In the heart of São Paulo’s bustling Brooklin neighborhood, a quiet revolution began in 2013. Boardroom decrees or multimillion-dollar mergers didn’t spark it, but by a young engineer’s frustration with a banking system that treated customers like numbers on a spreadsheet. Cristina Junqueira, then 30 years old and pregnant with her first child, signed the papers for her startup’s first major funding round from a hospital bed. That startup? Nubank, now the world’s largest neobank, serves over 90 million customers across Latin America and is valued at around $50 billion. Junqueira’s story is one of bold disruption, unyielding advocacy for inclusion, and a relentless drive to make finance accessible to all—proving that one woman’s vision can upend an industry dominated by giants.
Early Life: Roots in Resilience
Born in September 1982 in Ribeirão Preto, a coffee-rich city in the state of São Paulo, Cristina Helena Zingaretti Junqueira was the eldest of four sisters. Her family soon relocated to Rio de Janeiro, where she grew up immersed in Brazil’s vibrant yet unequal urban landscape. Raised in a large, supportive household, Junqueira attended the prestigious Jesuit St. Ignatius College in Rio’s Botafogo district, fostering a strong sense of discipline and social awareness. These early experiences in a country marked by socioeconomic divides would later fuel her passion for financial inclusion, as she witnessed firsthand how traditional banks excluded millions from basic services.
From a young age, Junqueira displayed a knack for problem-solving. Moving to São Paulo in 2000 for university, she immersed herself in the world of engineering, earning a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of São Paulo (USP) in 2004. But she wasn’t content with theory alone. While launching her career, she pursued a master’s degree in economic and financial modeling at USP, graduating in 2006. Her ambition took her across the Atlantic next: In 2007, she enrolled at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in the U.S., completing an MBA in 2008. This global education equipped her with the analytical rigor of engineering and the strategic foresight of business, setting the stage for a career that would blend both.
A Career Forged in Frustration
Junqueira’s professional journey started in the high-stakes world of consulting. Fresh out of her bachelor’s, she joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) as an associate consultant, honing her skills in strategic problem-solving amid complex corporate challenges. But Brazil’s financial sector beckoned. Returning home after completing her master’s, she joined Unibanco, where she led initiatives in its small and medium-sized business sector. The 2009 merger with Itaú Bank catapulted her into one of Latin America’s largest financial powerhouses, where she managed credit card portfolios and championed innovative ideas, such as fee-free cards and transparent customer communications.
By 2012, as manager of Itaúcard—the credit arm of Itaú Unibanco—Junqueira oversaw a massive portfolio. Yet, the system’s flaws gnawed at her. Brazil’s banking oligopoly, controlled by just five institutions holding 80% of the market, was rife with exorbitant fees, opaque practices, and poor service. At 60 million unbanked adults, the exclusion was staggering. Junqueira’s proposals for reform were dismissed in a male-dominated hierarchy where she never had a female supervisor. “If banks are Darth Vader, credit cards are the Death Star,” she later quipped, capturing her disdain for the “horrible weapon” banks wielded against everyday people.
Burned out after five years, Junqueira quit in 2013. Just two months later, she met David Vélez, a Colombian entrepreneur and former analyst at Sequoia Capital, who was scouting Brazil’s fintech potential. Vélez, frustrated by the same barriers, recruited Junqueira for her insider expertise. Joined by software engineer Edward Wible, the trio bootstrapped Nubank in a modest São Paulo apartment. The name—”Nu,” meaning “naked” in Portuguese—evoked stripping away banking’s unnecessary complexities, empowering users with control.
Building Nubank: From Startup to Fintech Titan
Nubank launched with a single product: a no-fee, purple credit card delivered via app. It was a hit. Brazilians, tired of bureaucratic hassles, flocked to the waitlist, which ballooned to 100,000 in just a few weeks. Junqueira, as co-founder and early product lead, championed user-centric design, drawing from her banking scars to prioritize transparency and empathy. Even as her “twins”—daughter Alice and Nubank—arrived in 2014, she traveled to California in her seventh month of pregnancy to secure a $15 million Series A round.
Growth was meteoric. By 2021, Nubank went public on the New York Stock Exchange as Nu Holdings, debuting with a $45 billion valuation—the largest in fintech history at the time. Junqueira’s 2.6% stake briefly made her a billionaire, cementing her as Brazil’s second self-made female billionaire. Today, as Chief Growth Officer (CGO) and CEO of Nubank Brazil, she oversees marketing, ESG, legal, and public policy, steering expansion into Mexico and Colombia. The company now boasts 90 million customers, $4.2 billion in third-quarter 2025 revenues (up 42% year-over-year), and net profits of $800 million—surpassing analyst expectations.
Nubank’s secret sauce? A mission-driven culture. Junqueira insists on hiring for purpose: 40% of staff are women, 30% identify as LGBTQ+, and 43% of leadership roles are held by women—radical in Brazil’s tech scene. Flexible policies, such as parental leave and no-quota diversity initiatives, stem from her belief that inclusion isn’t a checkbox but a growth engine. As she told the Financial Times in 2025, “Communication is one of the most fundamental qualities of leadership… something women could invest more in.”
Advocacy and Impact: Beyond the Balance Sheet
Junqueira’s influence extends far beyond Nubank’s app. A fierce advocate for women in STEM and finance, she mentors through partnerships with universities, launching fintech training for young women. Her 2020 Forbes Brazil cover—visibly pregnant—shattered norms as the first of its kind, inspiring mothers to claim space in boardrooms. “Maternidade ou carreira? O impasse não deveria existir,” she wrote, arguing the motherhood-career dilemma shouldn’t exist.
Honors have followed: Fortune’s 40 Under 40 (2020, the first Brazilian on the finance list), Forbes’ Most Powerful Women in Brazil (2016-2017), Claudia Magazine’s Business Award (2016), and Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst (2021). In 2022, she ranked among the top 10 leaders in the fintech sector. Yet, Junqueira remains grounded, citing Wonder Woman and Margaret Thatcher as inspirations while raising three daughters (sources vary on four) with husband Rubens Pereira, married since 2006. No nannies for this Wonder Woman of Finance—she juggles it all, modeling that “you can’t dream of what you can’t see.”
Looking Ahead: Eyes on the Horizon
As of November 2025, Nubank eyes U.S. expansion, with Junqueira teasing it as the “next frontier” at industry events. Client growth increased by 16% year-over-year in Q3, deposits surged 37%, and shares ($NU) reflect growing optimism. Controversies, such as a 2024 flap over her advisory role with a right-leaning media group (from which she stepped back amid backlash), underscore her navigation of Brazil’s polarized landscape—but her focus remains on innovation.
Cristina Junqueira isn’t just building a bank; she’s dismantling barriers. From a frustrated banker to a billionaire disruptor, her legacy serves as a poignant reminder: in a world of “Death Stars,” one purple card can change everything. As Nubank pushes boundaries, so does she—proving that true power lies in empowering others.