Nov
AMI expert analyzes Colombia’s new payment system in The Dialogue
In the latest issue of The Dialogue – Financial Services Advisor, the launch of Colombia’s new real-time payments system, Bre-B, is under the spotlight. Rolled out by the country’s central bank on October 6, Bre-B has already attracted over 30 million users.
Valentina Meneses, senior analyst and project manager at Americas Market Intelligence (AMI), shares her insights on the system’s impact:
“Bre-B marks a foundational shift in Colombia’s payment infrastructure,” she says.
Meneses explains that Bre-B enables 24/7 real-time transfers using simple identifiers like a phone number or ID—boosting convenience for consumers while reducing costs for businesses, particularly small merchants often excluded from traditional acquiring channels. She also notes that while initial use cases are mostly person-to-person or person-to-merchant, future phases will likely introduce recurring payments and QR-based commerce.
According to Meneses, Bre-B builds on behaviors shaped during the pandemic—such as QR code payments and mobile transfers—and unifies them under an interoperable, central bank-backed framework. She warns that institutions treating Bre-B as just a compliance measure will fall behind, while those leveraging it as a platform for innovation will shape the future of Colombia’s payments ecosystem.
You can read the full article in The Dialogue – Financial Services Advisor (October 23 – November 5, 2025 issue).
Valentina Meneses
Senior Analyst
Valentina Meneses supports PCMI practice by conducting desk research, interviews and analysis focused on different markets, consumption variables; as well as social, political, and economic contexts.
📬 Contact for press: Valentina Duque at vduque@americasmi.com
