Mexico central bank in talks with Amazon on new mobile payments
MEXICO CITY: Mexico’s central bank is in talks with Amazon.com Inc to launch a new governmentbacked mobile payment system that would allow consumers to pay for online purchases using QR codes, the bank’s head of payments said.
It would be the first time the world’s largest online retailer offers such scanning technology in Mexico and could eventually open a new customer base in a nation where more than half of the population has no bank account.
The payment system, known as Codi, is being built by central bank Banco de México, known as Banxico. Codi will allow customers to make payments online and in person through smartphones free of charge using QR codes. It aims to bring more people into the formal financial sector.
A pilot rollout of Codi is expected this month, Banxico has said.
Amazon and Argentine rival Mercadolibre have approached the bank about adopting the system, Jaime Cortina, Banxico’s director of operations and payments, said.
“They have also said that they could implement it relatively quickly,” Cortina said, adding that Codi was specifically designed so that it can facilitate payments online as well as in stores.
Amazon declined to comment. Mercadolibre confirmed that its payments arm Mercadopago was in contact with the central bank about digital payment solutions but declined to comment further.
Phone-based banking is popular in other emerging markets such as China, India and Kenya, and has been driven by user-friendly, affordable apps from private companies.
Cortina said online retailers should have no problem incorporating the technology at the same time as banks and other participants in the existing interbank payment system that powers Codi.