Colombia's Bre‑B Hits More than 500 Million Transactions as ACI Worldwide and Banco de la República Take the Stage at Fintech Americas 2026
ACI Worldwide wins Central Banking's 2026 Award for ‘Financial Market Infrastructure Services Retail', recognizing the standout success of the Bre-B implementation
Colombia's real-time payments transformation is accelerating at remarkable speed. In just five months, Bre‑B has processed more than 500 million transactions and registered over 100 million payment keys, firmly establishing the scheme as one of the most rapidly scaled real-time payment systems in Latin America.
For this achievement, ACI has been named the winner of this year's Central Banking Financial Market Infrastructure Services – Retail Award. The awards judges highlighted the collaborative nature of the scheme, the implementation in record time, and ACI's flexibility in addressing design challenges to deliver the Bre-B implementation on schedule, ensuring a highly successful launch.
These milestone results will be in the spotlight at Fintech Americas Miami 2026, where Mauricio Fernández, real-time payments lead, Latin America, ACI Worldwide, and Ana Carolina Ramírez Pineda, deputy director of retail payments, Banco de la República, will share insights into Bre-B's rapid rise and outline what comes next for the national scheme.
Powered by ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ:ACIW) and operated by Banco de la República, Bre‑B is redefining how Colombians send money, pay merchants, and engage with digital financial services. Its early performance reflects both the scale and inclusivity of Colombia's new real-time payments infrastructure, representing one of the strongest national real-time deployments anywhere in the world.
A New Foundation for Colombia's Real‑Time Economy
Launched to modernize the country's payment infrastructure and expand financial inclusion, Bre-B enables instantaneous, interoperable transfers across all participating financial institutions. Built on ACI's Digital Central Infrastructure, the scheme is already reshaping how consumers, merchants, government entities, and utilities conduct transactions. It also represents a regional first: a nationally coordinated real‑time payments scheme jointly developed by the central bank, regulators, commercial banks, and technology partners, setting a new standard for collaborative digital payments innovation in Latin America.
ACI Worldwide: Powering Colombia's National Real-Time Scheme
As Banco de la República's technology partner, ACI Worldwide provides the addressing directory, 24/7 clearing and settlement engine, and interoperability services that underpin Bre-B's reliability and scale.
"Bre-B's first five months demonstrate what coordinated leadership and modern infrastructure can achieve at national scale," said Mauricio Fernández, real-time payments lead, Latin America, ACI Worldwide. "Colombia is now one of the region's most advanced real-time payments markets. We are proud to support Banco de la República in building a system that strengthens financial inclusion and sets a new benchmark for Latin America."
"Bre-B has fundamentally transformed how Colombians transact, creating faster, more transparent, and more inclusive financial services," said Ana Carolina Ramírez Pineda, deputy director of retail payments, Banco de la República. "The first five months highlight the power of interoperability and strong public-private collaboration. As we move into the next phase, continued partnership with ACI Worldwide will be essential in expanding innovation and exploring real‑time cross‑border opportunities."
Looking Ahead: Real‑Time Cross‑Border Opportunities
With domestic real-time payments firmly established, attention now turns to the cross‑border dimension, particularly the high‑volume corridor between the United States and Latin America.
At Fintech Americas, ACI Worldwide will outline how domestic real-time schemes like Bre-B can interoperate with global real-time networks, positioning regional banks to compete in the fast‑growing remittances and international payments space.
Fintech Americas Miami 2026: ACI Worldwide and Banco de la República on Stage
Bre‑B will take center stage at Fintech Americas as ACI Worldwide and Banco de la República share their journey, insights, and lessons learned.
Featured Session: Real-Time Payments and 24/7 Economies, The New Competitive Advantage in Latin America, Wednesday, March 25, 2:30 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
Speakers:
- Mauricio Fernández, Real-Time Payments Lead, Latin America, ACI Worldwide
- Ana Carolina Ramírez Pineda, Deputy Director of Retail Payments, Banco de la República
Together, they will unpack Bre-B's governance model, operational rollout, adoption trajectory, and its wider economic impact.
About ACI Worldwide:
ACI Worldwide, an original innovator in global payments technology, delivers transformative software solutions that power intelligent payments orchestration in real time so banks, billers and merchants can drive growth, while continuously modernizing their payment infrastructures, simply and securely. With nearly 50 years of trusted payments expertise, we combine our global footprint with a local presence to offer enhanced payment experiences to stay ahead of constantly changing payment challenges and opportunities.
About Banco de la República
Banco de la República is the Central Bank of Colombia. As the country's monetary authority, it is responsible for maintaining monetary stability, ensuring sound financial infrastructure, and leading Colombia's advancements in digital payments and financial innovation.
© Copyright ACI Worldwide, Inc. 2026
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260319965529/en/
Media Contacts
Katrin Boettger | Communications and Corporate Affairs Director | [email protected]
Pierce Rohrmann | Head of Communications and Corporate Affairs | [email protected]