Banco Lafise review

Updated September 28, 2026 · BorrowCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

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Our verdict

Banco Lafise suits Nicaraguan residents who want one bank to cover personal loans, a credit line and a mortgage under the same roof. Interest runs 15% to 24%, well above the site median of 12%, and the lender deals direct rather than through a broker.

Key facts

Best for
Nicaraguan residents borrowing in dollars for home improvements or a property purchase.
APR
15% to 24% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Loan amount
from $1,250 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Term
60 months (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Arrangement fee
1% bank commission on unsecured PIL; 2% on mortgage-guaranteed personal loan (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Credit check
Hard (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Representative example
Personal loan of U$ 1,800: payment U$ 172 per month with insurance at a 24% rate, TCEA 29.93% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Rate type
Fixed (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Lender type
Direct lender (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Eligibility
Residents of Nicaragua: valid national ID for nationals, residence card and passport for foreign residents; minimum monthly income U$500 for unsecured PIL or U$1,200 for salaried/own-business applicants (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Origination fee (%)
1% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Loan types
Personal, Secured, Car, Student, Payday, Credit-line (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Use cases
Home-improvement (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
BANCO LAFISE (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Headquarters
Nicaragua (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
1985 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Phone, Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Pricing model
Fixed rate
Features
Credit line
Official website
lafise.com

Mortgages

Maximum loan to value
80% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Product fee
$10 to $75 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Purpose
Purchase, Remortgage (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Lender type
Direct lender (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Legal entity
BANCO LAFISE (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Headquarters
Nicaragua (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Founded
1985 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Support channels
Phone, Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Apps and profiles

Get the app
App StoreGoogle Play

Pros and cons

Pros

  • One lender covers personal, secured and car, so a borrower can move from a personal loan to a mortgage without changing bank.
  • Lending is direct at direct lender, which keeps the decision and the terms inside the same bank.
  • Support runs on phone, email and chat, including phone and chat for questions before and during a loan.
  • Rate type is fixed, so the monthly payment holds steady across the whole term.

Cons

  • The unsecured personal loan carries commission of 1% on top of interest, and a mortgage-guaranteed personal loan pays a higher commission percentage.
  • Housing loans add a separate product fee of $10 to $75 on top of the rate.
  • The credit check is hard and eligibility is limited to residents of Nicaragua, so a national ID or a residence card is needed.
Banco Lafise

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Scored 9.2 / 10 by BorrowCue.

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Who it suits

  • Nicaraguan residents with steady monthly income who want a fixed monthly payment
  • Homeowners making improvements, since the stated use is home improvement
  • Borrowers who prefer one bank for a personal loan, a credit line and a mortgage

Who should look elsewhere

  • Anyone outside Nicaragua, since eligibility is limited to residents of the country.
  • Monzo Flex, quoted at 10% to 23%, for readers wanting a lower starting rate than 15% to 24%.
  • Readers who need a soft search only, because the credit check here is hard.

How Banco Lafise compares

Where Banco Lafise is available

Available
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama
Licence in Nicaragua
FOGADE (Fondo de Garantia de los Depositos), checked September 26, 2026
Licence in Nicaragua
Superintendencia de Bancos y de Otras Instituciones Financieras (SIBOIF), checked September 26, 2026

Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 26, 2026)

Frequently asked questions

What interest rate does Banco Lafise charge on a personal loan?+

The rate sits in the range 15% to 24% and is fixed rather than variable. The published example shows a smaller personal loan repaid with monthly payments that include insurance, priced at the top of that range, and the total annual cost of charges sits above the headline rate.

What fees are charged on top of the interest?+

On the unsecured personal loan the bank takes a commission of 1% of the amount borrowed, while a mortgage-guaranteed personal loan pays a higher commission percentage. Housing loans carry a separate product fee of $10 to $75 on top of the rate.

How long can a personal loan run for?+

The term runs to 60 on the personal loan product, a longer stretch than most lenders in this group. Because the rate is fixed, the monthly payment holds steady across that period, which makes budgeting easier for salaried applicants.

How much can I borrow?+

Borrowing starts from from $1,250 on the personal loan, and the lender lists a worked example on a smaller sum. Monthly income is part of the test: the bank asks for a minimum income figure, set higher for salaried applicants and own-business owners than for the unsecured personal loan line.

Who can apply?+

Applications are open to residents of Nicaragua. Nationals show a valid national ID, while foreign residents use a residence card and passport. The credit check is hard, so a formal search runs on the file before any decision, which makes sense to check your own record first.

Is Banco Lafise regulated, and is my money protected?+

The bank is supervised by SIBOIF, the Nicaraguan superintendent of banks and other financial institutions, and FOGADE is named as the deposit guarantee body. Since that scheme concerns deposits, a personal loan needs its own reading of the terms. Every application runs a hard credit check.

What else does the bank lend?+

The lending menu covers personal, secured and car, and a revolving credit line is also on offer. Mortgages run to a maximum loan to value of 80% and cover both purchase and remortgage, so home and vehicle finance sit with the same lender as the personal loan.

How do I get in touch?+

Support runs on phone, email and chat, so a borrower can reach the bank by phone, email, live chat or a help centre. Phone and chat sit at the front of that list, which suits questions about payments on a loan that is already running, and lending is direct at direct lender.

Sources

Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Funding time.

Banco Lafise

Banco Lafise

Nicaraguan residents borrowing in dollars for home improvements or a property purchase.

9.2/10See alternatives

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