After Six Months of Operation, Bre-B has accumulated more than 34 million Registered Users

You might also like
Pódcast BanRep | ¡Bre-B cumple seis meses de operación! Working Paper Bre-B: Colombia’s Interoperable Instant Payments System. Design, Implementation, and Outlook
Bre-B continues to evolve with the incorporation and standardization of QR codes, which will facilitate payments at commercial establishments. It is expected that the implementation of electronic payments between businesses will continue
Publication Date:
Monday, 20 de April de 2026
10:10
  • The system has accumulated more than 670 million transactions, totaling over COP 105 trillion and more than 103 million registered aliases.
  • Bre-B continues to evolve with the incorporation and standardization of QR codes, which will facilitate payments at commercial establishments. It is expected that the next step for Bre-B will be the implementation of electronic payments between businesses, as well as collections and disbursements to suppliers and payroll, among others.
  • Banco de la República (the Central Bank of Colombia) introduced a requirement for financial institutions to provide informational notices aimed at ensuring transparency for users in the event of service disruptions.

Bogotá, Colombia. April 2026. Bre-B marks its first six months since the start of its operations on 06 October 2025. During this period, more than 670 million transactions have been recorded, with a total value exceeding COP 105 trillion.

There are now over 34 million registered users, including both individuals and businesses, who have more than 103 million aliases to make their payments and transfers quickly, easily, and securely, 24-7.

Likewise, it was found that the average transaction value is COP 156,711, and most transactions fall between COP 10,000 and COP 50,000 (39.3%). 

“We are very satisfied with the level of acceptance that Bre-B has achieved, as well as with the work carried out by the entire financial system," stated Ana María Prieto, Payments Systems Director at Banco de la República, who also affirmed that “the operation over the past six months shows us that Colombians are benefiting from Bre-B by sending and receiving money through more than 200 financial institutions.”

New updates introduced by Bre-B

The most recent update implemented by Bre-B aimed at enhancing user transparency is the generation of notifications or informational notices in case of transaction disruptions, whether they are due to the system’s operation or to specific institutions.

Likewise, a change has been incorporated that has benefited millions of businesses: QR code interoperability, which allows businesses to receive real-time payments from hundreds of institutions simply by scanning the code.

“Bre-B has made it easier to carry out Colombians’ daily transactions, and we are focused on benefiting both businesses and individuals who depend directly on these transactions,” Prieto stated.

Currently, more than 34 million users registered in Bre-B can make purchases in stores, coffee shops, and thousands of other businesses simply by scanning the establishment’s QR code. To do so, they must open their financial institution’s app, access the Bre-B zone, scan the QR code, and enter the basic details of the purchase.

Banco de la República expects this service to expand during the second half of 2026, thus allowing individuals also to generate their own QR codes, as businesses currently do, as an alternative to aliases. This development will further broaden and facilitate instant payments and transfers in Colombia without the need to resort to cash.

Additionally, it is expected that, by mid-year, a regulatory package will be issued to implement corporate payments, which will enable collections and disbursements to suppliers as well as payroll transactions, among others.