Cuentas Inc. (CUEN): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) is a micro-cap stock, but can a FinTech company with a market capitalization of just $273 as of November 2025 defintely bridge the financial gap for the unbanked US Latino community? Their core mission-providing digital wallets and General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) cards-is clearly resonating with their target market, as evidenced by the 898% year-over-year sales surge reported in Q1 2024, with revenues hitting $639,000 for the quarter. Still, the company operates in a highly competitive space, so you need to understand the mechanics of its three-pronged model-FinTech, Mobile Telephony, and Real Estate-before making any investment decisions. We'll break down the history, the key $7.2 million in strategic asset sales aimed at boosting liquidity, and how Cuentas Inc. actually makes money, giving you a clear, data-driven view.

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) History

You're looking for the foundational story of Cuentas Inc., the fintech player targeting the underserved, and it's a classic tale of corporate evolution and strategic pivots. The company you see today is not the one that started; it's a product of deliberate shifts to capture the immense opportunity in the US Latino and underbanked markets. This history provides the essential context for why Cuentas operates across FinTech, Mobile Telephony, and Real Estate today.

Cuentas Inc.'s Founding Timeline

Year established

The corporate entity was initially founded in 2005, but the Cuentas brand and its specific mission to serve the unbanked community truly began to take shape after a strategic acquisition in 2017.

Original location

The company is headquartered in Miami, Florida, a location strategically chosen to be at the nexus of its primary target market, the Hispanic diaspora in the US.

Founding team members

The vision was co-founded by two key executives with deep experience in telecommunications and finance: Arik Maimon, who serves as Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO, and Michael A. de Prado, Co-Founder and President.

Initial capital/funding

While the initial seed capital for the original entity is less clear, a significant injection of capital came from a 2020 public offering, which generated gross proceeds of approximately $12 million. Later, in August 2023, the company raised over $2 million specifically to expand its core Fintech and Mobility divisions.

Cuentas Inc.'s Evolution Milestones

Cuentas Inc.'s Transformative Moments

The most important part of Cuentas's history isn't the founding date, but the strategic decision to become a three-pillar company: FinTech, Mobile Telephony, and Real Estate. Honestly, that's a complex model for a smaller company.

The 2017 acquisition of Cuentas Mobile LLC was the first major pivot, shifting the focus from general telecommunications to a fintech (financial technology) model centered on the General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) card and digital wallet. This move defined their target market as the financially underserved.

The second, and perhaps most unusual, transformation was the 2023 move into affordable housing with Cuentas Casa. This decision was a direct response to the housing crisis affecting their core demographic, creating a bridge between their technology solutions and the affordable housing market.

Here's the quick math on their recent performance: the latest available quarterly report, Q3 2024, showed revenue of only $4.00K with an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of -0.13, a sharp drop in revenue that highlights the volatility and challenges of their business model. Still, the Q1 2024 sales surge of 898% year-over-year demonstrates the potential for explosive growth when their strategic transactions and core services align.

What this estimate hides is the reliance on real estate transactions like the $7.2 million Brooksville sale to fund the capital-intensive fintech and mobility growth. This means the company is defintely still in a high-risk, high-reward growth phase, heavily dependent on successful execution of its multi-sector strategy. If you want to dive deeper into who is funding this journey, you can read Exploring Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

• Pivot early to a niche market (unbanked Latino community).
• Use non-dilutive real estate asset sales to fund core technology growth.
• Integrate technology (FinTech) with a physical need (Affordable Housing).

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Ownership Structure

Cuentas Inc. is controlled by a highly fragmented shareholder base, with the vast majority of the company's equity held by retail and public investors, while the leadership team maintains a small, concentrated stake. This structure means the company's direction is highly sensitive to market sentiment and the actions of a few key insiders, but the day-to-day governance is clearly in the hands of the executive team.

Cuentas Inc.'s Current Status

Cuentas Inc. is a publicly traded company, listed on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol CUEN. As of November 2025, the stock price sits at a challenging level, last trading at $0.0002 per share on November 14, 2025, reflecting significant operational hurdles. The company's fiscal year aligns with the calendar year, ending on December 31, 2025. The low share price and high volatility-which was 0% on a recent trading day but has a calculated possible swing range of +/-755.53%-indicate a high-risk, low-liquidity stock environment. Honestly, this is a micro-cap situation where a single large trade can move the needle dramatically.

The company is actively attempting to secure its financial footing, evidenced by recent convertible note agreements. For example, Cuentas entered into agreements with World Mobile Group Ltd. for a total principal amount of $385,000 in September and October 2025, plus it faces a negative free cash flow of $1.59 million over the last twelve months. You can dive deeper into the market's reaction to these moves at Exploring Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Cuentas Inc.'s Ownership Breakdown

The company's ownership structure is heavily skewed toward the public, a common trait for micro-cap stocks with a total of 2.73 million shares outstanding. Insider ownership is low, but their influence is disproportionately high due to their control of the board and management. Here's the quick math on the breakdown:

Cuentas Inc.'s Leadership

The leadership structure underwent a significant shift in October 2025, consolidating power in the hands of the founder. The current team is small and experienced, but the recent executive transition introduces a near-term risk of operational distraction.

The key executive and board members as of November 2025 are:

• Shalom Arik Maimon: Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He took on the Interim CFO role on October 21, 2025, following the departure of Michael De Prado.
• Adiv Baruch: Independent Director.
• Lexi Terrero: Independent Director.
• Haim Yeffet: Independent Director.

The board is considered experienced, with an average tenure of 6.2 years. Still, the CEO holding both the CEO and Interim CFO roles is a red flag for any seasoned analyst; it creates a single point of failure and puts a lot of pressure on one person to manage both strategy and financial reporting. Plus, the recent convertible note agreement grants World Mobile Group Ltd. the right to appoint a director to the board, provided they maintain at least a 5% ownership stake, which is a critical governance point to watch for new stakeholder influence.

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Mission and Values

Cuentas Inc. anchors its entire operation in the principle of financial accessibility, aiming to bridge the critical gap for the unbanked and underbanked populations in the U.S. This focus is what drives their product development, not just the bottom line, which is why a TTM (Trailing Twelve Month) Net Income of ($818K) as of late 2024 is viewed as an investment in market penetration.

Given Company's Core Purpose

You need to understand that Cuentas Inc. is more than a FinTech (Financial Technology) company; it's a social-impact entity focused on the Hispanic and Latino diaspora. They are defintely trying to build a complete financial ecosystem for a market that traditional banks often ignore. This is a huge, estimated multi-billion dollar opportunity.

Official mission statement

The company's mission is fundamentally about inclusion and empowerment. It's a clear mandate to serve a specific, underserved demographic with practical tools. They are focused on giving people a financial start.

• Provide comprehensive mobile financial solutions for the unbanked, underbanked, and Latino/Hispanic populations.
• Deliver digital wallet services, mobile banking, and telecommunications recharge capabilities.
• Foster greater financial inclusion and economic participation.

Vision statement

The vision is a growth-oriented, long-term aspiration to dominate this niche by becoming the go-to platform. This isn't just about offering a service; it's about becoming the essential financial infrastructure for their target users.

• Become a leading financial technology platform in the U.S.
• Empower the target demographic with seamless access to essential financial services.
• Foster economic participation within the digital economy.

Here's the quick math on their market focus: The company's TTM Revenue as of September 30, 2024, was $2.02M, a growth of 13.15% year-over-year, which shows their model is gaining traction in a difficult sector. You can explore their full cultural DNA here: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Cuentas Inc. (CUEN).

Given Company slogan/tagline

While not a constant, front-facing slogan, the company's historical messaging points to its dual focus on finance and communication. The tagline simply maps the product to the purpose.

• Connecting people, connecting lives.

This tagline reflects their integrated service model, which combines prepaid debit cards and digital wallets with mobile telecommunication services. It's a smart way to drive adoption-give them the phone service they need, and you get them onto the financial platform they didn't know they could access.

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) How It Works

Cuentas Inc. operates as a financial technology (FinTech) and telecommunications hybrid, creating a digital ecosystem designed to serve the unbanked and underbanked populations, primarily within the US Hispanic demographic. It essentially acts as a bridge, giving customers access to essential mobile services, prepaid debit cards, and a path toward digital commerce and financial inclusion.

You can think of the company as a low-cost, one-stop shop for people who have been left out of traditional banking. They create value by bundling services-like a prepaid phone plan with a General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) debit card-and distributing them through a powerful, proprietary network. Here's the quick math: the latest available trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue ending September 2024 was about $2.02 million, showing the scale of their niche focus.

Cuentas Inc.'s Product/Service Portfolio

Cuentas Inc.'s Operational Framework

The company's operations are built on a three-pronged, integrated model: FinTech, Mobile Telecom, and a strategic, though smaller, focus on Real Estate. This diversification helps them capture a broader share of the customer's wallet. The core is the Cuentas Platform, a meticulously developed software system that integrates all their offerings.

• FinTech Integration: They link the GPR debit card and mobile wallet directly to their telecom services, making money movement and bill payment seamless for users without a bank account.
• Proprietary Distribution: They use a powerful distribution ecosystem to reach their target market, which is crucial since these customers don't walk into a typical bank branch.
• eSIM Technology Use: The Cuentas Mobile service uses advanced eSIM (embedded Subscriber Identity Module) technology, which streamlines customer onboarding and reduces the physical cost of distribution. If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises, so this is defintely a key operational efficiency.
• Real Estate Assets: They have strategically invested in affordable housing projects, such as Cuentas Casa, which helps tie their financial and communication solutions to a comprehensive basic need like housing, creating a sticky customer base.

Cuentas Inc.'s Strategic Advantages

Cuentas Inc.'s market success hinges on a clear, empathetic strategy that directly addresses the pain points of the unbanked and underbanked. They aren't trying to compete with Bank of America; they are solving a problem for a segment that traditional finance ignores.

• Underserved Niche Focus: A laser focus on the US Hispanic demographic, which often requires international long-distance and remittance services, gives them a clear market advantage.
• Affordability Model: The company refrains from charging activation fees and maintains low monthly charges, which aligns with the financial realities of their target market, fostering trust and retention.
• Revenue Diversification: With three distinct segments-Wholesale Telecom, Digital Products/GPR Cards, and Telecommunications-they mitigate risk. For example, the Wholesale segment is a reliable revenue source, driving the majority of their income.
• Ecosystem Lock-in: By integrating financial services, mobile connectivity, and even real estate initiatives, they create a high barrier to exit for customers. It's hard to leave when your phone, bank, and potentially even your housing solution are all linked.

For a deeper dive into who is betting on this model, you should check out Exploring Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) How It Makes Money

Cuentas Inc. generates revenue primarily by acting as a digital financial and telecommunications bridge for the unbanked and underbanked Hispanic/Latino communities in the U.S. The company makes money through a mix of wholesale services and consumer-facing fees from its General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) cards and mobile services.

Honestly, its financial engine is currently driven by a low-margin, high-volume segment: wholesale telecommunications. This is a crucial detail to understand the business's risk profile.

Given Company's Revenue Breakdown

Based on the latest available financial structure, the bulk of Cuentas Inc.'s revenue comes from its wholesale operations. For the 2025 fiscal year context, with estimated annual sales around $1.79 million, here is how the revenue streams break down.

Here's the quick math: that 89.05% from wholesale services translates to approximately $1,594,000 of the $1.79 million annual sales estimate. This massive reliance on wholesale telecom, which has driven significant revenue growth, means the company is heavily exposed to the pricing and contract risk of a single, low-margin business line.

Business Economics

The economic fundamentals of Cuentas Inc. show a significant profitability challenge, even with revenue growth. The goal is to migrate customers from the low-margin wholesale services to the higher-value fintech ecosystem, but that transition is still a work in progress.

• Wholesale Telecom: This dominant revenue stream operates on a tiny markup, meaning high volume is needed just to cover costs. This is why revenue can rise significantly, but gross profit remains under pressure.
• Retail Telecommunications: This segment is much healthier, achieving a strong 48% gross profit margin in Q1 2024, showing the potential of direct-to-consumer mobile service.
• Digital Products and GPR Cards: The core fintech offering, which includes the General Purpose Reloadable (GPR) card, is currently struggling with profitability, posting a 65% gross loss margin in Q1 2024. The company charges a monthly fee of just $4.50 for the GPR card, fifteen days after activation, with no activation fee, a strategy designed to attract the unbanked demographic.
• Fintech Revenue Streams: The company relies on a mix of monthly maintenance fees, reload fees, ATM fees, commissions on products sold, and interchange/network fees from Mastercard and the Pulse Network to generate profit from its GPR card.

What this estimate hides is the negative gross profit. The overall gross margin for the company is a negative -5.14% on a trailing twelve-month basis, indicating that the cost of revenue still exceeds total revenue.

Given Company's Financial Performance

As of mid-2024, Cuentas Inc.'s financial performance shows a company in a challenging transition, with significant liquidity concerns and a high accumulated deficit. While they've improved cost management, the core business is not yet generating positive gross profit.

• Total Annual Sales: Estimated to be around $1.79 million for the 2025 fiscal year context.
• Net Loss: The net loss for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, was $(2,517,000), a concerning figure despite a decrease from the prior year.
• Operating Loss: The operating loss for the same period was $(1,339,000), showing that core operations are still burning cash.
• Cash Position: Cash and cash equivalents were critically low at only $56,000 as of June 30, 2024, a major red flag for liquidity.
• Accumulated Deficit: The total accumulated deficit stood at $(57,463,000) as of June 30, 2024, which raises serious questions about the company's long-term going concern status.
• Liabilities: Total liabilities were $3,758,000 as of June 30, 2024, with continued reliance on short-term loans adding financial risk.

The business is defintely at a crossroads; it needs to rapidly scale the profitable retail telecom segment and fix the negative margins in its fintech products to survive. You can get a deeper look at the balance sheet and cash flow here: Breaking Down Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors

Cuentas Inc. (CUEN) Market Position & Future Outlook

Cuentas Inc. operates in a niche but highly competitive sector, primarily targeting the unbanked and underbanked Hispanic diaspora in the U.S. As of late 2025, the company's financial technology (FinTech) vision is still largely overshadowed by its legacy Wholesale Telecommunication services, which generated approximately 89.05% of its recent revenue. The future outlook hinges on successfully pivoting to its higher-margin FinTech and real estate initiatives while managing a challenging financial position marked by a negative free cash flow of $1.59 million over the last twelve months.

Competitive Landscape

The U.S. prepaid card market is valued at approximately $24.7 billion in 2025. Cuentas' total trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue of approximately $2.02 million positions it as a micro-player, with a market share well under 0.01%. The competition is dominated by established financial giants and large FinTech platforms, making organic growth extremely difficult. Here's a quick math on the landscape:

Opportunities & Challenges

The company is trying to capture growth in two very different markets: FinTech for financial inclusion and affordable housing development. That's a huge strategic stretch, honestly.

Industry Position

Cuentas Inc. is currently positioned as a micro-cap company in the broader FinTech and Telecommunications sectors, with a market capitalization around US$2.73 million. Its primary FinTech strength lies in its targeted approach to the Hispanic demographic, a segment often overlooked by traditional banks, which aligns with its Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of Cuentas Inc. (CUEN).

• The core business revenue is defintely dominated by Wholesale Telecommunication services, not its FinTech products, which only accounted for 7.04% of recent revenue.
• Recent financing of $385,000 via convertible notes in late 2025 provides a small capital buffer but highlights ongoing liquidity concerns.
• The real estate diversification with Cuentas Casa, which includes investments in over 450 apartments, offers a potential non-core asset to unlock value and secure future financing.
• The stock is a penny stock, trading around $0.0002 as of November 14, 2025, indicating high speculative risk and low investor confidence in the near-term FinTech pivot.

The company's strategic action must be to aggressively grow the Digital Products segment's revenue to materially impact the top line, which currently is only $45K of the total recent revenue.