Banco de la República officially launched the national instant payment system, enabling real-time transfers and 24/7 fund availability. Global companies will be able to accept payments through Bre-B thanks to an integration developed by FinTech company EBANX in partnership with payment provider MOVii.
Following successful pilot testing, Colombia rolled out Bre-B, the national instant payment system. The announcement was made by FinTech company EBANX, the project’s main strategic and technology partner.
The system was developed under the supervision of Banco de la República (Banrep) and is designed to ensure instant settlements between users and businesses. From September 23 to October 5, the pilot phase was conducted, during which controlled operations with a limited number of participants were carried out to test full interoperability between five instant payment systems and 227 financial institutions participating in Bre-B.
Thanks to EBANX, global merchants can access Bre-B through a single connection, making instant transfers available to Colombian customers when purchasing goods and services from international providers. To make this possible, EBANX signed a partnership agreement with MOVii, a Latin American payment provider. Using MOVii’s Smart Router technology, the Bre-B system can provide a unified connection to all nodes and automatically select the optimal transaction route.
Currently, Bre-B only processes peer-to-peer (P2P) transfers and peer-to-merchant (P2M) payments. In the future, government institutions will be integrated, enabling Colombians to pay taxes, cover public service fees, and receive subsidies. Bre-B is also connected to the Cajas de Compensación Familiar social support funds, which serve 42% of the population, giving millions of Colombians a digital alternative to cash.
According to Eduardo de Abreu, Vice President of Products at EBANX, Bre-B mirrors the core principles of PIX, Brazil’s instant payment system. The Colombian system features mandatory interoperability, operates 24/7, and allows immediate fund settlement. It unifies previously fragmented platforms such as Transfiya, EntreCuentas, Credibanco, and Visionamos into a single cashless ecosystem, while also paving the way for further integrations.
Banco de la República reports that more than 32 million people are already registered in Bre-B, representing over 76% of the country’s adult population. More than 84 million payment keys were already issued. Meanwhile, only 18% of Colombians have access to credit cards, according to the latest Banrep report, making Bre-B a crucial tool for financial inclusion.
According to Payments and Commerce Market Intelligence (PCMI), Colombia’s digital economy has been showing double-digit growth since 2019 and could reach $52 billion in 2025, growing further to $70 billion by 2028 with the adoption of instant payments.
Read more about instant banking systems and their development in CP Media’s special feature.
