8B Scan-to-Pay Is Live in Brazil and Argentina

Why Brazil and Argentina

Both countries have built domestic instant-payment infrastructure at significant scale. Their systems differ in structure, but they demonstrate the same shift: account-to-account payments initiated through interoperable QR codes have become part of everyday commerce.

That creates a clear opportunity for international financial institutions. Their users can reach local acceptance networks without adopting a separate application for every destination. The same banking or wallet interface becomes the starting point for a payment made abroad.

QR payments are particularly well established across Latin America and Asia. Worldpay identifies QR interoperability and the growth of payment applications in both LATAM and APAC as important drivers of in-store payment adoption. Argentina stands out within Latin America: 84% of consumers who pay by phone in physical stores say they regularly use QR codes.

The acceptance networks already exist. The remaining challenge is giving users of foreign financial applications a reliable way to access them.

Brazil and the scale of Pix

Launched by the Banco Central do Brasil in 2020, Pix is now core payment infrastructure in Brazil. It supports real-time transfers and payments between participating institutions for individuals and businesses.

The latest figures underline its scale:

318.1 million transactions on 4 September 2026, setting a new daily record

R$186.9 billion moved in 24 hours

167.7 million individual users registered at the end of August 2026

18.6 million business users registered at the end of August 2026

Pix is widely accepted across Brazil. Through 8B, users of connected financial applications can scan the same Pix QR codes presented to local customers and complete the payment through their existing application.

For banks and wallets, this adds a relevant international payment use case to an existing customer relationship. The user stays within a familiar interface while gaining access to local QR acceptance abroad.

Argentina and Transferencias 3.0

Transferencias 3.0 is Argentina's interoperable framework for instant account-to-account payments, introduced by the Banco Central de la República Argentina. At the point of sale, a customer can scan an interoperable QR code using a participating bank application or wallet. Merchants receive the funds through participating bank or payment accounts.

The latest adoption data shows how firmly QR payments are embedded in the market:

115.6 million QR payments in July 2026, a new monthly record

ARS 2.96 trillion moved through those payments during the month

84% of Argentines who pay by phone in physical stores regularly use QR codes, according to the Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026

The 84% result is the highest among the Latin American markets cited in the report, ahead of Colombia at 76%, Peru at 71% and Brazil at 66%.

QR is therefore not a marginal payment channel in Argentina. It is a routine way to pay, supported by a broad and mature local acceptance environment that international financial providers can connect to.

How the 8B model works

8B connects partners to local QR payment infrastructure through a single integration. The user opens the partner's existing application and scans the QR code already displayed by the local merchant. The user then reviews and confirms the payment within the familiar application journey.

Behind that action sits the cross-border infrastructure required for routing, foreign exchange, settlement, transaction monitoring and reconciliation. 8B provides the regulated and operational layer connecting the partner's payment experience to the local rail.

The merchant does not need to join a separate international acceptance network for every foreign wallet or banking application. The payment uses the local QR infrastructure already present at the point of sale.

Who Scan-to-Pay is for

The service is designed for financial institutions and payment platforms that want to extend local QR acceptance to users travelling, studying, working or doing business abroad:

Banks and digital banks

Mobile wallets and super apps

Neobanks and fintech platforms

Payment service providers

Exchanges and other eligible financial applications

Brazil and Argentina are live in production. Further Latin American markets will follow as the 8B Scan-to-Pay network expands.

Connect your users to local QR payments

If your users travel, study, work or do business in Brazil or Argentina, talk to the 8B team about enabling local QR payments through their existing banking or wallet experience.

Contact us to discuss market availability, integration requirements and supported payment flows.

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