Automating Collections to Modernize Mexico's Payment Ecosystem

Let’s imagine Mariana, the director of a school in Tijuana with 400 students. Every month, she has to send WhatsApp reminders, review bank transfers in Excel, and manually follow up with families that are behind on payments. Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it? It is. And like her, millions of businesses in Mexico, in different industries, like education, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, and many more, face the same challenge: a fragmented, inefficient, outdated collection process.

In a country where 83.8% of the population still uses cash and where 95% of private schools report tuition payment delinquency, automating collections is no longer just an operational upgrade. It is a structural need, and a critical lever to modernize the financial ecosystem.

However, this is not just about efficiency or UX. Digital transformation does not start with a slick user interface. It begins with the invisible infrastructure that enables a seamless, end-to-end payment experience. From invoice generation, integration of digital and physical payment methods, automated reminders to reconciliation without spreadsheets.

The benefits are broad. On the one hand, businesses reduce their operational burden and collect more effectively. On the other hand, customers get better tools to stay on top of their payments. And overall, the financial system gains transparency and inclusion.

Consider the data: 48% of B2B invoices in Mexico are paid late. In consumer services, nearly half of all payments are made past their due date. What’s more revealing is that most of these delays are not caused by lack of funds, but by lack of follow-up. A well-structured payment calendar, paired with timely reminders via WhatsApp, email, or SMS, can improve on-time payment rates by over 30%, according to internal studies we’ve conducted at tapi.

And if a small neighborhood school can offer this kind of experience, why can’t every business?

The infrastructure is already here, so is the technology. What’s missing is scale. We need to accelerate adoption and bust the myth that automation is only for big corporations. With today’s tools, any business, regardless of its size or sector, can plug into the most advanced payment ecosystem in the country. With a single connection, any business can have access to financial apps, digital banks, and physical locations. In short, they can collect like the big players.

This new paradigm has a name: interoperability. We see it every day in hybrid solutions, where the physical and digital landscapes coexist. Models like cash-in allow someone to pay a bill at an OXXO and see the payment posted in the cloud in seconds. APIs that connect insurance, education, or utility apps to wallets, marketplaces, or banks are the new normal. 

This is what we call a “phygital” experience, merging physical and digital touchpoints, tailored to Mexico’s reality. Cash is still king here, but smartphones are everywhere. Over 90% of the population owns one, yet fewer than 40% regularly use it to make payments.            

That is the gap we need to close, and automating collections is one tangible way to do it. This is more than just about charging a customer, it is about integrating the user, helping them pay on time, and building a financial history that unlocks access, while creating opportunities for them.

When a user can pay from their phone or at their corner store, without needing a bank account, they are being included. When a small business automates collections without manual intervention, it gains time, control, and visibility.

The challenge now is to scale and speed up adoption. One way to do it is to show, with real examples, that modernizing collections is within reach for any organization that is ready to level up in terms of efficiency and quality.

What is especially interesting is that this change does not just affect billing or back-office operations. Rather, it redefines the role of companies themselves. Increasingly, businesses, ranging from universities to mobility apps, are becoming financial hubs. Spaces where, in addition to their core services, users can pay bills, top up balances, access due date calendars, and manage their financial life in one place.

This omnichannel payment experience is no longer a competitive advantage, it is an expectation. Users do not care whether the platform is physical or digital, whether it is an app or a store, they just want it to work simply, smoothly, and without friction.

That is why payment convenience should never be a burden, for users or for businesses. If we can make paying and collecting seamless, invisible, and universal, we will not just be improving operations, we will be building a more inclusive, fair, and efficient financial system for everyone.

Automating collections is not the finish line, but rather the beginning.

References: 

https://www.bbvaresearch.com/en/publicaciones/do-msmes-with-digital-payments-drive-financial-inclusion/

https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/monterrey/2025/05/16/sufren-escuelas-privadas-de-nl-30-de-morosidad-en-colegiaturas/

https://atradius.sg/dam/jcr%3A6abb268f-177a-4050-afe3-7b81d130b3cb/payment-practices-barometer-north-america-mex-en.pdf

https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-mexico

https://www.bbvaresearch.com/en/publicaciones/mexico-mobile-banking-the-future-or-the-present/