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Payment methods · Mexico

SPEI in Mexico: CLABE Virtual Accounts in, real-time payouts out

Give each customer, order or invoice its own CLABE, see transfers matched automatically and pay beneficiaries over SPEI in real time, 24/7.

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  • Instant transfer
  • Mexico
  • Pay-in · Payout

Key facts

SPEI in numbers

Figures published by Banco de México.

What it is

The real-time transfer rail of Mexico

SPEI is Mexico’s electronic interbank payment system, operated by Banco de México. Customers pay by transferring to a CLABE from their own bank, and funds move in seconds, at any hour. With Localpayment you use it to collect through CLABE virtual accounts and to send payouts.

  • A unique CLABE per customer, order or invoice, matched automatically
  • TEF-In and USD collections over SPID, alongside the SPEI CLABE
  • SPEI payouts in real time, 24/7, with no documented maximum

How it works

How a SPEI 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 · SPEI:

    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 SPEI 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 · SPEI:

    Locks the funds and sends the instruction

    The payout moves from Locked to In Progress over SPEI.

  3. 3

    Bank · SPEIBeneficiary:

    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 SPEI in action

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

  1. 1Comercio EjemploCheckout shows the account details to pay MXN 1,250.00.
  2. 2Banco EjemploThe payer transfers MXN 1,250.00 to the account shown.
  3. 3Payment confirmedYour system receives the signed webhook and releases the order.
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Key facts

SPEI: key facts

  • Country

    Detail
    🇲🇽 Mexico

  • Currency

    Detail
    MXN · USD

  • Direction

    Detail
    Pay-in and payout

  • Pay-in · Virtual account (CLABE, SPEI)

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

  • Pay-in · Virtual account (TEF-In)

    Detail
    Asynchronous, confirmed by webhook · MXN 1 – 1,000,000,000

  • Pay-in · Virtual account (SPID, USD)

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

  • Payout · Bank transfer (SPEI)

    Detail
    Real-time, 24/7 · Min. MXN 0.01, no maximum

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 SPEI

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 an 18-digit CLABE. The customer opens their bank or wallet app, adds the CLABE as a beneficiary, enters the amount and confirms with their usual second factor. SPEI credits within seconds and the pay-in is matched to the virtual account automatically; only electronic transfers are accepted.

  • Documented limits

    Virtual account (CLABE, SPEI) (Pay-in): MXN 1 – 1,000,000,000 · Virtual account (TEF-In) (Pay-in): MXN 1 – 1,000,000,000 · Virtual account (SPID, USD) (Pay-in): USD 1 – 10,000,000 · Bank transfer (SPEI) (Payout): Min. MXN 0.01, no maximum. 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 SPEI 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

Twenty years of SPEI

Source: Banco de México, annual report on financial market infrastructures 2024.

  1. SPEI goes live

    Banco de México launches SPEI as its real-time gross settlement system for interbank transfers, replacing the previous SPEUA.

  2. 24/7 operation

    Low-value transfers become available around the clock, every day, turning SPEI into Mexico’s de facto instant payment rail.

  3. CoDi and DiMo overlays

    CoDi (QR and payment requests, 2019) and DiMo (mobile-number addressing, 2023) are built on top of SPEI.

  4. 5.3 billion transfers

    SPEI settles 5,342 million transfers worth MXN 578 trillion, with 86 direct participants, a third of them non-bank institutions.

Why Localpayment

Why use SPEI with Localpayment

  • One API for pay-ins and payouts

    SPEI 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

SPEI: frequently asked questions

How does a customer pay with SPEI?

You create a CLABE virtual account for the customer, order or invoice and share it. The customer transfers from their own bank; Localpayment matches the transfer to that CLABE and sends you a signed webhook.

Which Mexican collection options are available?

CLABE virtual accounts over SPEI (code 1630), TEF-In (1680) and USD collections over SPID-In (1698). See the key facts table above for limits and confirm yours with your account manager.

How do SPEI payouts work?

SPEI payouts (code 0130) are real-time, 24/7, with no documented maximum. Send POST /api/payout/ and receive the final status by signed webhook.

What is a CLABE and who issues it?

The CLABE is Mexico’s 18-digit standardized bank account number. Localpayment issues one CLABE per virtual account you create with POST /api/virtual-account; any SPEI participant can transfer to it.

How are SPEI refunds handled?

A credited transfer can be refunded in full with PATCH /api/payin/{externalId}/refund; the funds are routed back to the payer’s original account through SPEI without extra beneficiary data. Refunds are not available for payments processed through Banco Azteca.

Can I collect USD in Mexico?

Yes. A SPID virtual account (code 1698) receives USD interbank transfers in Mexico, alongside the MXN CLABE account. See the key facts table for limits and speed.

Is there a cut-off for SPEI payouts?

SPEI payouts run in real time, 24/7, with no documented maximum. Approval with requireAuth, if enabled, happens before the funds are locked and sent.

Add SPEI 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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