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Payment methods · Colombia

Bre-B in Colombia: instant payments, in and out

Give each customer a virtual account with its own Bre-B key to collect, and pay beneficiaries’ Bre-B keys in real time, 24/7.

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  • Instant transfer
  • Colombia
  • Pay-in · Payout

Key facts

Bre-B after its first months

Figures attributed to Banco de la República.

What it is

The instant payment rail of Colombia

Bre-B is Colombia’s instant payment system, launched on October 6, 2025 by Banco de la República. Money moves from account to account in seconds, at any hour. With Localpayment you use it two ways: to collect, through a virtual account identified by a Bre-B key, and to pay out to beneficiaries’ Bre-B keys.

  • Virtual account identified by a Bre-B key (code 2006)
  • Pay-ins to the key, 24/7, confirmed by webhook
  • Payouts to Bre-B keys in real time, 24/7 (code 0062)

How it works

How a Bre-B transfer is collected

Actors and steps follow the documented flow. The final status always arrives by signed webhook.

  1. 1

    Your businessLocalpayment:

    Creates the virtual account

    POST /api/virtual-account, one by one or in batches. The number or key in the local format, ready to share.

  2. 2

    Your businessCustomer:

    Shares the payment details

    In your checkout, invoice or app.

  3. 3

    CustomerBank · Bre-B:

    Transfers from their bank

    Electronic transfers only; cash deposits are not credited.

  4. 4

    LocalpaymentYour business:

    Webhook: payment received

    Localpayment matches the transfer to the virtual account automatically. Signed webhook with payer data and amount; funds are credited to your Localpayment balance.

Simplified diagram. Timing depends on the rail and the bank; see the key facts below.

How it works

How a Bre-B payout works

Actors and steps follow the documented flow. The final status always arrives by signed webhook.

  1. 1

    Your businessLocalpayment:

    Sends the payout request

    POST /api/payout/ with the beneficiary details, amount and externalId. Compliance checks run; with requireAuth, a second approver signs off before funds move.

  2. 2

    LocalpaymentBank · Bre-B:

    Locks the funds and sends the instruction

    The payout moves from Locked to In Progress over Bre-B.

  3. 3

    Bank · Bre-BBeneficiary:

    Credits the beneficiary

    Timing depends on the rail; see the key facts below.

  4. 4

    LocalpaymentYour business:

    Webhook: payout completed

    Localpayment updates the payout to its final status. Signed webhook with the final status; the proof of payment can be downloaded.

Simplified diagram. Timing depends on the rail and the bank; see the key facts below.

How it works

See Bre-B in action

A simplified, fictitious walkthrough. Names and amounts are examples.

  1. 1Comercio EjemploCheckout shows the account details to pay COP 185,000.00.
  2. 2Banco EjemploThe payer transfers COP 185,000.00 to the account shown.
  3. 3Payment confirmedYour system receives the signed webhook and releases the order.
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Key facts

Bre-B: key facts

  • Country

    Detail
    🇨🇴 Colombia

  • Currency

    Detail
    COP

  • Direction

    Detail
    Pay-in and payout

  • Pay-in · Virtual account (Bre-B key)

    Detail
    Real-time, confirmed by webhook · COP 1 – 11,000,000

  • Payout · Bre-B key

    Detail
    Real-time, 24/7 · COP 1 – 11,552,000

Taken from the Localpayment documentation for each country. Limits and availability can change; confirm them with your account manager.

Consumer experience

What your customer sees with Bre-B

Authorization, limits and refunds as documented on docs.localpayment.com. Limits are shown only where the documentation states them.

  • How the customer authorizes

    Your checkout shows a Bre-B key such as @LPTechColomb0001, generated when you create the virtual account. The customer opens their bank app, chooses “transfer by key”, types the key, enters the amount and confirms. The transfer settles in real time and the webhook fires once the funds are fully credited.

  • Documented limits

    Virtual account (Bre-B key) (Pay-in): COP 1 – 11,000,000 · Bre-B key (Payout): COP 1 – 11,552,000. Per transaction, as published in the documentation; contractual limits may differ.

  • Refunds and returns

    A credited transfer can be refunded with PATCH /api/payin/{externalId}/refund. Only full refunds are supported and the funds are routed back to the payer’s original account automatically, with no extra beneficiary data. Cash deposits are never credited.

Integration checklist

Go live with Bre-B in five steps

The same sequence for every rail. Watch the animated checkout for this country before you build.

  1. Get Stage credentials

    Request access, receive sandbox credentials and obtain a JWT with POST /api/token/.

  2. Create the pay-in

    POST /api/payin/ with the Localpayment code from the key facts table, ISO-3 country, currency, amount and payer data.

  3. Show the instructions

    Render the QR, code, redirect or account details from the response and respect the expiration date.

  4. Verify the webhook

    Validate x-Signature (HMAC-SHA256), release the order on status 200 and deduplicate on externalId.

  5. Watch the animated checkout

    Every method of this country, screen by screen, in the checkout experiences gallery.

History

How Colombia built an interoperable instant rail

Source: Banco de la República, “Bre-B: Sistema de Pagos Inmediatos Interoperado de Colombia”, technical document, Feb 2026.

  1. Instant-payments strategy

    Banco de la República sets out to make Colombia’s low-value payment systems interoperate through a central key directory and real-time settlement.

  2. Rules for SPBVI

    The central bank issues the regulation for interoperable low-value payment systems and defines the common key (llave) standard.

  3. Keys, then full operation

    Key registration opens in mid-2025; full operation follows in the second half of the year, with free P2P transfers for end users.

  4. 90 million keys

    More than 90 million keys and 218 participating entities are registered, with over 370 million operations settled in real time since launch.

Why Localpayment

Why use Bre-B with Localpayment

  • One API for pay-ins and payouts

    Bre-B runs on the same API as every other method: POST /api/payin/ to collect, POST /api/payout/ to pay out, and new markets by configuration.

  • Webhook status on every transaction

    Every status change is pushed to your endpoint, signed with HMAC-SHA256, so you can verify and automate.

  • Reconciliation in the Business Portal

    Match every transaction through your externalId and our internalId, with Business Portal reports and balance APIs.

Keep exploring

FAQ

Bre-B: frequently asked questions

How fast is a Bre-B payment confirmed?

Bre-B is a real-time rail that confirms in seconds, 24/7. For pay-ins the final status reaches you by signed webhook, so build your order flow around that notification.

What are the limits?

The documented virtual-account range is COP 1 to 11,000,000, and Bre-B key payouts go up to COP 11,552,000. See the key facts table above and confirm your limits with your account manager.

Can I collect and pay out with Bre-B?

Yes. You collect through a virtual account identified by a Bre-B key, and pay out to beneficiaries’ Bre-B keys in real time, 24/7.

How is the Bre-B key of a virtual account built?

Deterministically from the beneficiary name you pass at creation: an @ prefix, LP, the first ten characters of the name and a four-digit counter (10 to 16 characters in total). You cannot choose an arbitrary key.

How do I pay out to a Bre-B key?

Send POST /api/payout/ with paymentMethod.code 0062, type BankTransfer and flow DIRECT, and put the recipient’s key in beneficiary.bank.account.alias; omit account type and number.

Can a Bre-B pay-in be refunded?

Yes, in full, with PATCH /api/payin/{externalId}/refund. The funds are routed back to the payer’s original account automatically and the pay-in ends in 902 (REFUNDED).

What are the payout statuses?

100 Received, 101 Locked (passed compliance), 102 In Progress (sent to Bre-B), 200 Completed (credited) and 300 Rejected, each delivered by signed webhook.

Add Bre-B to your payments

Tell us your markets and volumes. We start you on Stage (sandbox) credentials and guide you to go-live.

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