Colombia’s Bre-B Outpaces Brazil’s Pix with 83% Adoption in First Year

Colombia’s Bre-B instant payment system has achieved 83% adult penetration in its first year of operation, significantly outpacing the historical growth trajectory of Brazil’s Pix. For fintech professionals, this rapid adoption signals a massive shift in Latin America’s third-largest digital commerce market, offering a clear blueprint for how mandatory interoperability can bridge the gap for unbanked consumers and global merchants.

What was announced

Launched in October 2025, Bre-B has reached 36 million active users, including 32 million individuals, in a nation of approximately 40 million adults. This 83% penetration rate represents an 18-percentage-point lead over Pix at the same stage of its lifecycle. The system currently processes over 8 million transactions daily, a threefold increase from its first month, with a total accumulated value of nearly USD 80 billion moved through the rail since its inception.

The system’s success is rooted in a regulatory mandate for interoperability across all financial institutions, connecting existing digital financial solutions into a single national network. To facilitate global merchant access to this ecosystem, EBANX has partnered with MOVii to provide a single-connection integration. This solution includes a proprietary reversal engine for managing refunds and multi-currency settlement in USD, EUR, and GBP, allowing international businesses to operate without a local entity.

Data from an initial rollout with a major global retailer highlights the system's impact on conversion. By enabling Bre-B for just 5% of its customer base, the merchant saw a 5% incremental revenue uplift and a surge in checkout conversion from 20% to 50%. Notably, 45% of those who chose Bre-B were new customers for the retailer. This reach is critical in a market where the Financial Superintendence of Colombia (SFC) reports that only 24% of adults hold a credit card, compared to the 83% now reachable via Bre-B.

"Adoption moves fast when a system is built to its users’ needs, and that is exactly what happened in Colombia. Bre-B connects payment methods and digital financial solutions that used to work in isolation, solving a real problem for Colombian consumers and businesses,"

Sebastian Fantini, Director of Product at EBANX.

The companies involved

EBANX is a global technology company specializing in payment services for emerging markets. The firm has a deep history in Latin American infrastructure, having processed transactions for 35% of Pix users in Brazil. The company served as one of only two fintechs on the Interdisciplinary Committee for Interoperable Payments, advising Colombian authorities on the development of the Bre-B framework. Beyond Latin America, EBANX has recently expanded its operations into markets such as Pakistan.

MOVii, known as Latin America’s first "Banktech," provides the specialized integration layer for Bre-B. Based in Colombia, the company focuses on digital financial inclusion and infrastructure that allows global players to tap into local payment rails. Banco de la República is Colombia’s central bank and the operator of the Bre-B system. The institution is currently led by Payment System Director Ana María Prieto, who is overseeing the expansion of the system’s regulatory framework to include business-specific use cases such as payroll, utilities, and recurring payments, alongside standardized protocols for disputes and outages.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed EBANX’s efforts to localize payment strategies across emerging markets. In late 2025, we analyzed the growth of similar rails in EBANX: Six Months After Its Launch, Recurring Pix is Growing at 41% Per Month, which highlighted the potential for subscription-based models. The company’s focus on specialized sectors was further evidenced when NetEase Games Club Taps EBANX to Unlock Local Payments for Latin American Gamers. Additionally, EBANX has demonstrated the revenue impact of Andean payment methods, as seen when EBANX and Kunfupay Drive 46% Revenue Growth in Peru via One-Click Yape Checkout, and its broader international strategy in EBANX Expands to Pakistan and Launches Native Apple Pay Decryption for Global Merchants.

What this means

The velocity of Bre-B’s adoption suggests that the "Pix effect" is not a Brazilian anomaly but a repeatable model for emerging markets that prioritize mandatory interoperability. By connecting existing wallets rather than building from scratch, Colombia has commoditized instant transfers faster than any other regional peer, putting immediate pressure on traditional credit card schemes and siloed digital wallets. The challenge for the sector now shifts from basic adoption to the complexity of "overlay services." As the central bank moves to standardize payroll and recurring billing, the industry must decide whether to compete on the rail itself or on the value-added services built atop it. For global merchants, local payment methods are no longer optional "alternatives" but the primary gateway to the Colombian consumer.