Cross-border payments in Latin America: one API, local rails

Moving money across Latin America used to mean prefunding accounts and waiting days. Today you can connect to local rails (SPEI* in Mexico, PIX in Brazil, PSE in Colombia, CBU/CVU in Argentina) through one API and settle in minutes. Treasury gets less idle cash, fewer FX surprises, and real-time visibility. For the business, this means launching in weeks, not months. That’s the promise of cross-border payments in Latin America.

What are the local rails in Latin America?

• Mexico: SPEI*

SPEI* is Mexico’s instant bank-to-bank transfer system. You send money to a CLABE (an 18-digit bank account number). Each transfer includes a reference and payment concept so your finance team can match the payment to an invoice or order. Once the money lands, it’s final—no card-style chargebacks—and it works 24/7, weekends included. If something goes wrong, you don’t “reverse” it like a card; you send a mirror refund that shows up in seconds or minutes.

• Brazil: PIX

PIX is also instant (often under 10 seconds). People pay using a chave (email, phone, tax ID, or a random key) or by scanning a QR. It has handy features like Pix Cobrança (invoice with due date) and Pix Saque/Troco (cash-out at merchants). For companies doing thousands of payments, you can set per-channel limits and validate CPF/CNPJ to cut down on rejects and fraud. Every payment carries an end-to-end ID to make reconciliation easy—great for mass payouts Latin America.

• Colombia: PSE

Think of PSE as a checkout that connects to your customer’s bank. The user picks their bank, approves the debit and you get an instant confirmation to release the service. Final settlement between banks often closes at the end of day (T+0), so finance should expect confirmation now and final accounting later the same day. Because it’s a push from the customer’s bank, the risk of chargebacks is almost zero.

• Argentina: CBU/CVU

Transfers use CBU (bank) or CVU (fintech wallet). Both have 22 digits and work 24/7. The Central Bank’s Transferencia 3.0 made QR codes interoperable across banks and wallets, and you can use aliases (human-readable IDs) to avoid keying mistakes. For B2B, include the payment ID, the recipient’s CBU/CVU, and their CUIT/CUIL so your ERP can match payments with >95% auto-match. If you’re doing FX first and then a local payout (the classic “dólares a pesos” move), each payment should be linked to a proper order and receipt for audits.

All four rails are push, always on and fast. The difference between a smooth operation and a messy one isn’t the rail—it’s your integration and controls: validate bank data before sending, manage limits, use idempotency to avoid duplicates, and rely on webhooks to keep your records in sync. With one API for cross-border payments LATAM, you can run collections and payouts across these rails and keep a clean, auditable trail.

Compliance and launching without opening local entities

You don’t need a subsidiary in every country to pay or collect—if you work with a licensed provider that stands in front of the rails and covers the regulatory heavy lifting.

• Mexico (SPEI*). Most providers connect as IFPE institutions supervised by CNBV and Banco de México. They perform corporate KYC/AML, screen against local and international lists, and file UIF reports when needed. When you convert dólares a pesos and pay by SPEI*, your partner acts as payer-of-record and issues the local receipts, so you don’t need a Mexican bank account.
  
  
• Brazil (PIX). Providers participate in the Central Bank’s arranjo as payment institutions (PSP). Besides KYC/AML, they apply fraud controls (night limits, device and behavior checks) and comply with LGPD data rules. They can settle BRL to your beneficiaries and mirror entries to your central ledger if you need reporting in a hard currency.
  
  
• Colombia (PSE). PSE works under ACH Colombia; local SEDPE rules and the Superintendencia Financiera set the supervision. Onboarding includes SARLAFT and validations of NIT and legal reps. Because confirmation is instant and settlement closes at day-end, agree on funding SLAs and reconciliation windows (e.g., 24–48 hours).
  
  
• Argentina (CBU/CVU). PSPCP providers operate under the BCRA and comply with UIF KYC/AML plus CBU/CVU interoperability. If you pay CVU (fintech) accounts at scale, make sure your partner supports tax receipts and withholdings, as these change the net settlement for beneficiaries.

• Stablecoins for business payments. If you fund with stablecoins and interact with other VASPs, the Travel Rule applies: exchange originator/beneficiary info, screen sanctions (OFAC, UN, local), and keep end-to-end traceability of on/off-ramp and FX steps. In short, stablecoins for business payments must live inside a compliance-first setup.
  
  

Expect 1–3 weeks for a serious corporate onboarding, depending on markets and volumes. Arrive with your projected volumes, corridors, use cases, and internal policies ready—approval goes much faster.

How do I convert USDC to MXN instantly?

Many teams now fund with USDC because it’s fast to move and easy to account for. The usual play is simple: you fund in USDC (stablecoins for business payments), confirm FX to MXN, and pay the final beneficiary by SPEI*. This is especially helpful after hours or on weekends when banks are closed, because you can still get USDC to MXN liquidity and settle in minutes. In real life, Bitso Business has seen strong adoption, with billions converted and a large share of usage by companies outside LatAm—clear signs this isn’t just theory.

For a practical, real-world walkthrough of how SPEI/PIX and stablecoins work together to free up capital, see this overview: Real-time without friction: how to combine SPEI/PIX with stablecoins.

On the US→MX corridor, this setup reduces immobilized cash and speeds up time-to-cash. It’s also a neat fit for mass payouts Latin America (payroll, suppliers, creators) when you need predictable costs and instant confirmation.

What to demand from an API for cross-border payments LATAM?

Look for one contract and one API that covers: collections, payouts, and FX in the four countries above; direct connections to SPEI* and PIX; 24/7 operations; clear webhooks; batch reporting; and tools to reconcile by unique IDs per transaction, country, and rail. A single API for cross-border payments LATAM should also give you a unified operational ledger that logs inflows, outflows, and every dólares a pesos conversion with its effective cost (fees + spread). With that, finance can close faster and stop stitching five bank statements by hand.

How can a business implement cross-border payments?

• • Discovery & compliance. Pick corridors (US→MX/BR/CO/AR). Define KPIs: settlement time, immobilized capital, cost per transaction. Complete KYC/AML and confirm the countries you’ll activate first.
    
    
  • Build. Connect to the sandbox, test pay-ins/payouts/FX, and wire up webhooks. Decide how you’ll store references and receipts for auto-match >95%.
    
    
  • Pilot. Run a dólares a pesos pilot via SPEI* for a small, controlled use case (e.g., vendors). Measure end-to-end time and effective spread.
    
    
  • Scale. Turn on mass payouts Latin America, then add PIX/PSE/CBU-CVU. Keep SRE-style playbooks for retries and alerts.
  
  

How to prove impact to your CFO

Compare before vs after: capital released (less prefunding), end-to-end time (days → minutes), cost per movement (fees + spread), match rate in reconciliation, and speed to launch new markets. Look for growth in volume and institutional adoption to validate the business case.

FAQ Section 

1) Do I need a company in every country to pay or collect?

No. Work with a licensed provider that connects to local rails and acts as payer-of-record. You keep one contract and one integration.

2) How fast is “instant”?

SPEI* and PIX usually settle in seconds. PSE confirms instantly and settles same day. CBU/CVU also moves in seconds.

3) What happens if I make a mistake?

These are push payments. There are no card-style chargebacks. If you sent the wrong amount, you issue a refund (a mirror payment).

4) How do I reconcile thousands of payments?

Use end-to-end IDs, keep references (SPEI*) or txid/chave (PIX), and store receipts. With one integration you can reach >95% auto-match.

5) When does USDC to MXN liquidity make sense?

When you want 24/7 funding, faster time-to-cash, and predictable execution—especially nights/weekends or when you want to avoid prefunding.

6) Is it safe and compliant?

Yes—if your provider runs KYC/AML, sanctions screening, and Travel Rule where needed, and is properly licensed in each country.

7) Can I do mass payouts in Latin America?

Yes. Batch payouts with webhooks work well for payroll, suppliers, and marketplace sellers across SPEI*/PIX/PSE/CBU-CVU.

8) What if I need reports for audits?

Ask for digitally signed statements, machine-readable receipts, and a single ledger view that ties funding, FX, and payout.

9) How long does onboarding take?

Usually 1–3 weeks, depending on jurisdictions and projected volume—faster if you arrive with volumes, corridors, and policies ready.

*NVIO México enables direct access to SPEI and delivers payment services fully compliant with Mexican regulation. NVIO Pagos México, S.A.P.I. de C.V., IFPE (“NVIO México”) is authorised and regulated by the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV). Learn more at nvio.mx/terms.