Ecuadorian payment platform reaches Panama, Peru and the United States
The growth of digital transactionality in Latin America has opened the doors to payment platforms developed by Ecuadorians. An important segment of the Latino population has seen the benefits in these payment mechanisms and that has accelerated the opportunities for technology companies that develop these tools.
Pagar e $ Fácil is one of the platforms of a fintech or financial technology company that in the midst of the pandemic was able to enter with its payment platform not only in Ecuador, but also in the markets of Panama, Peru and the United States.
The platform allows users to channel funds to the entire financial system through bank transfers or use those funds to load their electronic wallets and cancel in the sites that receive this medium. This tool, which has an app available for Android, allows you to use credit and debit cards for transactions.
Carlos Jurado, co-founder of Pagar e $ Fácil, explains that the platform is an opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to expand their collection options and thus be able to develop their transactions.
Since it began operating in the second half of 2020, Pagar e $ Fácil has registered some 20,000 users. 20% are merchants and 80% general users, but who can also make transactions. “The idea is to create a great community that does business online,” says Jurado.
The platform allows you to charge amounts not exceeding $ 199 for new users and up to $ 299 for those with a track record. The average transactions they have registered are around $ 53.
Additionally, entrepreneurs can boost their businesses through the marketplace or online store offered by this platform. To register and transact, they must present personal identification documents, RUC, proof of address and bank statement. The general user, who uses it only to pay something, does not have the registration requirement.
The technology used in this undertaking is in the Google cloud, from whom they receive permanent support. Jurado says that they have the PCI-DSS L3 certification, which guarantees compliance with standards to operate safely with credit and debit cards.
The Fintech ecosystem in Latin America and the Caribbean has increased in recent years. Mexico, Brazil and Colombia lead the largest ecosystems with companies in this branch, according to Fintech Radar from Finnovista. In Ecuador, it is estimated that there are 34 startups related to this market, according to the report Fintech in Latin America: growth and consolidation of the Inter-American Development Bank.
The areas in which these fintechs work are business finance management, business finance management, business technologies for financial institutions, payments and remittances, crowdfunding (collective financing), investment / wealth management, personal finance management, loans and others.
Jurado points out that in the coming weeks they will be incorporating new services. Thus, from March 20, the platform will allow you to pay more than two hundred services through this application, which also has the option of recurring payments, by link, WhatsApp, by voice, app, web and QR code.
The platform’s plans include venturing into Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
To try to achieve further development, the creators of the platform have started a fundraising campaign with contributions of $ 10 in exchange for two digital books. (https://backoffice.pagaresfacil.com/aporte). (I)