Every failed transaction, delayed payment, or fragmented system can quietly undermine a business, frustrating customers and draining revenue, especially when reliable support isn’t available to resolve issues quickly. These gaps disrupt operations, slow growth, and erode trust in a competitive market. Iconic leaders tackle these challenges by creating seamless, intelligent, and automated payment solutions that simplify complexity and ensure reliability at every step, turning what was once unpredictable into a smooth, efficient process that empowers businesses to focus on growth, enhance customer satisfaction, and transform payments from a pain point into a powerful driver of success.
Juan Pablo Ortega, Co-founder and CEO of Yuno, exemplifies this approach, driving the company’s impressive growth and impact in the global payments space. Recognizing the challenges businesses face with fragmented systems, failed transactions, and complex regulations, he built a platform that simplifies and optimizes payments worldwide. Under his leadership, Yuno has evolved into a fully integrated orchestration platform that intelligently routes transactions, reduces friction, and leverages AI to automate complex workflows, enabling businesses to scale efficiently and confidently while turning payments into a growth driver.
By focusing on merchant experiences, fast onboarding, reliable transactions, and AI-driven operations, Juan Pablo Ortega has delivered measurable results, including higher approval rates, faster payment recovery, and reduced fraud costs. Strategic decisions such as global expansion, partnerships with major players like Stripe, Mastercard, Visa, and dLocal, and investments in cutting-edge technology have positioned Yuno as a trusted partner for enterprises worldwide.
Milestones like supporting payments in 200 countries and 180+ currencies, processing over $300 billion in transactions annually, and earning accolades including CNBC’s world’s top fintech companies and the “Best Payments API” award underscore his vision of transforming a fragmented payments landscape into a seamless, reliable, and growth-enabling opportunity, proving how customer-focused leadership and innovation can drive lasting success.
The Inspiration Behind Yuno
Juan Pablo Ortega was inspired to found Yuno after experiencing firsthand the complexities of managing payments at scale. While running his previous company, Rappi, he navigated operations across nine countries, each with its own payment providers, regulations, and consumer preferences. Every market demanded custom integrations, constant problem-solving, and ongoing adjustments to payment performance, highlighting the fragmented nature of the global payment infrastructure.
With Yuno, Juan Pablo set out to simplify this complexity. The platform was built to act as a single partner for enterprises offering seamless access to the best payment methods, providers, and tools. By streamlining payments, Yuno turns a once-complicated and fragmented process into a smooth, efficient system that accelerates business growth worldwide.
Building from Experience
Juan Pablo Ortega describes his journey as a founder as humbling and intense. Launching Yuno with its first merchant revealed new challenges at every step—each integration exposed unique edge cases, and every market brought surprises, from local payment quirks to unexpected regulatory hurdles. The team had to learn in real time, often feeling like they were building the plane while flying it.
These early experiences highlighted the fragmented and demanding nature of the payments landscape, emphasizing the importance of getting it right. From that point on, every decision focused on enhancing the merchant experience through faster onboarding, more resilient routing, and clearer insights.
Some of the most pivotal moments came from quiet breakthroughs, such as automating complex workflows, resolving obscure fraud issues, or recovering lost revenue when no one else could. These small wins gradually compounded, leading to stronger partnerships, increased investor interest, and a platform capable of powering billions of dollars in transactions across dozens of countries. By tackling challenges one merchant at a time, Juan Pablo Ortega and his team have built a system that is fundamentally transforming global payment flows and the way businesses operate worldwide.
A Complete Payment Orchestration Platform
Yuno stands out in the fintech and payments ecosystem by functioning as a comprehensive orchestration layer rather than a single-point solution. While most payment companies focus on one aspect, such as a gateway, processor, or for fraud prevention, Yuno connects all payment tools and providers, enabling intelligent routing, minimizing friction, and optimizing outcomes in real time. The company is deeply committed to an AI-driven approach, investing heavily in capabilities that allow global enterprises to automate traditional payment and customer service processes. By combining advanced technology with seamless orchestration, Yuno aims to build not just a modern payment stack, but a smart, adaptable, and truly global financial infrastructure.
Strategic Global Expansion
Yuno’s recent growth has been driven largely by its strategic global expansion and deep integration of AI across operations. By establishing a presence in key markets—North America, Europe, APAC, and the Middle East—the company was able to understand local nuances, build strong regional teams, and forge meaningful relationships with payment providers. This hands-on approach created trusted partnerships and gave merchants greater confidence in the platform, laying a strong foundation for sustained growth.
Simultaneously, Yuno’s commitment to AI has transformed the way it operates, going beyond a simple technical upgrade to become a core part of its mindset. Adaptive systems, faster decision-making, and tools that anticipate merchant needs have enhanced efficiency, increased approval rates, accelerated payment recovery, and reduced manual interventions, reinforcing Yuno’s reputation as a reliable, innovative, and forward-thinking partner for businesses around the world.
Smart Routing for Faster, Safer Transactions
To stay ahead in the rapidly evolving fintech landscape, Yuno focuses on key trends and innovations that help merchants optimize payments, ensure compliance, and deliver seamless, secure experiences:
- Localized payment preferences: Consumers around the world pay differently, and that diversity is only increasing. Yuno is doubling down on regional integrations to ensure merchants can offer the right methods in every market.
- AI across the payment stack: From smart routing to payment recovery, AI is reshaping how payments are optimized. Yuno has embedded AI into the core of its platform to improve outcomes and automate complexity.
- Real-time payments and wallets: Instant, account-to-account payment systems are gaining ground globally. Yuno supports these rails and helps merchants adapt without overhauling their infrastructure.
- Regulatory shifts (e.g., PSD3, data privacy): Compliance is becoming more complex, especially in regions like Europe and MENA. Yuno is investing in infrastructure that adapts to evolving regulations, so merchants don’t have to scramble.
- Checkout and fraud becoming one conversation: The line between user experience and risk management is blurring. Yuno allows merchants to orchestrate both intelligently—maximizing approvals without sacrificing security.
Simplifying Global Payments For Merchants
Yuno builds and maintains a strong, purpose-driven culture by centering the company around a clear and focused vision: simplifying global payments for merchants. This shared purpose keeps the team aligned across different regions and time zones. The company emphasizes autonomy and accountability, encouraging employees to take ownership of outcomes rather than just complete tasks. By celebrating both successes and lessons, Yuno fosters a growth mindset that drives continuous learning, collaboration, and a motivated, engaged global team.
Collaborating with Industry Leaders to Expand Reach
Yuno has recently strengthened its position in the payment ecosystem through expanded partnerships with leading players such as Stripe, Mastercard, Visa, and dLocal, enhancing its global reach and enabling more advanced payment orchestration for merchants. Looking ahead, the company plans to further expand its presence across Asia, the MENA region, and North America to meet the growing demand for localized and intelligent payment infrastructure. In addition, Yuno is actively broadening its solutions to support crypto and stablecoin payments, preparing to serve forward-looking merchants exploring the next frontier of digital finance.
Industry Recognition
Yuno’s impact and success can be seen both in the recognition it has received and the measurable results it has delivered for its customers:
- Recognized by CNBC as one of the world’s top fintech companies.
- Awarded “Best Payments API” for the strength and reliability of its technology.
- Helped customers achieve up to a 20% increase in approval rates.
- Enabled a 30% reduction in fraud costs for clients.
- Assisted in recovering millions of dollars through smarter payment orchestration.
These achievements highlight not only the industry recognition Yuno has received but also the tangible impact it delivers for its customers, demonstrating the company’s innovation, reliability, and effectiveness in transforming global payments.
Time Distribution Across Key Leadership Areas
Juan Pablo Ortega allocates his time across key priorities to ensure balanced focus on strategy, growth, and team development:
| Activity | Time Allocation |
| Strategy & Product | 30% |
| Partner & Merchant Conversations | 20% |
| Team Leadership & Hiring | 15% |
| Fundraising & Investor Relations | 15% |
| Media & Thought Leadership | 10% |
| Internal Process & Culture | 10% |
Global Reach Across 200+ Countries
The following highlights from recent coverage and announcements showcase Yuno’s growth, impact, and industry recognition:
- $25 Million Series A Funding: Yuno raised $25 million in a Series A round, led by top investors, to accelerate global expansion. (Forbes)
- Strategic Collaborations: Partnered with major players like PayPal to simplify digital payments and strengthen global infrastructure. (YouTube)
- Global Expansion: Expanded services to over 200 countries, integrating 1,000+ payment methods, reinforcing its international presence. (CityBiz)
- AI-Driven Innovation: Leveraged AI to optimize payment orchestration, reduce friction, and enhance approval rates. (YouTube)
These points demonstrate how Yuno is combining strategic investments, partnerships, and cutting-edge technology to drive meaningful impact in the global payments space
Focus on the Problem, Not the Solution
Juan Pablo Ortega advises that one should not get attached to a specific solution, but instead focus on truly understanding the problem. In the crowded tech space, the greatest opportunities arise from tackling deep, persistent, and meaningful challenges. He emphasizes the importance of surrounding yourself with smarter people, building with resilience, and measuring success by real impact rather than vanity metrics. Above all, he encourages asking whether the work being done genuinely makes someone’s life better, simpler, or safer.
Creating Systems That Work Invisibly but Impactfully
Juan Pablo Ortega aims to build infrastructure that endures—systems that may be invisible but are essential to the functioning of global commerce. As a leader, he strives to be remembered for empowering people, both within Yuno and across the wider ecosystem, to perform at their best, take bold risks, and drive positive change. Ultimately, his focus is not just on achieving success, but on creating lasting significance.
Juan Pablo Ortega’s 5 Powerful Business Mantras
- Focus on the Problem, Not the Solution: Identify deep, persistent challenges and build solutions around them rather than chasing trendy fixes.
- Prioritize People and Teams: Surround yourself with talented individuals and empower them to do their best work.
- Build Resilient, Enduring Systems: Create infrastructure that may be invisible but is essential to global operations.
- Measure Success by Real Impact: Track outcomes that genuinely improve lives, not vanity metrics.
- Embrace Bold Leadership with Purpose: Take calculated risks, drive positive change, and aim for lasting significance beyond short-term success.
