Singapore’s Ant International takes embedded finance arm Bettr to Brazil

The QI Tech deal expands SME lending and BNPL in Brazil.

Singapore-headquartered fintech company Ant International is expanding its embedded finance business, Bettr, to Brazil through a partnership with QI Tech to offer credit products for e-commerce merchants and consumers.

The partnership will initially provide working capital loans to small and medium-sized e-commerce businesses and introduce a buy now, pay later option for consumers shopping on AliExpress, the companies said in a joint statement.

The SME lending programme is designed to help merchants finance inventory purchases and business expansion. AliExpress shoppers will be able to pay for purchases in instalments using the BNPL option at checkout.

The companies said both products will use automated credit assessments based on transactional data, real-time decision-making, and risk management models to match financing with users' repayment capacity.

QI Tech will provide the regulated financial infrastructure, including onboarding, credit analysis, credit issuance, and the structuring of a Credit Rights Investment Fund, or FIDC.

"We work with Ant International to better serve the growing demand for inclusive financial solutions among underserved groups in Brazil, especially small businesses," said Pedro Mac Dowell, CEO and founder of QI Tech.

Quan Yu, general manager of Bettr Credit and senior vice president of Ant International, said the partnership reflects the company's strategy of working with local partners to expand consumer credit access and financing for SMEs.

The companies cited Mordor Intelligence data showing Brazil's e-commerce market is expected to grow to $150.91b by 2031 from $69.21b in 2026.