Transparency on Our Legal, Regulatory, and Operational Structure

In March we launched Direct to Wallet, the fastest and simplest way to buy Bitcoin in Mexico.

Following that launch, some people asked us for more details about our legal, regulatory, and operational structure. That seems entirely reasonable to us. When it comes to money, Bitcoin, and compliance, asking questions is the right thing to do.

At Aureo we believe transparency should not remain a promise. That is why we wanted to bring together in one place the most important information about who we are, how our platform works, and what legal, financial, and technological infrastructure backs our services.

Who Is Behind Aureo

Aureo was cofounded by Gustavo Flores Echaiz, CEO; Maciej Cepnik, Chief Marketing Officer; Tristan Borges Solari, Chief Product Officer; and Nathaniel Kitzke, Technical Advisor.

For us, trust is not built with a brand or a well-designed product alone. It is built by showing who is behind it, how we operate, and what standards we work to. You can learn more about our story as a founding team here.

How Aureo Works

Aureo was designed to make buying and selling Bitcoin in Mexico a clear, fast, and verifiable experience.

Users can create an account with Google or with an email address. We do not use traditional passwords: access is done through a secure link sent to your email or through Google Sign In. Before using the platform, all users must complete the identity verification process. For this we use Sumsub and ComplyAdvantage, two internationally recognized providers for KYC and compliance processes.

When someone buys Bitcoin on Aureo, the pesos they send are automatically converted to bitcoin upon receipt, and the bitcoin is sent to the address the user has previously defined. In the case of Lightning, this process can take as little as 30 seconds from the time pesos are sent to the time bitcoin is received in the user's wallet, with a maximum of 2 hours. On the main Bitcoin network, the process can extend up to 24 hours, but generally resolves within the hour. Additionally, each user receives a unique CLABE and can check the status of their transactions in their transaction history.

When someone sells Bitcoin, they create an order for a specific amount in MXN. Once they send the bitcoin from their wallet, it is instantly converted to pesos and sent to the specified bank account, CLABE, debit card, or phone number. In most cases the process takes less than a minute, though in some cases it may take up to an hour.

At all times, users can review their transaction history on the platform and contact our support team. During business hours, we typically respond within minutes and, in most cases, within the hour.

An Important Point: Aureo Does Not Hold Your Money in Custody on the Platform

One of the most important aspects of our operating model is that Aureo does not hold your money sitting on the platform.

For purchases, the pesos we receive are automatically converted to bitcoin and sent to the Bitcoin address provided by the user. For sales, the bitcoin the user sends is automatically converted to pesos and settled to the account they have specified.

Our Legal and Regulatory Structure

Aureo's legal infrastructure is designed to operate with seriousness and continuity.

Swapido S.A.S. de C.V., Aureo's entity in El Salvador, is a financial institution registered as a Bitcoin Service Provider (BSP) with the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) of El Salvador, under the supervision of the Superintendency of the Financial System (SSF). Its NIT is 0623-091224-103-0 and its license code is 67a66e779c3ab49e31731564.

To operate in Mexico, Aureo works with Soluciones Tecnológicas Nagumatech S.A.P.I. de C.V., a Mexican entity registered and authorized to operate as a virtual asset service provider under the Vulnerable Activity regime with SAT. Nagumatech is part of the same corporate group and is internally referred to as Aureo MX. This entity has also successfully passed an Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance audit conducted by Ferrer y Asociados, an auditing firm for Grupo Salinas. Some areas for improvement were identified and the necessary steps are being taken to strengthen our compliance team and infrastructure.

In other words, Aureo does not operate blindly. Our operation is backed by a legal and regulatory structure designed to ensure business continuity and maintain high compliance standards across the jurisdictions in which we operate.

Our Financial Partners and Operational Infrastructure

To deliver our services, Aureo works with high-caliber business partners across financial and Bitcoin infrastructure.

On the Mexican peso side, Aureo has worked with Nvio Pagos (also known as Bitso México), an entity regulated as an Electronic Payment Institution (IFPE) and authorized Fintech in Mexico, which provides payment infrastructure on the SPEI network for Mexican pesos (MXN), as well as access to the order book for peso pairs and functionalities available exclusively to businesses.

On the Bitcoin and Lightning side, Aureo uses the infrastructure of Lightspark, an enterprise provider specialized in Bitcoin and Lightning payments. This infrastructure allows us to send and receive payments on both Bitcoin and Lightning to institutional operating standards.

The combination of this legal, financial, and technical infrastructure is a central part of how we build reliability at Aureo.

Privacy and Cybersecurity

Trust also depends on how information is protected and how seriously security is taken.

Aureo works with best-in-class data providers, all SOC 2 certified and held to the highest international cybersecurity standards. Data is hosted in the United States and the company operates in compliance with the applicable privacy and cybersecurity laws in Mexico and El Salvador.

We also operate in accordance with the Federal Law on Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties (LFPDPPP) in Mexico, as well as the corresponding regulations in El Salvador on data protection, cybersecurity, and information security.

How Aureo Has Been Funded

Aureo raised $1.1 million from Early Riders, a Bitcoin-focused venture capital firm in the United States, led by Michael Tanguma, CEO of Onramp Bitcoin.

For us, this backing does not replace the need to execute well every day. But it is part of the context of those who have trusted in the company's vision and the infrastructure we are building.

Reliability and Operational Continuity

Aureo has built its technology infrastructure from the ground up with the goal of delivering reliability at every level of operation. As with any serious technology platform, there may be maintenance windows or interruptions related to our own infrastructure or that of one of our providers. When that happens, our commitment is to notify users in advance.

Reliability does not mean promising perfection. It means building responsibly, communicating clearly, and operating with solid processes.

Transparency as a Principle

We know that in an industry where many companies promise a lot and explain little, trust is not earned with slogans. It is earned with transparency, structure, and facts.

That is why we chose to publish this information clearly and accessibly. If you have additional questions, write to us.