Nu Holdings NU has reached a scale in Latin America that many fintechs can only dream of. In the first quarter of 2026, the company counted 135 million customers across its footprint, with Brazil alone accounting for 85% of the adult population using its platform.
Such breadth is translating into powerful financial performance. Quarterly revenues crossed $5 billion for the first time in the quarter, rising 42% year over year. At the same time, gross profit surged to $1.9 billion, up 27% year over year. While many U.S. fintech peers continue to burn cash, Nu Holdings reported $871 million in net income in the quarter, climbing 41% year over year.
The interplay is clear: rapid customer adoption feeds top-line growth, credit drives gross profit, and disciplined execution ensures bottom-line strength. Brazil is the anchor, but Mexico and Colombia are adding meaningful momentum. Nu Holdings isn’t merely scaling; it’s scaling profitably and at a pace that places it well ahead of many fintech rivals.
By demonstrating that growth and profitability don’t have to be mutually exclusive, NU is carving out a rare position in digital banking: a fintech giant that’s already highly profitable, yet still in the middle of a steep growth curve.
Peer Pressure?
While Nu Holdings continues to surge ahead in Latin America, U.S.-based peers like SoFi Technologies SOFI and Block XYZ are taking different routes to growth. SoFi is focusing on deepening customer relationships through bundled financial services like lending, investing and banking. Its strategy seems to emphasize lifetime value over rapid user expansion. Meanwhile, Block is sharpening its dual ecosystem approach, serving both individual users through Cash App and small businesses via Square.
While both SoFi and Block are evolving steadily, NU’s pace and scale of customer acquisition in emerging markets underscore a distinct momentum that sets it apart in the global fintech landscape.
NU’s Price Performance, Valuation, Estimates
The stock has declined 28.5% year to date against the industry’s 5% decline.
From a valuation standpoint, NU trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12.28, which is well above the industry’s 10.54. It carries a Value Score of C.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NU’s 2026 earnings has stayed unchanged over the past 30 days.
NU stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).