Latest news with #BrazilianReals
New Indian Express
17-07-2025
- New Indian Express
DRI probes Kochi airport cocaine haul; Brazilian couple swallowed 163 capsules worth Rs 16 crore
KOCHI: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has launched an investigation to trace those who ordered the cocaine recovered from a Brazilian couple arrested at Kochi airport on July 11. The couple -- identified as Lucas da Silva and Bruna Gabriele -- had swallowed cocaine capsules before being intercepted by DRI officials. A source said a total of 163 capsules containing 1.6 kg of cocaine, estimated to be worth Rs 16 crore, were recovered from the duo. 'The extraction of the capsules was completed on Tuesday. They were produced before the court and remanded in judicial custody. We will seek their custody again for detailed interrogation. They have confessed to smuggling the drugs for a remuneration of Brazilian Reals equal to Rs 3 lakh,' the source said. The primary challenge for investigators now is to identify the recipients of the smuggled drugs. The couple reportedly told officials that they were recruited by a drug syndicate in Brazil. The air ticket and other travel expenses were paid by the drug traffickers. They reached Kochi via Dubai.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MercadoLibre vs. Block: Which Fintech-Driven Stock Has More Upside?
MercadoLibre MELI and Block XYZ are well-known names in the growing fintech space. Both companies have gained strong attention for their digital payment solutions. While MercadoLibre is a major player in Latin America through its Mercado Pago platform, Block is known for its Cash App and Square in the United the Mordor Intelligence report, the fintech market size is estimated at $356.73 billion in 2025. It is expected to witness a CAGR of greater than 14% over the forecast period 2025-2030, reaching $686.89 billion by 2030. Both MELI and XYZ are well-positioned to take advantage of this strong growth in the fintech take a closer look at the fundamentals of the two stocks to determine which one has the greater upside potential. MercadoLibre's fintech arm, Mercado Pago, continues to be a major growth engine in the first quarter of 2025, delivering strong performance across multiple fronts. Monthly active users surged past 64 million, growing at a rate of more than 30% year over year. This reflects not only robust user acquisition but also increased engagement across its company's credit portfolio expanded 75% year over year, while maintaining healthy asset quality. In Brazil, credit card first payment defaults reached an all-time low, attributed to improved scoring models and a shift toward higher-quality borrowers. Argentina also stood out, with the credit portfolio growing fourfold in U.S. dollar terms and delivering increased profitability, supported by macroeconomic Pago has been integrated more tightly with the broader MercadoLibre ecosystem, undergoing a visual rebrand and UX overhaul to mirror a more specialized digital banking further strengthen its deposit base, Mercado Pago offered an attractive 120% of Brazil's CDI rate through targeted loyalty-linked programs. To receive this rate, users must meet specific conditions, including being part of the loyalty program, placing funds into a special pot, and adhering to a contribution limit of a few thousand Brazilian Reals. This initiative helped boost awareness and reinforced Mercado Pago's positioning as a leading digital bank in the region. Block's fintech business, led by Cash App, showed strength in the first quarter of 2025 despite macroeconomic headwinds. Cash App's gross profit rose 10% year over year, and gross profit per monthly transacting active user reached $81. The company hit a key milestone in March with FDIC approval to use its in-house bank, Square Financial Services, to issue consumer loans. This move is expected to significantly improve unit economics and expand Cash App Borrow's reach to more users across the United States. The retroactive BNPL feature, Cash App Afterpay, launched in February, also saw strong early also maintained healthy underwriting metrics for Borrow, with loan durations under 30 days and consistent repayment rates. The company emphasized confidence in the company's ability to manage risk dynamically using machine learning models that respond to real-time data. The Cash App Borrow expansion is strategically tied to its banking offerings, especially direct Cash App's gross profit came in below internal expectations due to weaker-than-expected inflows and discretionary spending during tax season. Spending categories like travel and media saw notable pullbacks. The company attributed part of this softness to a changing macro environment and revised full-year guidance accordingly, including more caution in the outlook. Block now expects 12% gross profit growth for 2025, amounting to approximately $9.96 billion. The guidance is more conservative than usual. Despite strategic product rollouts and credit expansion, Block is still navigating slower-than-anticipated consumer spending behaviour, which has affected growth momentum. While long-term fundamentals remain intact, near-term performance remains sensitive to macroeconomic trends and evolving consumer sentiment. Performance metrics strengthen Mercadolibre's case. Year to date, shares of MELI have rallied 47.2%, while XYZ shares have plunged 35.3%. MELI's performance has been fueled by two strong earnings reports in a row, which came out to be better than expected. On the other hand, a challenging macroeconomic environment with the growing risk of a recession due to higher tariffs has hurt Block shares. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research In terms of Price/Cash Flow, Block shares currently trade at 25.87X, higher than MELI's 17.07X. This makes MELI significantly more attractive for a high-growth stock. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MELI's 2025 earnings is pegged at $47.92 per share, which has been revised upward by 1.7% over the past 30 days, indicating a 27.14% increase year over year. The consensus estimate for 2025 revenues is pinned at $26.53 billion, suggesting year-over-year growth of 27.67%. MercadoLibre, Inc. price-consensus-chart | MercadoLibre, Inc. Quote The Zacks Consensus Estimate for XYZ's 2025 earnings is pegged at $2.72 per share, which has been revised downward by 30.4% over the past 30 days, indicating a 19.29% decrease year over year. The consensus estimate for 2025 revenues is pinned at $24.98 billion, suggesting year-over-year growth of 3.54%. Block, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Block, Inc. Quote MercadoLibre continues to impress with rapid fintech adoption across Latin America. In the first quarter of 2025, strong credit growth, rising monthly active users, and robust profitability drove investor confidence. Meanwhile, a disciplined cost structure and solid performance from Mercado Pago have kept momentum on the other hand, faces near-term challenges. While Cash App Borrow expansion and BNPL integrations show promise, macroeconomic uncertainty and weaker-than-expected first-quarter performance have forced the company to lower guidance. As MercadoLibre continues performing well, Block remains under pressure as it struggles to regain footing amid cautious consumer behaviour and valuation MELI has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), making the stock a stronger pick compared with XYZ, which has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report MercadoLibre, Inc. (MELI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Block, Inc. (XYZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
