How to sell to Ecuador: the market with no currency conversion

Ecuador is dollarised — what you charge is what you receive. How local customers pay, what it costs, and how to bring the money home by PIX.

Pagnovo Team · 2026-08-14

If you already sell in dollars, Ecuador is the simplest market in Latin America — and that is exactly why almost nobody notices it.

1. The feature that changes the whole calculation

Ecuador is dollarised. Since 2000, the official currency has been the US dollar. Not indexation, not a reference currency: it is the money in circulation.

For anyone selling from abroad, that removes in one go:

• FX spread on the way in
• exposure between the sale date and the payout
• the need for a conversion policy
• the variation that complicates monthly close

If your operation already settles in USD, Ecuador comes in with almost no treasury work.

2. How Ecuadorians pay

DEUNA — Banco Pichincha's digital wallet. The customer pays by QR or payment link, with immediate confirmation. One caveat for setting expectations: it requires the payer to hold a Banco Pichincha account, so reach is broad but not universal like a central bank system.

Cash — and here is the honest counterpoint. Ecuador has a meaningful share of the population outside the traditional banking system. The flow mirrors the Brazilian boleto or Mexican OXXO: the customer completes the purchase online, receives a code, and pays in person across a network of points. Digital-only leaves sales on the table.

Bank transfer — in dollars, no conversion. Covers high tickets and corporate customers.

→ Full Ecuador guide

3. How the money reaches you

Even with no currency risk, you still choose the destination:

• Keep dollars — if you have local costs or want to hold a USD position.
• Settle via PIX — the balance lands in your Brazilian company account.
• Settle in crypto — when that is the most efficient route.

What about the legal side?

Law 14,286/2021, applying to operations from 2 January 2023, made it optional to keep foreign-currency proceeds from Brazilian exports abroad, usable for any lawful purpose. Tax and documentation rules still apply — talk to your accountant before scaling.

Checklist

1. Confirm you already settle in USD — if so, the financial barrier disappears.
2. Do not leave cash out.
3. Offer DEUNA to banked customers.
4. Price in dollars, with psychological values — with no conversion, it works directly.
5. Measure approval by method, as in any market.

The common mistake

Putting Ecuador in the same "Latin America" bucket and assuming it needs the same FX structure as its neighbours. It does not — and it keeps getting ignored for exactly that reason.

Our Global Processing in Ecuador accepts DEUNA, cash and bank transfer, settling in local currency, PIX or crypto. See also whether international PIX exists or talk to our team.