Tensec, a fintech innovator reshaping how FX brokers handle cross-border payments, has raised $12 million in a Seed funding round. The round was led by Costanoa Ventures, Quiet Capital, Cambrian, IGNIA Partners, Montage Ventures, Renegade Partners, and Endeavor Scale Up Ventures, showcasing strong confidence in the company’s ability to modernize and streamline international financial flows.

Founded by Helcio Nobre and Sandrine Cousquer-Okasmaa, Tensec is pioneering real-time, smart cross-border payment infrastructure specifically designed for FX brokers and other high-volume transaction platforms. Tensec’s platform enables real-time, smart international settlements, giving FX brokers the ability to move money across jurisdictions with complete transparency, built-in compliance, and minimal cost leakage.

Most fintech startups obsess over UI, speed, and user acquisition. But the real unlock in regulated financial infrastructure is designing for systemic trust - long before it’s demanded by regulators or enterprise clients. Tensec doesn’t treat compliance as a last-mile problem. They build it into the core product layer - automating AML logic, embedding jurisdictional constraints into APIs, and eliminating audit risks at scale.

The moment you serve enterprise or cross-border customers, your product is no longer just a tool - it’s an enabler of regulatory obligations. If your platform can’t pass a compliance audit blindfolded, you’re not building infrastructure - you’re gambling with scale.

As Tensec deepens its product suite, its use cases are expanding rapidly. FX brokers now rely on the platform not just for execution speed, but also for onboarding workflows, KYC integration, and cross-border treasury orchestration.

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A Smart Infrastructure for a Borderless Financial World

Tensec’s platform stands out in a crowded fintech landscape by offering end-to-end transparency, regulatory-grade security, and seamless API integrations for financial institutions. The core premise: making global revenue streams smarter, faster, and more compliant.

By serving FX brokers - a segment often underserved by traditional financial platforms - Tensec enables high-frequency traders and cross-border businesses to settle faster, reduce currency exchange overhead, and gain better visibility over international transactions.

“We’re not just building a faster payment system - we’re building a better one for a future where revenue isn’t confined by borders,” said Co-founder Helcio Nobre.

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Why It Matters Now

The fintech infrastructure renaissance is here, and smart money is moving beyond consumer apps to back the pipes that make the ecosystem work. Cross-border B2B fintech solutions are expected to see a 20% CAGR through 2028, driven by global e-commerce, rising currency volatility, and increased digital bank adoption in emerging markets.

Traditional banks continue to struggle with slow-moving SWIFT rails, fragmented compliance standards, and patchwork APIs. Tensec’s unified approach allows FX firms to expand into LATAM, Europe, and Asia, all while keeping costs predictable and risk exposure minimal.

Trust isn’t something you scale after product-market fit - it’s something you build in from day one.

The startups that win in payments, lending, and infrastructure don’t just ship fast - they get ahead of compliance debt. By embedding financial intelligence into the core product architecture, they unlock access to customers who would otherwise never take the risk.

Tensec is doing what forward-thinking fintech founders must emulate: designing systems that earn trust at scale, not just transaction velocity. If your infrastructure doesn’t make your customers’ auditors smile, you’re not building defensible tech - you’re just building software.

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Why the Market is Ripe for Disruption

The cross-border payment space is undergoing tectonic shifts. According to McKinsey’s 2024 Global Payments Report:

• B2B cross-border payment volumes are growing at 10% CAGR.
  
• More than 65% of international financial institutions cited speed, cost, and visibility as key pain points.
  
• Fintechs captured $4 trillion in B2B cross-border flows last year alone.
  

What’s more, regulators are tightening expectations on AML/KYC compliance and transactional traceability. This gives firms like Tensec - who embed compliance into product layers - a massive head start over legacy banking rails and slap-on APIs.

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What’s Next for Tensec

With this new capital, Tensec plans to:

• Expand its API offerings for financial institutions and FX brokers.
  
• Accelerate integrations with global banking partners.
  
• Deepen its presence in LATAM and APAC, where FX trading is rising.
  
• Grow its compliance engineering team, ensuring it stays ahead of global regulatory demands.
  

Backed by an impressive roster of investors and built by industry veterans, Tensec is positioned not just to follow the trend - but to lead it.