The Unofficial Team Member: Matias Maciel and Rextie
If you know anything about Argentinians and soccer, you already understand why this story matters.
We were filming a series of anniversary videos, and time was running out. The location had changed last minute. The schedule was tight. And Matias Maciel, Co-Founder and CFO of Rextie, one of the most thoughtful fintech market entry strategies we have seen executed in Canada, was about to watch Argentina play in a World Cup semifinal. For anyone from Latin America, that is not a small thing. For an Argentinian, it is practically sacred.
He said yes without hesitating.
He came to the office, filmed the video with the same energy and warmth he always brings, and then left immediately afterward to catch the game. That small moment tells you everything you need to know about Matias. When he commits to something, he commits. Fully. Even when Argentina is playing.
The Unofficial Team Member
Matias came to Global Startups during the pandemic years, through a program that today looks more like a softlanding. And somewhere along the way, he became something more than a client. He became a fixture.
He is on what I call the unpaid payroll. Always around the office, hanging out with the team, part of the conversation even when there is nothing formal to attend. The team has changed over the years, grown and contracted the way startup communities do, but Matias has remained a constant. Genuinely part of the family.
There is a particular kind of person who shows up not because they have to but because they want to. Matias is that person.
Building Rextie in Canada
Fintech is one of the hardest sectors to bring into Canada. The regulatory environment is complex, the cluster of established players is dense, and the internal barriers to adoption of new financial technology are real. None of that stopped Matias.
Rextie is the number one digital FX platform in Peru and a category leader across Latin America. Matias helped scale it 30 times in three years while driving operating margins from break-even to above 30 percent. He has built his career across Western Union, Citibank forums, and the full spectrum of cross-border treasury and payments, and he has brought all of that experience to bear on Rextie’s Canadian market entry.
Since arriving in Toronto, he has led the go-to-market strategy for Rextie Exchange Canada, built early banking and partnership relationships, and developed the financial, operational, and compliance frameworks needed to launch financial services in a new regulatory environment. He is also a member of Fintechs Canada, actively engaged in shaping the ecosystem he is building within.
That is not a casual commitment. That is a founder who has decided Canada is worth the full effort.
The Prototype
I have a mental image of what an Argentinian entrepreneur looks like. Confident. Funny. Direct. Warm in a way that surprises people who come in with assumptions. Matias is all of that, and he makes no apologies for any of it.
His leadership style, as described by the people who have worked with him most closely, is upfront and sincere. He leads by example. He challenges the status quo. And no matter how tense a situation, he finds a way to make people leave the room with a smile.
That combination, the financial rigor of a seasoned CFO and the genuine humanity of someone who actually enjoys people, is rarer than most professional profiles suggest.
Ten Years of Community
As Global Startups turns 10, Matias and Rextie represent something we have seen again and again in this community: founders who arrive in a new country with a real company, real credentials, and a real commitment to building something that lasts, and who do it with more grace and humor than the circumstances probably warrant.
He did not miss the Argentina game because he had to film a video. He made it to both because that is who he is. Someone who finds a way to show up for everything that matters.
Proud to have you as part of this community, Matias. And yes, we are all glad Argentina made it to the final.
Are you a founder building something in Canada? This September, Global Startups is celebrating 10 years with a week of expert-led masterclasses designed to help companies at every stage grow faster and smarter. Seats are limited and vetted. See the full lineup and register at luma.com/globalstartups
