EZCORP
Corporate brand
UnclaimedEZCORP is a United States-based pawn-shop and consumer-finance operator serving customers in the United States and Latin America.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
EZCORP, Inc. is an American operator of pawn shops and related consumer-finance businesses headquartered in Austin, Texas. Its core activity is providing nonrecourse pawn loans secured by tangible personal property, while also selling forfeited collateral and other pre-owned merchandise. Typical collateral and retail inventory include jewelry, consumer electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments. The company operates primarily through the EZPAWN brand in the United States and Latin America, with related businesses and historical operations using names such as Empeño Fácil, CashMax, EZMONEY, Crediamigo, and TUYO. The company was founded in 1989 and expanded rapidly during the 1990s. By 1994 it operated 234 pawn shops across nine U.S. states. During the 2000s, EZCORP broadened its financial-services offering beyond traditional pawn lending. It began offering payday loans through EZPAWN locations in 2001 and opened dedicated EZMONEY payday-loan stores in 2003. The company also began building an international footprint, particularly in Mexico and neighboring Central American markets. In 2007, it opened additional EZPAWN locations along the Texas–Mexico border and acquired Mexican stores that were rebranded as Empeño Fácil. EZCORP continued its expansion through acquisitions and investments. It purchased the Las Vegas-area operators Pawn Plus and ASAP Pawn in 2008, reported the acquisition of Value Financial Services in 2009, and entered Canada under the CashMax name. It also acquired a significant minority interest in Cash Converters International, an Australian-listed company with a global network of stores offering consumer financial services and pre-owned merchandise. In Mexico, EZCORP acquired a controlling interest in Grupo Finmart, which operated the Crediamigo specialty-finance business, and acquired TUYO, a buy-and-sell retail operator serving Mexico City and its surrounding metropolitan area. In 2015 it acquired USA Pawn & Jewelry, with operations in Arizona and Oregon. A major strategic change came in 2015 when EZCORP announced that it would close its U.S. Financial Services business. That unit had offered payday loans, auto-title loans, installment loans, and lines of credit; the company stated that all of its U.S. financial-services stores would be closed. Following the withdrawal from those products, pawn lending, retail sales, international operations, and technology supporting pawn transactions remained central to the business. As reported for September 30, 2021, EZCORP operated 1,148 stores: 516 in the United States, 508 in Mexico, 90 in Guatemala, 18 in El Salvador, and 16 in Honduras. The U.S. estate was concentrated in Texas and Florida, with the balance distributed across other states. The company also held a 37.72% interest in Cash Converters International as of October 2021 and approximately 13% of Rich Data Corporation, a Singapore-based company developing software for individual credit-risk assessment. EZCORP has a dual-class share structure. Phillip E. Cohen serves as executive chairman and controls the voting Class B common stock through MS Pawn Corporation, while the Class A shares do not carry voting power.
History
EZCORP was established in 1989 as a pawn-shop operator in the United States. Its early growth came from expanding the store network and increasing the number of markets in which customers could obtain loans secured by personal property. By 1994, the company had reached 234 pawn shops in nine states, establishing a substantial U.S. footprint. During the early 2000s, EZCORP experimented with a broader consumer-finance model. In 2001 it added payday-loan services at EZPAWN stores, and in 2003 it opened stand-alone EZMONEY locations dedicated to payday lending. This diversification was followed by international growth. In 2007 the company added stores near the Texas–Mexico border and acquired 20 stores in Mexico, which it branded Empeño Fácil. The company also bought Pawn Plus and ASAP Pawn in the Las Vegas area in 2008. EZCORP expanded into Canada in 2009 under the CashMax name and acquired a minority interest in Cash Converters International during the same period. Its interest in the Australian-listed company increased to about 33% in 2010, and EZCORP acquired Cash Converters' Canadian master-franchise rights in 2011. Cash Converters gave EZCORP exposure to a broader international network of stores combining financial services with the sale of pre-owned goods. The company deepened its Mexican presence in 2012 by acquiring control of Grupo Finmart, a specialty consumer-finance company operating under the Crediamigo name, and by acquiring TUYO, a buy-and-sell retailer serving Mexico City and nearby areas. In 2015, it added USA Pawn & Jewelry, which operated in Arizona and Oregon. Also in 2015, EZCORP withdrew from its U.S. Financial Services business. The closed operations had included payday loans, auto-title loans, installment loans, and lines of credit. This decision shifted the strategic emphasis toward pawn lending, resale of secondhand merchandise, international operations, and services connected with the pawn-store customer relationship. By September 30, 2021, EZCORP reported 1,148 stores across five countries: 516 in the United States, 508 in Mexico, 90 in Guatemala, 18 in El Salvador, and 16 in Honduras. The company also reported a 37.72% holding in Cash Converters International and an approximately 13% investment in Singapore-based Rich Data Corporation, a developer of credit-risk assessment software. EZCORP's corporate governance includes dual classes of common stock. Phillip E. Cohen, through MS Pawn Corporation, owns all Class B voting common stock and serves as executive chairman; the Class A shares do not have voting power.
- 2021
Reported network exceeds 1,100 stores
[1]As of September 30, EZCORP reported 1,148 stores across the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras.
- 2015
U.S. financial-services exit
[1]EZCORP announced the closure of its U.S. Financial Services business.
- 2012
Mexican finance and resale acquisitions
[1]The company acquired control of Grupo Finmart and acquired TUYO in Mexico.
- 2009
Canadian entry and Cash Converters investment
[1]EZCORP entered Canada as CashMax and acquired an initial interest in Cash Converters International.
- 2007
Mexican expansion
[1]EZCORP entered or expanded in Mexico through border stores and the acquisition of locations later branded Empeño Fácil.
- 2003
EZMONEY stores opened
[1]The company opened stand-alone stores for payday-loan services under the EZMONEY brand.
- 2001
Payday lending added to EZPAWN stores
[1]EZCORP began offering payday loans through selected EZPAWN locations.
- 1994
Network reaches 234 stores
[1]The company operated 234 pawn shops across nine U.S. states.
- 1989
Company founded
[1]EZCORP was founded as a U.S. pawn-shop operator.
Products and positioning
A multi-country pawn and secondhand-merchandise operator that provides secured, nonrecourse liquidity while monetizing used goods through retail stores and digital customer-engagement tools.
Pawn shops
EZPAWN
EZPAWN is EZCORP's principal pawn-shop brand. Its stores provide nonrecourse loans secured by customers' tangible personal property and sell pre-owned merchandise, including goods that become company inventory when pawn loans are not redeemed. The assortment commonly includes jewelry, electronics, tools, sporting goods, and musical instruments.
Pawn shops · 2007
Empeño Fácil
Empeño Fácil is the branding used for Mexican pawn locations acquired or developed by EZCORP. The business combines collateralized pawn lending with the retail sale of used goods and forfeited collateral.
Payday lending · 2003
EZMONEY
EZMONEY was created as a stand-alone payday-loan format during EZCORP's expansion into unsecured short-term consumer finance. The company later closed its U.S. Financial Services business, including its payday-loan operations.
Specialty consumer finance
Crediamigo
Crediamigo is the operating name of Grupo Finmart, a Mexico City-based specialty consumer-finance business in which EZCORP acquired a controlling interest. It represented the company's expansion beyond pawn lending into additional Mexican financial products.
Buy-and-sell retail · 2012
TUYO
TUYO operates buy-and-sell stores in Mexico City and the surrounding metropolitan area. The business complements EZCORP's pawn operations by combining consumer transactions in used merchandise with financial-services activity.
Digital pawn-loan engagement platform
Lana
Lana is a web-based customer-engagement platform designed to help manage pawn loans. It extends the pawn relationship beyond the physical store by supporting digital interaction around loan administration.
Brand decisions
2015
Exit U.S. Financial ServicesStrategyBackground
EZCORP reassessed its U.S. payday-loan and related lending operations.
Action taken
Effective July 29, 2015, the company announced the closure of its U.S. Financial Services business, including payday loans, auto-title loans, installment loans, and lines of credit.
Aftermath
All stores associated with the U.S. Financial Services business were closed, leaving pawn lending and merchandise sales as the central U.S. activities described in the reference material.
2012
Acquire control of Grupo Finmart and acquire TUYOM&ABackground
EZCORP wanted to increase its presence in Mexican specialty finance and secondhand retail.
Action taken
The company acquired a controlling interest in Grupo Finmart, operator of Crediamigo, and acquired TUYO.
Aftermath
The transactions broadened EZCORP's Mexican operations beyond conventional pawn shops.
2007
Expand into Mexico through stores and acquisitionStrategyBackground
EZCORP was building an international pawn and consumer-finance footprint.
Action taken
It opened four stores near the Texas–Mexico border and acquired 20 stores in Mexico, later branding them Empeño Fácil.
Aftermath
Mexico became the company's largest market outside the United States.
2001
Add payday lending to EZPAWN storesProduct launchBackground
EZCORP sought to broaden its pawn-store model with additional consumer-finance products.
Action taken
The company began offering payday loans through EZPAWN locations.
Aftermath
The move was followed by the launch of dedicated EZMONEY payday-loan stores in 2003.
Sources1 sources
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