MetLife, one of the world's largest financial services companies, has entered into a strategic partnership with Mercado Pago, a digital bank of the Mercado Livre Group, through its digital business unit in Latin America – MetLife Xcelerator – to offer fully digital credit insurance in Brazil, integrated into the personal credit application process for Mercado Pago customers.
This collaboration represents a major step in expanding access to financial protection in Brazil, by incorporating insurance into one of the most important moments in a customer's life: taking out a personal loan. The new product offers coverage for situations such as death, involuntary unemployment, hospitalization, and temporary disability, helping people protect their financial commitments.
With 68 million active users in Latin America, Mercado Pago is one of the most important digital banks in Brazil, and the partnership with MetLife aims to generate a real impact at scale for Brazilians, especially in a context where credit plays a significant role in financing families and small businesses.
In Brazil, expanded credit to families totals approximately R$4.5 trillion—approximately 36% of GDP, according to the Central Bank (July 2025), an 11.9% increase over the last twelve months. This volume reflects the importance of personal credit in the financial lives of millions of Brazilians, reinforcing the need for voluntary protection solutions to support this access.
"MetLife and Mercado Pago have joined forces to democratize access to insurance in Brazil. We believe that insurance needs to be where the customer is. Therefore, developing integrated solutions across major platforms is a strategic priority for us. This partnership allows us to scale with technology, simplicity, and social impact," explains Breno Gomes, Country Manager of MetLife Brazil. According to a recent MetLife survey, approximately 61% of Brazilians say they believe they need to be prepared if something bad happens, reinforcing the importance of partnerships that bring life protection to more families.
Optional, transparent and 100% digital insurance
The new insurance is 100% digital—from contracting to activation—and fully integrated into the Mercado Pago app. The customer journey is designed to be fluid, intuitive, and tailored to each user's financial situation, with complete transparency at every stage: customers will always have the option to purchase the service or not and will be informed of the terms and conditions when they apply for a loan in the app.
"Today, considering the policies offered in the Mercado Livre ecosystem, we are the digital bank that distributes the most insurance products 100% online in Latin America, and we continue to expand our operations. We are proud to partner with MetLife Xcelerator to offer our customers a new layer of protection—simple, affordable, and fully digital," says Daniel Issa, head of Insurtech at Mercado Pago in Brazil.
The alliance aligns with the strategic objectives of both organizations: to scale with innovation, open new digital channels and sources of value, and promote financial inclusion with technology and customer focus at the center of everything.
For users, the value is clear: protection is offered exactly when it matters most—at the time of credit application—without bureaucracy or complexity. The product is affordable, easy to sign up for, and provides users with greater security in the face of unforeseen circumstances.
"Insurance doesn't have to be complex to be effective," says Javier Cabello, Head of MetLife Xcelerator for Latin America. "Over the past two years, we've reached more than 5 million people with Xcelerator's digital solutions in the region, offering protection simply, voluntarily, and at the right time. We're reaching people who might never have considered purchasing insurance," concludes Cabello.
