What began as an app to buy digital dollars in Mexico evolved into a comprehensive finance platform for the affluent segment. ARQ is backed by two of the most recognized funds in the world and with two million active users.
From DolarApp to ARQ: the evolution
DolarApp was born in 2022 with a specific proposal: that Mexicans could manage digital dollars without the abusive commissions of traditional banking. Fernando Terrés, Zach Garman and Álvaro Correa founded it by detecting a neglected segment: professionals with high incomes and an increasingly global financial life.
The region’s large fintechs had focused on the unbanked. Nobody was building anything serious for those who already had access to the financial system, but needed to operate in several countries and currencies at the same time. That’s where DolarApp came in, and now ARQ.
“The goal was always to build an environment that went beyond cross-border finance,” stated Fernando Terrés, CEO and co-founder of ARQ.
What ARQ offers today
With the brand change also comes a broader offering. ARQ is not just a dollar wallet: it is a platform where users can receive payments from abroad, invest in international markets, pay anywhere in the world with their new Prestige metal card and access credit products, all from one place.
The technological bet is on stablecoins, which allow money to be moved across borders faster and cheaper than conventional financial channels.
What’s coming for ARQ
Two million users is a milestone, but ARQ sees it as the starting point. With fresh US$70 million, the company has fuel to scale its operation in the markets where it is already present and advance into new territories in America.
The timing is not coincidental. Mexico is the largest remittance corridor in the world, with US$64 billion flowing from the United States each year. ARQ is positioned right in the center of that flow, with an infrastructure designed for the users who most move money across borders.
