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Swapido Rebrands to Aureo to Build a Latam-Native White-Glove Bitcoin Platform
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Swapido Rebrands to Aureo to Build a Latam-Native White-Glove Bitcoin Platform

Aureo

By Aureo2025-10-19

With a bit of nostalgia, we’re parting ways with the name Swapido after running with it for a full year. Many of our clients and members of the Mexican Bitcoin community have complimented us on our brand name. It was truly the perfect fit for our MVP product, our Lightning offramp in Mexico, as it combined Swap and Rápido (Spanish for “fast”).

However, over the past year, we’ve learned a lot and new opportunities have emerged. The need for a stronger, more trust-inspiring name became clear. After a thoughtful process, Swapido is rebranding as Aureo.

Why Aureo?

From Latin for "golden", Aureo symbolizes permanence, excellence, and trust. In Spanish, it also evokes the Golden Ratio, and in Roman history, the aureus was the gold coin of stability.

Aureo honors this legacy of value while building the future of money in Latin America.

Swapido Launch

This rebrand represents our commitment to the next stage of our journey. Let’s explore the path that led us here and what comes next for Aureo.

A retrospective on Swapido’s First Year

On October 11, 2024, we launched Swapido, a web app that makes spending Bitcoin in Mexico easy. At the time, there wasn’t a simple, flexible option for spending Bitcoin over the Lightning Network, which made everyday payments cumbersome and impractical. In fact, Swapido became the first active app to support Lightning in Mexico, launching two weeks ahead of the country’s largest exchange.

Some of our achievements:

  • Processed 4,000+ transactions for hundreds of customers (4 BTC total volume).
  • Launched additional features including debit card payouts, phone number payments, and a Bitcoin Connect (NWC) integration.
  • Played an integral role in expanding La Casa de Satoshi to hundreds of members in Mexico City.
  • Launched and hosted Bitcoin Developers Meetups and Bitcoin Cultural Meetups in Mexico City.
  • Received a Geyser grant, sponsored by Alby and other companies.

The volume isn’t impressive yet, but consider who has been using Swapido so far: Bitcoin power users. Mexican nationals, foreigners living in Mexico, and tourists using Bitcoin for their everyday expenses. Thanks to transaction memos, we know Swapido has been used to pay rent, pay for services from abroad, fund home renovations, shop at tianguis (street markets), and even buy tacos from street vendors.

If you’re wondering, we have no intention of discontinuing this product. Many Bitcoiners use it, and many others have praised it. We’re confident it will continue to grow over time. (We, as founders, use it every day.)

What We’ve Learned as Startup Founders in Mexico?

In 2021, Aureo’s CEO and founder Gustavo Flores Echaiz moved from Canada to Mexico. Other Aureo co-founders followed soon after. This experience has shaped our company’s growth and vision from the beginning. We all fell in love with Mexico and its culture, though it’s natural to sometimes question whether moving here was the right choice.

Latin America carries a complex history that still shapes institutions today, and progress can be uneven. Aureo doesn’t have a magic wand, nor can any single company transform an entire region.

What Aureo can do is build products and provide services that allow individuals and businesses to protect their future with Bitcoin and opt out of unstable monetary and political environments.

Aureo’s mission is to redefine Latin America’s future by establishing Bitcoin as the default savings technology for individuals and businesses.

What’s next for Aureo?

Simply put, there’s a lot of hard work ahead, and much of it is already underway.

1) Three new co-founders

We’re excited to introduce new leaders joining Aureo to bring this vision to life:

All co-founders have previously worked together at multiple Bitcoin startups and bring years of experience in building Bitcoin products.

Swapido Launch

Stay tuned for our Careers page, where we’ll soon be opening new roles.

2) Imminent launch: Automated Bitcoin Purchases in Mexico

This is the next logical step for our app. Soon, you’ll be able to buy Bitcoin directly on Aureo. It’s built on the same philosophy as our sell feature: simple, fast, and secure.

3) Coming Soon: Custody Products and Services for HNWIs and Companies

We’ll soon introduce Bitcoin custody tools and services designed for high-net-worth individuals and enterprises. These will set Aureo apart in Latin America by accelerating Bitcoin adoption without compromising Bitcoin’s principles.

In 2026, we’ll launch the Aureo Multi-Institution Bitcoin Custody Platform, an institutional-grade solution for investors and businesses building long-term Bitcoin allocations in Mexico and Latin America. By distributing custody across multiple independent institutions, it delivers resilience, fault tolerance, and operational continuity.

This product is being developed in partnership with Onramp. (Learn more here.)

Closing Thoughts

We built Swapido to make spending Bitcoin in Mexico simple. Today, as Aureo, we’re taking that same spirit and aiming it at something bigger: professional, trustworthy Bitcoin products and services for individuals, private clients, and businesses seeking a better financial future.

None of this would have been possible without the Mexican Bitcoin community, our customers, and our friends who pushed us, tested early builds, and told us the hard truths. Thank you. We’re excited to earn your trust again — this time with a brand that matches our ambition.

If this mission resonates, come with us.

Aureo starts here.