Nu México carries out first financial transaction 20 meters under the depth of the sea

By NuBank

This is an automated translation of the press release issued in Spanish

• With the help of satellite internet, the place where prehistory ended 66 million years ago was the starting point to achieve this digital feat.

Mexico City, October 12, 2023.- Experts agree that at a global level, emerging economies are those that could obtain the greatest benefits by digitizing financial services. A specific case is that of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), which, thanks to technological impetus, is transforming the ways in which people make and receive payments, loans and save.

Although the true transformation of financial services accelerated as a result of the pandemic, this trend today continues to advance on the path to consolidation, since through different technologies that players in the sector have adopted, today users of digital financial services they continue to increase.

Technology has made it possible to simplify processes that for a long time were considered necessary if you wanted to use a financial product, but it has also added to the confidence and peace of mind of users who seek to have control of their money at all times, a key point for expansion. of Nu in our country, which through its mobile application allows its users to have access to an endless number of products and their money.

Therefore, in recent days, with the aim of demonstrating that it is possible for users of digital financial services to have absolute control of the way they interact with their money, the company, which today has more than 3.6 million customers in our country, carried out for the first time a series of financial transactions 20 meters under the sea.

To this end, together with a group of experts, Nu México began to work on a series of processes that would make this desire a reality. The diver that descended 20 meters under the sea needed a cell phone that was connected with an Ethernet cable inside the house to be able to have an internet connection at all times.

“Today, technology allows us to make it a reality that people can have control of their finances at all times regardless of the place, even 20 meters under the sea,” said Gabriel Berta, Creative Leader of Nu México.

Thanks to the satellite connection, and 20 meters under the depth of the sea in Sisal, Yucatán, near the Chicxulub area, a place where more than 66 million years ago a meteorite fell that ended the era of prehistory, today it has been sought to re-signify the place with a new historical fact, by carrying out financial transactions under the sea.

“It is the beginning of a new digital era, where technology allows us to control our finances, even in the most adverse conditions that anyone could imagine,” shared David Zacarías, Creative Leader of Nu México. “This feat, which was accomplished on the first attempt after carrying out 5 previous tests, during which it was necessary to face issues such as geolocation and the ease of use of the cell phone underwater, has earned Mexico a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS ™, in a category that did not exist, and that we could not even dream of,” concludes Zacarías.

Road to the great feat.

To accomplish this feat, it was necessary to carry out a series of tests in controlled environments that made it possible to solve obstacles that put the result at risk. The first of them was in a washing machine, where the case was left for 12 hours to check that no water was getting in, but it was completely flooded.

A couple of days later, a second test in a pool and five meters deep, a new case and a phone with an Ethernet adapter connected to a Starlink network, allowed the test to be successful. However, different factors had to be taken into account: a lower density of the water, no sudden tidal movements and shallow depth.

The third test was carried out in Sisal, Yucatán, 40 kilometers from the coast and 20 meters deep. They spent around 12 hours at sea doing different tests, but the strong movements broke three Ethernet adapters.

The fourth brought together a mechatronics team that, together with Diego Rivero (who adapted the case), firmly sealed the Ethernet adapter so that there would be no movement that would break the cables.

Although the case and cables resisted, that day the Starlink network went down worldwide so it was not possible to do the exercise underwater.

Finally, a test was done five meters in the sea, everything was working perfectly, the case was super powerful in every way and the internet was working perfectly... it was time to achieve the feat.

Thanks to technology, today many financial services have been simplified and, therefore, have had a greater impact on the population, since today it is possible that with just one click on your cell phone you can process a credit card, open an account debit, save or request a personal loan.

ABOUT NUBANK

Nubank, Nu in Mexico, is one of the largest digital financial services platforms in the world, with around 85 million clients in Brazil, Mexico and Colombia. As one of the world's leading technology companies, Nubank relies on its proprietary technology and innovation to create new financial solutions for individuals and SMEs that are simple, intuitive, convenient, low-cost and humane. Guided by its mission to fight complexity and empower people, Nubank is advancing access to financial services in Latin America, connecting profit and purpose to create value and have a positive impact on the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.nubank.com.br