How to sell to Colombia: payment methods, costs and how the money gets back

A guide to selling into Colombia — PSE, Nequi and Bre-B, what it costs, and how the money comes back in local currency, PIX or crypto.

Pagnovo Team · 2026-08-14

Colombia is one of Latin America's fastest-growing digital commerce markets — and the most fragmented in payment methods. That is exactly why it punishes anyone arriving with a single option.

1. How Colombians pay

Four routes, each serving a different audience:

Bre-B — the interoperable instant payment system from Banco de la República, Colombia's central bank. Live since 2025, it is the Colombian equivalent of PIX: addressed by llaves (ID document, mobile, email, alphanumeric code or merchant code), already past 100 million registered keys.

PSE — online bank debit through ACH Colombia. It is the established standard for internet purchases: the customer is redirected to their own bank, authorises and returns. More friction than an instant payment, but years of accumulated trust.

Nequi — Bancolombia's wallet, addressed by mobile number. Strong among individuals, social-media selling and people without a well-resolved traditional bank account.

Bank transfer — covers high tickets and corporate customers.

⚠️ The detail that changes your architecture: Bre-B caps transactions at 1,000 UVB. With the 2026 UVB at COP 12,110, the ceiling lands around COP 12.1 million (~USD 3,000). Above that, the route is PSE or transfer.

→ Detailed comparison: Bre-B, PSE or Nequi

2. What it costs

Beyond the processing rate and the flat per-transaction fee, count the cost nobody measures: the sale lost for not having the method that customer uses. In a market with four relevant routes, offering one means giving up a large share of the base.

3. How the money reaches you

Three routes, and the choice is yours:

• Keep Colombian pesos — if you have local costs.
• Settle via PIX — the balance lands converted in your Brazilian company account.
• Settle in crypto — when that is the most efficient route.

Same rule as always: not deciding is deciding.

What about the legal side?

Law 14,286/2021, applying to operations from 2 January 2023, made it optional to keep foreign-currency export proceeds abroad and removed old restrictions on their use. Bringing money into Brazil became a choice. Tax and documentation rules still apply — align with your accountant.

Checklist

1. Cover all four methods — not excess, just recognising the market behaves in different ways.
2. Check the Bre-B ceiling against your average ticket.
3. Price in Colombian pesos.
4. Measure approval by method and amount band — a drop concentrated in one band is probably the Bre-B limit.
5. Define the settlement route before scaling media.

The common mistake

Picking only the most modern method. Bre-B is excellent and will grow, but it has a limit; PSE has years of trust and does not. They cover different situations.

Our Global Processing in Colombia accepts Bre-B, PSE, Nequi and bank transfer, settling in local currency, PIX or crypto. See also whether international PIX exists or talk to our team.