PPRO Maps LATAM Payments for U.S. Merchants

At Money20/20 USA 2025, Therese Hudak, VP of Commercial for the Americas at PPRO, introduced the company’s newly transformed PPRO Almanac — a long-trusted industry reference now redesigned as a corridor-based market guide. Instead of publishing raw market data, PPRO’s new approach reframes insights specifically for U.S. merchants entering Latin America, one of the fastest-growing and most complex digital commerce regions.

Hudak explained that LATAM is a $633 billion market with rapid e-commerce expansion, driven by both rising consumer demand and the increasing volume of U.S. exports into the region. But LATAM’s complexity is often underestimated. Each country has its own regulatory framework, FX rules, tax structure, reconciliation process, and preferred payment methods. Brazil and Colombia, for example, consistently rank among the most complex tax jurisdictions in the world — meaning mistakes can become costly for merchants entering locally.

She highlighted the surge in digital bank transfers and digital wallets across the region. Brazil’s PIX, launched in 2020, has become a blueprint for instant payments, influencing adoption across LATAM. Bank transfers are growing around 30% year over year, while digital wallets are growing nearly 19%. Buy-now-pay-later is also accelerating, both in traditional LATAM instalment formats and in newer BNPL models spreading from the U.S. and Europe.

One of the biggest barriers for U.S. merchants is authorisation rates. Nearly a third of LATAM cards cannot be used for cross-border purchases, meaning merchants relying solely on international acquiring may see approval rates drop from 80–90% down to 30% or lower. Local processing is becoming essential to avoid issuer-driven declines and fraud-algorithm blocks.

Hudak also pointed to the rise of super-apps, with digital wallets in markets like Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia evolving into multi-service ecosystems. Platforms such as Mercado Pago, Neki, and Rappi now enable consumers to pay, borrow, and shop in one place — a behaviour pattern that is rapidly reshaping digital commerce across LATAM.

Subscription-based businesses are entering the region as well, and both banks and payment methods are becoming more comfortable supporting recurring payments. As these models mature, functionality around subscription commerce is expanding quickly.

The new PPRO Almanac aims to give U.S. merchants clarity in this fast-moving environment — not just raw numbers, but practical guidance on opportunities, risks, and market realities across a diverse and dynamic payments landscape.