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Payment methods · Argentina

CVU and COELSA in Argentina: transfers in and out

Give each customer a CVU to collect by transfer from any bank or wallet, and pay CBU and CVU accounts in real time, 24/7, from one integration.

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  • Virtual account
  • Argentina
  • Pay-in · Payout

Key facts

Immediate transfers in Argentina

Figures published by the BCRA (Informe de Pagos Minoristas Anual 2025).

What it is

Virtual accounts in, COELSA transfers out

A CVU is a 22-digit virtual account that Localpayment assigns per customer, per transaction or per sub-merchant. Your customer pushes a transfer from any bank or wallet, 24 hours a day, and the matched payment reaches you by webhook. Only electronic transfers are credited; cash deposits are not. For payouts, COELSA sends transfers to CBU and CVU accounts in real time, 24/7.

  • CVU virtual account: ARS 1 to 10,000,000 per payment (code 1025)
  • CVU with payment intent: exact amount with an expiry date (code 1060)
  • COELSA payouts to CBU and CVU: ARS 14 to 25,000,000, real time, 24/7 (code 0010)

How it works

How a CVU & COELSA 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 · COELSA:

    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 CVU & COELSA 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 · COELSA:

    Locks the funds and sends the instruction

    The payout moves from Locked to In Progress over COELSA.

  3. 3

    Bank · COELSABeneficiary:

    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 CVU & COELSA in action

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

  1. 1Comercio EjemploCheckout shows the account details to pay ARS 85,000.00.
  2. 2Banco EjemploThe payer transfers ARS 85,000.00 to the account shown.
  3. 3Payment confirmedYour system receives the signed webhook and releases the order.
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Key facts

CVU & COELSA: key facts

  • Country

    Detail
    🇦🇷 Argentina

  • Currency

    Detail
    ARS

  • Direction

    Detail
    Pay-in and payout

  • Pay-in · Virtual account (CVU)

    Detail
    Asynchronous, confirmed by webhook · ARS 1 – 10,000,000

  • Pay-in · CVU with payment intent

    Detail
    Asynchronous, confirmed by webhook · ARS 1 – 10,000,000

  • Payout · Bank transfer (COELSA)

    Detail
    Real-time, 24/7 · ARS 14 – 25,000,000

  • Payout · Payroll transfer

    Detail
    T+2, cut-off 13:00 local time

  • Payout · Wallets (CVU)

    Detail
    Via bank transfer

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 CVU & COELSA

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 22-digit CVU (and its alias, if you set one). The customer opens their bank or wallet app, adds the CVU as a contact, enters the amount and confirms with their usual token or biometric. The transfer arrives through COELSA and is matched to the virtual account automatically.

  • Documented limits

    Virtual account (CVU) (Pay-in): ARS 1 – 10,000,000 · CVU with payment intent (Pay-in): ARS 1 – 10,000,000 · Bank transfer (COELSA) (Payout): ARS 14 – 25,000,000. 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 CVU & COELSA 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

From CBU to CVU and Transferencias 3.0

Source: Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA), Informe de Pagos Minoristas Anual 2025.

  1. The CVU is born

    The BCRA creates the Clave Virtual Uniforme so payment-service-provider accounts can send and receive transfers exactly like a bank CBU.

  2. Transferencias 3.0

    The central bank launches the framework that makes CBU and CVU accounts fully interoperable, with immediate push and pull transfers and interoperable QR.

  3. Interoperable QR mandatory

    Every QR code must accept payment by transfer from any bank or wallet, pushing transfers into everyday retail.

  4. 64% of retail operations

    Immediate payments reach 64% of retail payment operations and 102% of GDP by value; more than 61% of push transfers involve a CVU.

Why Localpayment

Why use CVU & COELSA with Localpayment

  • One API for pay-ins and payouts

    CVU & COELSA 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

CVU & COELSA: frequently asked questions

Which payments does a CVU accept?

A CVU receives electronic transfers pushed from any bank or wallet, 24 hours a day. Cash deposits are not credited. Each incoming payment is matched automatically and notified by signed webhook.

What is a CVU with payment intent?

It is a CVU tied to an exact amount and an expiry date (code 1060), useful when you want one specific payment for one specific order.

How fast are COELSA payouts, and what are the limits?

COELSA is a real-time rail that confirms in seconds, 24/7, to CBU and CVU accounts. The documented range is ARS 14 to 25,000,000 per payout. Confirm your limits with your account manager.

Can I pay salaries or wallets?

Yes. Payroll transfers use the Sistema Nacional de Pago de Haberes (T+2, 13:00 local cut-off), and CVU-based digital wallets are paid by bank transfer with bank code 000.

What is the difference between CBU and CVU?

A CBU identifies a bank account; a CVU identifies an account at a payment service provider. Both are 22 digits and fully interoperable, so your customer can pay a Localpayment CVU from any bank or wallet.

What is a CVU with payment intent?

A pay-in that pre-declares the expected amount for a CVU, so the incoming transfer is validated against it and the webhook can carry the payment reference, useful for order-level reconciliation.

Can I refund a CVU transfer?

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

Can I pay wallets and payroll?

Yes. COELSA payouts reach any CBU or CVU in real time, 24/7; wallets are paid through their CVU, and payroll transfers use the dedicated method in the key facts table.

Add CVU & COELSA to your payments

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

Contact salesGo to our docs

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