Colombia's Platam Brings In B Venture Capital to Fuel SME Lending

Colombian financial technology firm Platam has added B Venture Capital to its shareholder base, according to Dealroom, as the company pushes to expand lending to the country's small and medium-sized enterprises.

The deal, reported by Dealroom, makes B Venture Capital a new investor in Platam. The infusion comes as Platam seeks fresh funding to grow its loan book serving SME borrowers in Colombia.

Small and medium-sized enterprises form the backbone of Colombia's economy, and access to credit remains one of the main constraints on their growth. Platam has positioned itself in that gap, extending financing to businesses that traditional banks often underserve.

The addition of B Venture Capital gives Platam an institutional backer as it competes in a Latin American SME lending market that has drawn rising investor attention in recent years. Fintech lenders across the region have raised capital to reach businesses excluded from conventional bank credit, and Colombia has emerged as one of the more active markets for such investments.

Dealroom first reported the transaction. The report identifies the two parties by name — Platam, the Colombian SME lender, and B Venture Capital, the incoming investor — and frames the capital as funding for the company's lending expansion.

For Platam, the investment arrives at a moment when scaling loan portfolios requires sustained capital. SME lenders depend on continuous funding lines to originate new loans, and equity backing of this kind supports both originations and the balance sheet behind them.

For B Venture Capital, the move marks another bet on financial services infrastructure serving smaller businesses in the region. Venture investors have increasingly targeted the segment, viewing SME credit as a large, underpenetrated market with strong demand.

The transaction signals continued confidence in Colombian fintech despite a more selective funding environment. Investors across Latin America have tightened their criteria since the peak years of 2021 and 2022, concentrating capital in companies with proven unit economics rather than growth at any cost. A lender raising fresh equity in that climate points to durable demand for its product.

It also fits a broader pattern in the region. Across Latin America, lenders focused on small businesses have attracted follow-on capital as they demonstrate repayment performance and scale. Colombia, with a large SME base and a developing credit infrastructure, has been a recurring destination for such bets.

Neither Platam nor B Venture Capital has disclosed the size of the investment or the valuation attached to it, according to the Dealroom report. The parties also have not publicly detailed the intended deployment schedule for the new funds.

The immediate stakes are clear. Platam now has additional capital to put to work in SME loans, and B Venture Capital has a position in a Colombian lender targeting one of the region's most persistent credit gaps. The next test will be how quickly Platam converts the new funding into loan growth — and whether the expansion holds up as competition for quality SME borrowers intensifies.