Family delinquency reached 11.2% in Februaryaccording to data from the Central Bank of Debtors of the Financial System (CENDEU) of the Central Bank. It is the highest level since 2004.
The data was revealed by a report by the consulting firm 1816. It is not an isolated fact: it marks the sixteenth consecutive increase in the late payment indicator.
Between January and February, irregularity in family loans jumped 0.6 percentage points, reflecting an acceleration in the difficulty of households in meeting their financial commitments, in a context of persistent loss of purchasing power.
The payment capacity of Argentine families is going through its most critical moment in two decades. Banks and digital wallets have already designed specific mechanisms to avoid financial exclusion.
The drama worsens in digital wallets and fintech
The banking panorama is worrying. But the situation is even more obscure in non-banking entities and fintech platforms. In this segment, delinquency reached 30% in February. Almost one in three loans has some type of default.
Mercado Pago is one of the most notable cases. The leading fintech recorded a significant jump: irregularity went from 5.5% to 14.7% according to the latest figures available.
Private reports warn that there are non-banking financial entities where delinquencies escalate even up to 36% in the most serious cases.
Last January, credit defaults were critical in the non-financial entity sector. This includes credit providers that are not banks, such as non-bank card issuers or e-commerce platforms.
In this segment, the irregularity has already exceeded 27%. More than a quarter of the loans granted through these channels are in an irregular situation.
What options do banks offer to those who cannot pay their debts?
The country’s main banks designed specific mechanisms to support clients in default. The objective is to avoid their financial exclusion.
The approach varies depending on the profile of the entity, the type of client and the age of the debt. Personalized management and the use of technology to anticipate risk situations predominates.
Province Bank implemented a strategy based on the prevention of over-indebtedness and early intervention. The entity prioritized the responsible granting of credit.
Established an active monitoring system to identify signs of financial stress before arrears deepen. For clients with early defaults, up to 90 days, the bank established a general line of refinancing of personal loans. Terms reach up to 72 months and the fixed rate is 81.78% nominal annual rate in force as of March 2026.
Clients can access by paying an advance payment equivalent to a fee, or without an advance payment if they receive their salaries at the entity. For those who earn up to three minimum wages (that is, less than $1,073,400), the bank launched a special program. The reduced fixed rate is 40.89% and the extension of terms reaches up to 60 months.
In cases of late arrears, of more than 90 days, terms of up to 72 months are maintained, an advance payment of 5% or no advance payment for those who collect salaries and, for critical situations, options for definitive exit from arrears, such as capital reductions or cancellation due to accounting balance.
In the case of Nation Bankthe policy focuses on the offer of payment alternatives and flexible, almost individual refinancing plans. The conditions of the agreements are determined based on an analysis that considers the type of client, the amount and age of the debt.
They also evaluate the available guarantees and payment capacity. Regularization proposals may include interest subsidies and appropriate terms, always with the aim of facilitating sustainable solutions for both clients and the bank.
This entity once again promoted its debt consolidation line as a key tool to organize personal finances. It is a loan designed to unify all obligations into a single monthly payment, generally lower than the sum of the original payments.
Unlike a traditional loan, the money is not deposited into the client’s account. The bank directly transfers funds to creditors to pay off current cards or loans. Thus, the person goes from having multiple maturities to a single installment under the French system, with fixed payments over time.
The proposal is aimed primarily at those who receive their salary or retirement from the entity, since this relationship allows access to better conditions. In addition, the credit profile is analyzed: both up-to-date clients and those with slight arrears can apply, as long as the debts are not judicialized. A key point is that the fee should not exceed between 30% and 35% of income, with the aim of avoiding a higher level of debt.
Digital wallets evaluate lowering interest rates
In recent weeks, social networks have been filled with messages from debtors with digital wallets. As a “solution” to the inability to pay the fees, they chose to eliminate the applications.
Mariano Biocca, executive director of the Fintech chamber, in response to a question from iProfessionalis categorical: “If the debtor does not pay, first the company will suggest a normalization; even a negotiation to solve the problem.”
But if the person deletes the application, without showing willingness to pay, the company will most likely transfer the case to a law firm. And there the dynamics between the parties change.
It is clear: although the clarification seems obvious, Deleting the app does not mean that the company loses track of its customer.
The owners of the main digital wallets are evaluating applying a reduction in the interest rates they charge for their loans to millions of clients. The decision was made in the midst of skyrocketing default rates. On average, it already reaches one in four debtors.
Many of them are users who went into debt to “make ends meet” and did not take into account the high costs charged by the applications.
The measure will benefit at least six million wallet clients who have already taken credits. Of those six million, half are informal workers. Their income was affected by the drop in consumption, and economic activity that in general does not rebound.
Within the non-banking ecosystem, giants such as Carretera Naranja and Mercado Libre concentrate almost 60% of this market. They have also seen how The irregularity of their client portfolios continued to escalate at the beginning of the year.
