil/LatAm, built around a free digital account, prepaid Mastercard card, PIX payments, and financial education. In February 2025, NG.CASH absorbed Z1’s customer base and Z1 was folded into NG.CASH as a standalone brand.
Primary product
Digital bank app for teenagers and young adults with a prepaid Mastercard card and PIX-enabled account
Founded
2019
Headquarters
São Paulo, Brazil
Team size
1-10
Industry
Financial Services
Sub-industry
Teen / Gen Z digital banking and payments
Offices
0 jobs at Z1
Check back later for new openings
Business model
Stage
Series B
Total raised
$26.2M
Latest round
Venture Round · Apr 2023
Latest amount
$11M
Leadership
Co-Founder & CEO
Co-Founder & COO
Co-Founder & CTO
Co-Founder & CMO
Gen Z-oriented and mission-driven, with a strong emphasis on autonomy, privacy, social identity, diversity, and inclusive language. Public hiring materials also suggested a remote-friendly, collaborative culture.
Compensation
Public job ads showed PJ-style hiring for engineering in Brazil (e.g. BRL 4k-7k monthly for a junior mobile role) and remote sales roles with USD 2k-3k monthly base plus uncapped commission. No broad public salary bands or visa policy were found.
Benefits
Pricing
Free core banking / prepaid account (historically there was a $2 monthly subscription before it was removed); revenue appears to have come primarily from interchange and related financial product monetization
Differentiators
Technology
Customers
Competitors
Estimated revenue
$1M-$10M
Estimated monthly visits
5.5K
Traffic estimate as of Jun 2026
Z1 carried out a mass layoff in December 2024; reporting said more than 70 employees were cut across marketing, compliance, CX, finance, and backend functions.
SourceNG.CASH absorbed Z1’s customer base; Z1’s accounts were migrated and the Z1 brand effectively stopped operating separately.
SourceMobills · Feb 2025
Follow-up coverage of the NG.CASH/Z1 integration, noting the migration of Z1 accounts and the combined scale of the customer base.
Startups · Feb 2025
Reported that NG.CASH absorbed Z1’s user base, that Z1 would cease as a separate brand, and that the transition negotiations began in late 2024.
Finsiders Brasil · Jul 2023
Reported that Z1 received Brazilian Central Bank approval to operate as a payment institution, strengthening its regulatory position.
LAVCA · Apr 2023
Covers Z1’s 2023 financing round led by Homebrew, Parade Ventures and Kindred Ventures, with follow-on participation from other existing investors.
TechCrunch · Nov 2021
Reported Z1’s $10 million Series A, the move to free core banking, and rapid growth in users and revenue at the time.