BBVA México Rolls Out Pago Directo for In-App Payments

BBVA México has launched Pago Directo, a digital payment solution designed to streamline e-commerce transactions through embedded finance. Developed in collaboration with Conekta, a leading Mexican payment platform and BBVA Spark client, the tool allows users to authorize purchases directly within the bank’s mobile app without sharing card details with third-party merchants.

During its initial testing phase, the solution processed 26,000 transactions totaling MX$25.3 million (US$1.4 million), involving 24,000 users and an average ticket of nearly MX$1,000. To date, 389 companies integrated with Conekta have adopted the system. BBVA México expects Pago Directo to scale to more than 2 million monthly transactions in 2026.

Infrastructure and Market Adoption

The solution addresses key challenges in the digital economy, including liquidity management, transaction security and automated reconciliation for businesses. Alejandro Cárdenas Bortoni, head of corporate and institutional banking, BBVA México, said the bank’s 80,000 corporate clients currently process about 70 million digital transactions per month.

“Pago Directo represents a competitive advantage for companies seeking to accelerate e-commerce transactions,” Cárdenas Bortoni said. He added that the tool leverages the infrastructure of Mexico’s largest financial institution to deliver immediate payment confirmation and higher acceptance rates for digital merchants.

Addressing Mexico's Payment Diversity

The launch comes as Mexico ranks among the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce markets, though its payments landscape remains highly fragmented. Héctor Cárdenas, founder and CEO, Conekta, said the diversity of Mexican consumers requires a more sophisticated approach than traditional credit card optimization.

"With Pago Directo, we are setting a new standard,” Cárdenas wrote in MBN. He noted that Mexican digital buyers are far from homogeneous: while Gen Z consumers increasingly favor digital wallets and buy now, pay later (BNPL) options, about 51% of Mexican adults remain unbanked.

Cárdenas identified 2026 as a pivotal year for the sector, driven by several converging trends: generational shifts as Gen Z enters peak earning years; a maturing payments infrastructure, with real-time SPEI transfers reaching 71% adoption; the expansion of digital payments beyond retail into education, professional services and B2B procurement; and intensifying competition as Mexico surpasses Brazil in venture capital funding, with more than 1,100 fintechs operating in the market.

"Companies that understand this diversity will capture the coming growth wave," Cárdenas said. "Those that do not will plateau as their conversion rates flatline."

For businesses navigating this environment, the focus is shifting from offering multiple payment options to intelligent routing. Industry experts say advanced payment systems must analyze customer signals—such as age, location and device type—to surface the most relevant payment method in milliseconds.

As the digital payments economy, driven by e-commerce, moves toward an estimated US$60 billion valuation by 2027, Cárdenas said the priority for 2026 will be completeness rather than scale alone. BBVA México aims to integrate Pago Directo across its nearly 30 million digital clients, reducing checkout friction and eliminating the need for manual data entry.