In the most indebted country in Latin America, where 67% of the population has no financial reserves to deal with unforeseen events, according to a Fiduc survey, Brazilian startups are beginning to transform consumers’ relationship with money. One of the initiatives gaining prominence is SmartSave, a fintech accelerated by Start Growth which automates the creation of emergency reserves through rounding up everyday transactions.

The proposal is simple: for every credit card purchase, a pre-configured amount set by the user is automatically invested into a kind of digital piggy bank. “We know saving is difficult, especially in a country where more than half the population deals with tight budgets. SmartSave solves this by eliminating the need for conscious effort to save,” says Marilucia Silva Pertile, CEO, co-founder of Start Growth and startup mentor.

With over a thousand people accessing the platform, the startup emerges as a practical response to a structural problem. Datafolha’s findings reinforce the concerning scenario: seven out of ten Brazilians have no emergency savings. In this context, automated solutions gain relevance by democratizing access to investment, without requiring technical knowledge or large initial amounts.

The methodology is based on the concept of digital microeconomics. “It’s a way to make money work for the user without requiring radical changes to their habits,” explains Marilucia. The fintech has already raised over R$1 million in investments and is part of Start Growth’s portfolio, which has operated as a venture capital and accelerator for innovative businesses since 2014.

For the founder of Start Growth, the impact of solutions like this goes beyond the individual level. “Creating access to financial reserves isn’t just a matter of personal discipline but of economic justice. The more Brazilians have autonomy to face unforeseen events, the stronger the ecosystem of consumption, credit, and entrepreneurship will be,” she assesses.

With the app already operational, SmartSave provides integrations and features that allow users to track, in real time, the growth of their reserves and the possibilities for diversifying saved amounts, as well as configuring personalized values to be automatically saved.