Working in the financial sector already has its difficulties. When this is added to the passions awakened by football, the result is an even more demanding market. This is the assessment of Ricardo Doebeli, CEO of Pernambucanas and Pefisa, who spoke exclusively to InfoMoney about the particular characteristics of operating a product linked to a club: Palmeiras Pay.
“One difficulty in working with a more emotional product is the high demand. The demand has grown among customers of financial products in general, it is a trend, but Palmeiras Pay has an emotional factor, of personal and passionate connection between the customer and the product”, says Doebeli, who also points out the positive side: “This is a challenge, but it is compensated by the high retention, since it is this same passion that fuels the customer’s connection with Palmeiras Pay”.
Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras fintech, operated by Pefisa, the financial arm of Pernambucanas, celebrated three years of existence last Tuesday night (2), announcing Palmeiras’ “black” card — which will be green, not black. The Speciale, as the card aimed at customers with higher ticket prices will be called, is scheduled to be launched in the first quarter of this year and will feature benefits common to this type of card, in addition to a premium experience on game days led by Palmeiras.
Continues after advertising
The product seeks to attract higher-income customers to Palmeiras Pay, currently a minority in a portfolio made up mainly of classes C and D, according to Gustavo Maniero, vice-president of Pefisa.
Read more:
How much is going to Palmeiras?
Palmeiras Pay works through a licensing and partnership model with Pefisa. The club receives royalties for the exposure and use of the brand in digital account products, and the amounts collected are fully allocated to Palmeiras, becoming part of the club’s general revenue for investments in various areas.
In three years, R$2.3 billion were transacted with the Palmeiras Pay card, which reached the mark of 1 million accounts. In 2025, Palmeiras Pay recorded 8 million transactions and R$800 million in revenue. Despite the figure being close to R$1 billion, the club was left with R$15 million — equivalent to 1.87% of revenue.
When asked about the topic, the club explained that “more than an isolated revenue line, Palmeiras Pay is a strategic connection and data asset that contributes to revenue generation in several areas”.
In a statement, the club stated: “This is a fundamental piece of a much larger ecosystem for different reasons. The channel brings fans closer to the club, offering benefits such as bonuses in the Avanti fan membership program and special cashback and installment payment conditions at Palmeiras Store stores, among other advantages.”
Continues after advertising
“In addition, Palmeiras Pay highlights the massive presence of Verdão throughout Brazil; it is enough to note that we have account holders in 95% of the country’s municipalities and in all Brazilian states. The product also generates a rich database that allows us to know and deeply understand the behavior and consumption profile of our fans, optimizing other business fronts”, says the club.
