Nu Holdings Ltd. NU, the parent of Nubank, has built one of Latin America’s largest digital financial platforms. Its branchless model combines credit cards, deposits, loans, payments and investment products in one mobile application. The company ended the first quarter of 2026 with more than 135 million customers across Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, giving it greater consumer reach than many digital-banking rivals.
NU shares have risen about 6.3% over the past month, outperforming close fintech peers SoFi Technologies, Inc. SOFI and StoneCo Ltd. STNE over a comparable recent period. SoFi and StoneCo shares have gained 1.1% and roughly 3.8%, respectively. The comparison suggests that investors have responded positively to Nu’s earnings growth, improving efficiency and progress in Mexico, even as the wider fintech group has remained uneven.
However, a rising share price does not remove the risks. NU is expanding lending rapidly, investing in artificial intelligence and preparing for measured entry into the United States. Investors must balance these growth opportunities against higher provisions, credit exposure and a valuation that already assumes continued execution.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Customer Growth Supports the Bull Case for NU
Nu Holdings’ scale remains its clearest advantage. The company passed 115 million customers in Brazil, 15 million in Mexico and approached 5 million in Colombia. Monthly activity remained strong at 83%, while monthly average revenue per active customer increased to around $16. These trends helped quarterly revenues reach approximately $5 billion for the first time in the first quarter of 2026.
Profitability also improved. First-quarter net income reached a record $871 million, up 41% year over year on an FX-neutral basis. NU’s reported efficiency ratio fell to 17.6%, showing that revenues continue to grow faster than operating expenses. Management expects the full-year ratio to move closer to 20% as delayed marketing, property and investment costs return during later quarters.
Mexico offers another major opportunity. Nu Holdings’ customer base has expanded from slightly more than 2 million to 15 million in four years. The operation also recorded its first quarter of IFRS profitability ahead of management’s internal plan. Mexico remains underbanked, and NU currently controls less than 1% of the profit pool it hopes to address.
AI and New Products of NU Could Lift Engagement
Management is using artificial intelligence to speed product development, improve credit decisions and lower servicing costs. Engineering output increased more than 50% year over year, while AI-based financial tools were already serving above 15 million monthly active users. Nu Holdings’ proprietary models are being used for credit-card decisions and unsecured lending, allowing the company to assess individual loan requests in under one second.
The company is also expanding into small-business banking. NU has approximately 5 million small-business customers in Brazil, many acquired by cross-selling services to existing personal-banking users. This base could support further growth in business cards, deposits, and secured and unsecured loans without large customer-acquisition spending.
Credit Expansion Creates Risk for NU
NU’s credit portfolio climbed 40% to $37.2 billion, led by a 53% increase in unsecured lending. Total credit exposure, including available card limits, rose 44% to $70.7 billion. Because credit cards and unsecured loans made up 98% of new exposure, the company had to record larger expected-loss provisions.
Early-stage delinquencies increased to 5% from 4.11% at year-end, while risk-adjusted net interest margin declined to 9.5% from 10.5%. Management attributed most of the change to normal seasonality, portfolio growth and product mix rather than weakening borrowers. Still, investors should closely watch these measures because rapid unsecured lending can produce larger losses during an economic downturn.
NU’s Estimate Revisions
While earnings estimates for both 2026 and 2027 have been revised marginally downward over the past 60 days, the consensus mark has remained unchanged in recent times. However, these figures suggest year-over-year growth of 33.87% and 38.07%, respectively.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Is NU Stock Fairly Valued?
NU trades at approximately 13.48 times forward earnings. That is well below SoFi Technologies’ forward multiple of about 24.53 times but considerably above StoneCo’s 4.9 times. The discount to SoFi appears reasonable because SoFi operates in the competitive U.S. market and receives a higher growth premium. Nu Holdings’ premium over StoneCo reflects its larger customer platform, stronger earnings expansion and broader consumer-banking opportunity.
NU's Valuation
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
NU is not an obvious bargain. StoneCo offers a much cheaper valuation, while SoFi Technologies provides exposure to U.S. lending and financial technology. Investors choosing Nu Holdings over StoneCo or SoFi are betting that its Latin American scale, Mexico expansion and credit models will continue producing above-average growth.
NU Stock Recommendation: Hold
Nu Holdings has a strong long-term story built around customer growth, low operating costs and a rising presence beyond Brazil. Mexico’s first profitable quarter, higher customer revenues and record net income show that the business can scale effectively. AI tools and small-business products may create additional growth, while NU’s valuation is more reasonable than SoFi Technologies’ multiple.
However, the stock’s recent 6.3% rise, growing unsecured-credit exposure and higher provisions call for patience, and NU must ensure that rapid lending growth will not weaken asset quality. It seems prudent for existing investors to retain their positions, but new buyers may wait for a better entry price.
At present, NU carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power .
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Nu Holdings Ltd. (NU): Free Stock Analysis Report
StoneCo Ltd. (STNE): Free Stock Analysis Report
SoFi Technologies, Inc. (SOFI): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).