With the registration of “Mercado Banco”, the company reaffirms its strategy to expand its financial services, with a view to a future launch in 2026.
Mercado Libre continues to take firm steps to establish itself as a complete financial entity. The company, which already operates in the field of financial services through Mercado Pago, recently registered the brand “Bank Market” at the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) of Argentina. This registration could demonstrate its intention to obtain a banking license, a process that has already begun in other markets such as Mexico and Brazil.
Although the services that “Mercado Banco” would offer have not yet been detailed, it is speculated that they will include traditional products such as savings accounts, loans and credit cards, along with digital solutions.
According to the trademark registration that the company carried out last May, Mercado Banco would have scope in activities such as financial transactions with physical and digital currencies; investment management and financial advice; issuance and administration of credit and debit cards; credit rating and savings and checking account management services; operations linked to virtual currencies and electronic wallets.
For its part, the process to register the trademark was published in the INPI bulletin, granting Mercado Libre the rights to “Mercado Banco” for a period of ten years, until 2034. A no small fact is that if it can move forward, the firm led by the Argentine businessman Marcos Galperin, would only begin operating in 2026.
In this framework, it is important to highlight that the company details that the trademark registration responds to a common practice that aims to protect the company’s corporate identity.
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In Argentina, Mercado Libre faces legal disputes with Modo, the digital wallet promoted by major banks. While Modo accused Mercado Libre of anti-competitive practices, Marcos Galperin’s company responded with a complaint for cartelization before the National Commission for the Defense of Competition.
The truth is that beyond this dispute, Mercado Libre has the support of the national governmentthe President of the Nation Javier Milei himself recently met with Marcos Galperín, and that may be the necessary support for him to finally have his own bank.
Currently, in Argentina there are two main ways to operate as a bank: process authorization from the Central Bank from scratch or acquire an already authorized financial entity. At the moment Marcado Libre has not moved forward with any of these options while the market is still waiting for news.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
