For many people, retirement feels like something far off. With jobs, mortgages, and family responsibilities, it’s easy to delay thinking about a future that doesn’t seem urgent.

Sergio Rodrigues believes this way of thinking is at the heart of one of Europe’s biggest problems. Spain’s pension system is under pressure because fewer workers are supporting more retirees, and many people still lack the financial knowledge to plan for retirement confidently.

"It's about understanding the future," he says.

For Sergio, the answer isn’t just to tell people to save more. He wants to make retirement planning easier to understand and more accessible. This idea inspired him to start Arca Digital.

This Spanish fintech builds digital tools that let employers set up workplace pension plans in minutes instead of weeks. With automation, AI, and modern software, Arca Digital is replacing outdated processes with a platform designed for today’s businesses and employees.

The timing is right. New regulations are encouraging more employer-sponsored pension plans, and as more people notice Spain’s retirement challenges, there’s a real chance to rethink how people get ready for life after work.

About Arca Digital

Arca Digital modernizes workplace pensions with a digital platform that connects pension fund managers, employers, and employees. Companies can set up and manage pension plans entirely online, and employees get a better view of their long-term savings. With more than 40 corporate pension plans already launched, Arca Digital is preparing for new retirement products and plans to expand across Southern Europe.

Why now?

Like many founders, Sergio believes that great companies succeed when people recognize the opportunity, not by solving problems no one notices. He thinks that’s exactly what’s happening in Spain right now.

"The US is usually ahead in most things," he explains. "We could also learn from markets like Denmark, Germany and the UK. We could see Spain reaching the same point."

For years, only economists and policymakers worried about Spain’s pension system. Now, it’s something everyone is talking about. More people see that today’s workers are supporting today’s retirees, and as the population shifts, this system is becoming harder to keep up.

"The people working today are paying for those who are already retired," Sergio explains. "The gap is enormous."

But just being aware isn’t enough.

Many people still don’t understand how long-term investing works or how compound interest impacts their retirement. Without this knowledge, saving for retirement can seem like just another monthly bill. 

However, new regulations are starting to change the conversation. Recent legal changes encourage employer-sponsored pension plans and give employees good tax breaks when they join through work. Instead of asking people to plan far into the future, the benefits are clear from the start.

"The future feels very far away," Sergio says. "People think about today. Paying less tax today is something they understand."

For Sergio, the mix of rising public awareness and supportive regulation creates a rare opportunity in financial services.

"People are now familiar with the problem," he says. "And regulation is moving in the right direction."

He believes timing is just as important as the idea itself.

"People are now familiar with the problem. That's why now is the moment."

Why Arca Digital started with employers, not employees

Most fintech companies start by focusing on consumers, building products to improve the individual experience and hoping many people will use them. Sergio considered this, but as he studied Spain’s pension system, he realized the main problem wasn’t demand, it was the infrastructure. 

"If you wanted to open a corporate pension plan in Spain, it was incredibly difficult," he says. "There was virtually no innovation."

The problem wasn’t a lack of pension providers. Spain already had banks, insurers, and fund managers offering retirement products. The real issue was that businesses didn’t have an easy way to access them. Setting up a workplace pension plan involved lots of paperwork, manual tasks, and long onboarding processes that hadn’t changed in years. Big companies could manage, but for smaller businesses, it often felt too complicated.

Sergio and his team saw an opportunity where others only saw paperwork. Instead of trying to get millions of employees to save on their own, Arca Digital chose to help thousands of employers make retirement planning a regular part of work. If setting up a pension was as easy as signing up for any other HR tool, employees would automatically get better retirement benefits without having to navigate the financial system alone.

"We saw there wasn't an easy way for companies to do it," he says. "So we decided to solve that problem first."

This strategy has brought in customers from far beyond the tech sector. Startups were the first to join, but soon Arca Digital was working with family businesses, manufacturers, and service companies. They all shared the same frustration: they wanted to offer workplace pensions but didn’t have the time or resources to handle an outdated process.

These businesses weren’t just looking for new financial products. They wanted something that would save them time.

"We realized companies simply wanted something they could do online in five or ten minutes."

That insight confirmed one of Sergio's early beliefs. Sometimes innovation isn’t about inventing something new—it’s about making something important finally feel accessible.

"We realized companies simply wanted something they could do online in five or ten minutes."

Building the foundations before the growth

Looking back, Sergio laughs about Arca Digital's first year. From the outside, it probably seemed like not much was happening. There were no big customer announcements or impressive growth charts. Instead, the founders spent nearly a year solving a problem that few people outside the industry even knew about.

Spain's pension funds weren't built to connect with modern software. Many didn’t have APIs at all, which made real-time connections nearly impossible. Before Arca Digital could offer a smooth experience for employers and employees, the team had to build the basic systems that would let all the different parts work together.

"We spent our first year building technology," Sergio says. "In the beginning, we didn't realize why technology companies raised so much money before they had customers," he says with a smile. "Then we understood."

The experience also changed how Sergio views being an entrepreneur. "The reality entrepreneurs see isn't the real reality. We see everything through a different lens."

That optimism can sometimes make founders overlook upcoming challenges. But it also gives them the drive to tackle problems others think can’t be solved.

When the infrastructure was finally ready, growth accelerated quickly. More than 40 companies have now launched workplace pension plans through Arca Digital, and pension providers increasingly direct new customers to the platform rather than attempting to build similar technology themselves.

Looking back, what seemed like a slow start became one of the company’s biggest strengths.

Sometimes, the most valuable work is also the least visible. 

"We spent a year building the technology. Looking back, that's become our biggest advantage."

AI should simplify, not complicate

Artificial intelligence is mentioned in almost every conversation about financial technology these days. But Sergio prefers a practical approach.

"We're not obsessed with customers knowing we're using AI," he says. "What matters is whether we're giving them a better service."

Instead of making AI the main feature, Arca Digital uses it to make retirement planning easier to understand. Each employee has their own financial situation, questions, and goals. So, instead of giving everyone the same information, the platform gives explanations that fit each person, helping them see how workplace pensions, tax breaks, and long-term investing apply to them.

The technology is meant to stay in the background. "The customer doesn't care if we're using AI," Sergio says. "They care about understanding what matters for them."

For Sergio, this is where AI is most valuable, not by standing out, but by quietly making one of life’s biggest financial decisions less complicated.

"The customer doesn't care if we're using AI. They care about understanding what matters for them."

Building the retirement platform for Southern Europe 

Arca Digital may have started by solving a uniquely Spanish problem, but Sergio's ambition has always been much bigger.

The company recently raised a €1 million pre-seed round backed by Robin Capital and Draper B1, giving the team resources to speed up product development and expand across Spain. But Sergio doesn’t want to build just another pension provider. His vision is to become the infrastructure that supports workplace retirement savings across Southern Europe.

"We want to become the top-of-mind retirement solution," he says. "First in Spain, then across Southern Europe."

Countries like Portugal and Italy face many of the same demographic pressures, fragmented pension systems, and regulatory changes that first inspired Arca Digital. Since the technology is already built, Sergio believes the model can be used wherever employers want a simpler way to help employees prepare for the future.

The opportunity goes beyond just pension plans. Arca Digital is increasingly positioning itself as the link between pension funds, HR platforms, and employee benefits providers. Instead of asking companies to replace their current systems, the goal is to integrate smoothly, making workplace pensions a natural part of employment instead of a complicated financial product that few people fully understand.

This vision is based on the same idea that inspired the company from the start: remove obstacles first, and adoption will follow naturally.

"We want to become the top-of-mind retirement solution."

Quickfire Round

A tool you can't live without?

"Lovable or Gemini."

What's your recharge ritual?

"Meditation, CrossFit and cooking. Cooking is almost like meditation for me. It's my way of taking care of myself and the people around me."

What's some advice that has stuck with you?

“Julio Ribes, founder of Swipcar, asked me one question: “Are you afraid of success?'" That question completely changed how I think about building a company."

A founder you admire?

"Alejandro Artacho, founder of Spotahome. I admire how openly he talks about entrepreneurship, the successes, but also everything happening behind the scenes."

Looking ahead

Throughout our conversation, Sergio kept coming back to one main idea: making retirement easy to understand.

In his view, technology isn’t the end goal. AI, automation, and modern infrastructure are just tools to remove the complexity that has stopped many people from planning for their future. If employers can offer workplace pensions easily and employees can understand them, saving for retirement becomes less intimidating and much more likely.

Arca Digital is tackling a problem that many founders have ignored for decades, approaching it with a simple belief that underpins everything the company is building.

The biggest opportunities don't always come from changing people's behavior.

Sometimes they come from making the right behavior the easiest one.

For Sergio and the team, that’s exactly how the future of retirement planning should look. Find out more about their work, here and watch this space.