Cobre

About Cobre

Cobre is a fintech company focused on payment infrastructure for Latin America. Its mission is to change the way companies manage and move money. It does this with technology that makes complex financial operations easier, including payments, reconciliations, and fund transfers. In simple words, it helps money move without acting like a sleepy turtle crossing the road. Through its platform, Cobre helps companies in different industries improve financial processes and manage resources in a cleaner way. Today, Cobre has 238 employees across Technology, Data, Sales, Marketing, People, and Finance. Of that total, 36 employees are based in Mexico, while the rest work mainly from Colombia and other markets where the company operates. Its hybrid work model mixes in person collaboration in Mexico City and Bogotá with the flexibility needed to attract highly specialised talent. Because finding great people is not like ordering pizza. Nobody arrives in thirty minutes with extra cheese and a tiny receipt.

Cobre’s culture is built around innovation, transparency, and strong execution. As a tech company in finance, its growth depends on building reliable tools for a market that keeps asking for more. That same mindset also shows up inside the company. The team keeps looking for ways to improve processes, automate tasks, and give people tools that help them focus on useful work instead of chasing files like balloons flying away at a birthday party. As Cobre grows across Latin America, strong internal processes matter even more. In a regulated industry like finance, order is not a cute extra. It is part of the floor everyone stands on. Payroll needs visibility, control, and compliance. It is not just admin work. It is one of the pieces that helps the company grow without turning operations into a stack of plates doing a nervous little dance.

What payroll challenges were they facing?

Before Runa, Cobre had several challenges with payroll administration and standardisation. As the company grew and hired talent in different markets, it became clear that they needed processes that were more automated, more consistent, and aligned with each country’s rules. One main challenge was not having clear enough criteria or tools to manage important processes like onboarding, payroll calculations, and labour obligations. Too much still depended on manual work. That made response times slower and added more weight to the People team’s daily work.

"We needed a solution that would allow us to manage payroll with much clearer and more consistent criteria, especially in an environment where legal compliance and accuracy are fundamental to the business."

For an international company like Cobre, understanding and following Mexican labour rules was also a real challenge. Keeping documents organised, running processes correctly, and reducing errors took time, care, and resources. It was like building furniture with tiny instructions, pieces that all look the same, and the quiet fear of ending with one screw left over. As Santiago Herrera, HR Manager, explains, “We needed a solution that would allow us to manage payroll with much clearer and more consistent criteria, especially in an environment where legal compliance and accuracy are fundamental to the business.” The lack of automation also made some internal processes harder to see and harder to scale at the speed the company needed. Cobre needed a tool that made administration easier without losing control or compliance. Fewer complications. More clarity. Less feeling like every day starts with putting out fires using a cup of coffee.

How has Runa helped them?

Runa changed the way Cobre manages payroll and people related processes. The platform helped bring information into one place, automate operational tasks, and create clearer workflows for onboarding and employee management. With more digital processes, the People team can now track critical steps better, respond faster to employee needs, and keep operations aligned with current labour rules. Automation reduced admin work in a big way and gave the team more time for talent projects and organisational development. In other words, less time fighting repetitive tasks and more time doing work that actually moves things forward.

According to Santiago Herrera, HR Manager, “Runa has brought a great deal of agility and consistency to all of our processes. Today, we can onboard new employees, manage payroll, and ensure legal compliance in a much more efficient and organized way.” Another valuable benefit has been access to specialised consulting and support. For a company working across several countries and adding new talent often, expert guidance on labour topics has become a big advantage. Because when legal questions show up, nobody wants to guess. That is not a plan. That is flipping a coin and pretending it is a strategy. “Our People team frequently uses Runa’s consulting services to ensure every process is executed correctly and to avoid mistakes that could create risks for the company or our employees,” says Santiago Herrera. Beyond the operational impact, Runa has also improved the employee experience. With clearer, more consistent, and well documented processes, employees feel more confident in how admin work is handled. They also see that the company cares about order and compliance. And when payroll feels clear and reliable, everyone breathes a little easier. Like taking off a backpack full of bricks at the end of the day.

Why did they choose Runa?

When Cobre looked at payroll solutions in Mexico, the team wanted more than basic automation. They needed modern technology, strong knowledge of local rules, and close support to answer questions and help them make decisions with confidence. Runa stood out because it understood the real needs of a growing international company. The platform did not just make complex processes simpler. It also gave the team tools to keep control, traceability, and compliance at every stage of payroll management.

No working in the dark with a flashlight that forgot to bring batteries. For the People team, one key point was finding a provider that understood how a regional fintech works and could support the company as it kept growing. They did not want a shiny tool that froze when questions came up. They wanted a partner. As Santiago Herrera, HR Manager, explains, “We chose Runa because they fully understood our needs as a company. The combination of technology, support, and regulatory expertise was a deciding factor in our decision.” The cost benefit ratio also mattered. Compared with other options in the market, Runa offered a strong solution that was easy to put in place and backed by a specialised team that could respond quickly when needed. “For a foreign company, understanding labor laws and payroll processes can be challenging. Runa allows us to manage everything quickly, consistently, and with proper documentation, giving us a great deal of confidence in our day to day operations,” adds Santiago Herrera.

Where will Cobre be in 10 years?

Cobre’s vision is to become the leading payment infrastructure platform in Latin America. The company wants to build more innovative and secure products that can grow with businesses of all sizes. Its goal is to lead the financial change in the region and become the technology partner companies choose when they need to move money well. To get there, Cobre will keep investing in technology, regional growth, and talent development. It will also keep building a culture based on transparency, trust, and strong execution.

Because winning in finance is not only about moving fast. It is about moving fast without the wheels flying off at the first turn. As Santiago Herrera, HR Manager, concludes, “We want to build an organization that brings together the best talent in Latin America and becomes the financial platform that powers the growth of thousands of companies across the region for decades to come.”