With 2026 already on the horizon, Colombia is running the last mile towards an interoperable payment ecosystem that will redefine inclusion, trust, and competitiveness in the region.
Colombia is on everyone’s lips as a regional benchmark in the acceleration towards digital payment interoperability. The issue is no longer a matter of regulatory promises or technical discussions and has become a reality that is already transforming the way Colombians relate to money.
On September 23, 2025, the controlled operation phase of Bre-B, the Banco de la República’s instant payment system, began. From that moment on, the country entered a new era: transfers between banks, wallets, and cooperatives can now be made in seconds, regardless of the entity. The magnitude of the change is clear. More than 227 financial institutions are preparing to adopt the infrastructure, and nearly 14.6 million Colombians have already registered more than 35 million keys (from cell phone numbers to emails and QR codes) to use in their daily lives. What was once seen as a distant goal is now part of everyday life.
The transformation can be seen in the simplest of things. In Cali, a mother can shop at her neighborhood store without carrying cash: she just gives her cell phone number and the transfer arrives instantly, even though she uses a digital wallet and the shopkeeper uses a traditional bank. In Medellín, a taxi driver no longer loses fares because the passenger doesn’t have change; he receives immediate payment from different apps and the money is credited instantly. These scenes, as common as they are revealing, show how interoperability is changing the dynamics of millions of daily transactions.
This progress is the result of several factors coming together. Recent regulations issued by the Central Bank established rules that guarantee transfers are completed in less than 20 seconds and with easy-to-use identifiers. At the same time, pressure from citizens and businesses drove the adoption of solutions that offer immediacy and convenience. Added to this is a technological ecosystem that was already evolving with experiences such as Transfiya, interoperable QR buttons, and various payment platforms that served as a laboratory for what is now being deployed nationwide.
In this scenario, private solutions play a decisive role. Like AZ7®, the CLAI PAYMENTS® Technologies platform, which integrates naturally into this process as an engine capable of processing payments in real time, aligned with the security, speed, and compliance standards that systems such as Bre-B require. More than technology, it represents the possibility for banks, merchants, and wallets to find an effective bridge to join an increasingly connected ecosystem. Interoperability does not depend solely on regulatory infrastructure; it also requires the private sector’s ability to refine it and translate it into seamless experiences for users.
On October 6, Bre-B went live, consolidating a national instant payment system. The question now is not whether it will work, but how quickly we can harness its potential. By 2026, Colombia could have a mature digital payment ecosystem capable of offering inclusion, trust, and competitiveness. To achieve this, it will be essential to strengthen user education, guarantee uniform experiences regardless of the platform used, and ensure a robust infrastructure that is available at all times.
This is not the time to wait for others to lead the way. For financial institutions, fintechs, and retailers, this is the turning point to take the lead, invest in adaptations, and redesign processes with interoperability as a principle. Bre-B represents the prelude to a structural change in the way we pay in Colombia. Interoperability is no longer an aspirational horizon: it is the engine that will drive the transformation of digital payments in the country.
If you would like to learn more about AZ7® and how to achieve the interoperability required by payment methods, please leave your details below and a specialized agent will contact you.
El pasado 6 de octubre entró en operación masiva Bre-B, lo que consolidará un sistema nacional de pagos inmediatos. La pregunta que queda no es si funcionará, sino qué tan rápido podremos aprovechar su potencial. En 2026, Colombia podría contar con un ecosistema de pagos digitales maduro, capaz de ofrecer inclusión, confianza y competitividad. Para lograrlo será indispensable fortalecer la educación de los usuarios, garantizar experiencias uniformes sin importar la plataforma utilizada y asegurar una infraestructura robusta, disponible todo el tiempo.
No es momento de esperar a que otros marquen el camino. Para instituciones financieras, fintechs y retailers, este es el punto de inflexión para liderar, invertir en adaptaciones y rediseñar procesos con la interoperabilidad como principio. Bre-B representa la antesala de un cambio estructural en la forma en que pagamos en Colombia. La interoperabilidad ya no es un horizonte aspiracional: es el motor que impulsará la transformación de los pagos digitales en el país.
Si quiere conocer más de AZ7® y cómo lograr la interoperabilidad que requieren los medios de pago, déjenos sus datos a continuación y un agente especializada se contactará con usted.
