Colombia has officially launched Bre-B, its national instant payment network, marking the start of full-scale operations after a short pilot phase.
The system follows the model of Brazil’s Pix, offering immediate settlement, interoperability, and round-the-clock availability. Through a collaboration with MOVii, a Colombian financial technology company, EBANX is enabling international merchants to accept Bre-B payments from the first day of its rollout. The partnership uses MOVii’s Smart Router to connect with all of Bre-B’s nodes, allowing transactions to be routed efficiently across different systems.
Expanding access to digital payments
Colombia’s central bank reported that more than 30 million people have registered for Bre-B, which represents about three-quarters of the country’s adult population. According to the official press release, this highlights the growing adoption of digital payments in a country where only 18% have credit cards. EBANX officials said their involvement builds on experience gained from handling a large share of Pix transactions in Brazil, which helped inform the Colombian system’s design.
Unlike Pix, Bre-B was built over existing payment rails, linking services such as Transfiya, EntreCuentas, and newer networks, including Credibanco and Visionamos. The central bank oversees two core components that underpin instant transfers: a centralised directory mapping all users and a settlement mechanism for real-time fund movement between institutions.
Bre-B currently supports person-to-person and consumer-to-merchant transactions, with plans to include payments to and from government entities and recurring or bulk transfers. Officials from MOVii noted that connecting the system to Colombia’s Family Compensation Funds could help extend financial inclusion, offering digital alternatives to millions previously reliant on cash.
EBANX provides cross-border payment services across emerging markets, while MOVii operates issuing and acquiring infrastructure in Latin America.
