Who Owns Holafly?

Holafly began in 2017 in Murcia, Spain, after founders Maiquez and Hu experienced the frustration of losing connectivity while traveling in Thailand. The initial product was physical SIM cards sold to travelers before departure, a model that worked but was limited by the logistics of shipping physical inventory internationally.

The pivotal shift came in 2018, when the company joined the Lanzadera accelerator program and launched eSIM technology, letting travelers activate data plans instantly by scanning a QR code rather than waiting for a physical card. That change removed the shipping bottleneck entirely and transformed the business from a mail-order SIM seller into a digital connectivity platform.

Expansion followed. The company moved into France and Germany, opened offices in Valencia and Medellin between 2019 and 2021, then pushed into Lima and Bangkok. By 2022 Holafly had committed to carbon neutrality and launched iOS and Android apps that let travelers manage eSIMs without relying on QR code emails. The corporate headquarters moved from Spain to Dublin, placing it in an EU jurisdiction with favorable corporate structures while maintaining operational roots in Spain and Latin America.

By 2026 Holafly had sold more than 12 million eSIMs and covered more than 200 destinations, positioning it among the three largest independent travel eSIM providers alongside Airalo and Nomad. Its product strategy focuses on unlimited data plans rather than the metered data bundles many competitors sell, targeting travelers who want simplicity over granular pricing.