Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Fernando Terrés is the co-founder and CEO of ARQ (S21), a fintech company building global banking for the growing number of people in Latin America who live, work, and invest across borders.
The company recently closed a $70 million Series B co-led by Sequoia and Founders Fund, and now processes more than $10 billion in annualized transaction volume.
In this fireside, Fernando sat down with YC Partner Aaron Epstein to reflect on ARQ's journey from YC to one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in Latin America.
arqfinance.com
Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/apply
Work at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobs
00:00 — ARQ's $70M Series B
00:31 — What ARC Actually Does
01:09 — The Real Pain of Cross-Border Money
03:07 — From Consulting to Startup
04:10 — The Revolut Years & Crypto Insight
06:03 — First YC Check, Mexico City Mall
07:00 — What Customers Actually Wanted
09:57 — Imposter Syndrome Is Universal
11:19 — Never Celebrating Milestones
12:38 — The "Unreasonable Ambition" Value
16:04 — How They Hire & Set Goals
18:44 — Why They Rebranded from Dollar App
23:47 — Expanding to Four Countries
27:57 — Surviving the 2022 Crypto Crash
29:42 — The Next Five Years for ARQ
31:12 — How They're Using AI
37:07 — What YC Did for ARQ
Fernando Terrés is the co-founder and CEO of ARQ (S21), a fintech company building global banking for the growing number of people in Latin America who live, work, and invest across borders.
The company recently closed a $70 million Series B co-led by Sequoia and Founders Fund, and now processes more than $10 billion in annualized transaction volume.
In this fireside, Fernando sat down with YC Partner Aaron Epstein to reflect on ARQ's journey from YC to one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in Latin America.
arqfinance.com
Apply to Y Combinator: ycombinator.com/apply
Work at a startup: ycombinator.com/jobs
00:00 — ARQ's $70M Series B
00:31 — What ARC Actually Does
01:09 — The Real Pain of Cross-Border Money
03:07 — From Consulting to Startup
04:10 — The Revolut Years & Crypto Insight
06:03 — First YC Check, Mexico City Mall
07:00 — What Customers Actually Wanted
09:57 — Imposter Syndrome Is Universal
11:19 — Never Celebrating Milestones
12:38 — The "Unreasonable Ambition" Value
16:04 — How They Hire & Set Goals
18:44 — Why They Rebranded from Dollar App
23:47 — Expanding to Four Countries
27:57 — Surviving the 2022 Crypto Crash
29:42 — The Next Five Years for ARQ
31:12 — How They're Using AI
37:07 — What YC Did for ARQ
