Latin American fintech leader Clara has announced the launch of Clara Global, a new platform for international corporate expense management, during Web Summit Rio. The product's creation is revolutionary, having been developed entirely with artificial intelligence in just a few weeks. This launch not only marks a new era of accelerated development for the company but also reflects broader AI adoption trends transforming the region's business landscape.
A New Era of AI-Powered Development
The development of Clara Global was a remarkable feat of speed, completed by a small internal team of three dubbed the "Lighthouse Squad". This team utilized advanced AI tools, with Anthropic's Claude Code serving as the primary development environment, to build the entire platform. This condensed timeline is a stark contrast to the estimated two years the same project would have required using traditional methods before the widespread availability of generative AI.
Beyond its creation, Clara is pioneering what it calls "self-improving software" to maintain this new velocity. Through an integrated widget, user feedback is aggregated, summarized, and converted into actionable development tickets by an AI system. This innovative process promises to deliver requested functionalities with unprecedented speed, potentially even on the same day they are suggested by customers.
Reflecting a Regional Shift in AI Adoption
Clara's internal innovation is mirrored by external market trends revealed in its AI Monitor Report, which analyzes data from over 10,000 companies. The report identifies a key distinction between businesses using AI for simple productivity and "Aggressive Deployers" integrating AI APIs directly into their workflows. It is this latter group that is driving exponential growth in AI investment across Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia.
The data highlights a significant market shift, particularly in Brazil, where a fierce competition between OpenAI and Anthropic is underway. In the last twelve months, Anthropic's share of corporate AI spending has surged from less than 3% to 53%. This dramatic rise suggests a growing preference among businesses for scalable AI infrastructure that can be deeply integrated into products over standard subscription models.
While Brazil currently represents about half of the region's total corporate AI expenditure, the growth trend is widespread. Colombia has emerged as the fastest-growing market, with its total AI spending increasing by an astounding 734%. Across all three key markets, the pattern is consistent, showing that AI adoption is widening as existing users significantly increase their investment in the technology.
The launch of Clara Global serves as more than just a product release; it is a powerful demonstration of a new, AI-native operational paradigm. By leveraging artificial intelligence for rapid development, Clara not only accelerates its own product roadmap but also sets a new benchmark for innovation in the region. The company's unique spending data further solidifies its position as a key observer of Latin America's ongoing technological transformation.