dLocal and Amway transform local payments in Colombia with multi-regional expansion

The cross-border payments company dLocal and direct sales firm Amway have formalized a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening local payment infrastructure in Colombia, with growth projections toward additional Latin American markets. This partnership seeks to address the main operational challenges faced by digital merchants in emerging economies through solutions tailored to the local context.

Context: The true challenges of payments in emerging markets

In Latin America, the payment industry landscape is far from homogeneous. Alternative Payment Methods (APMs), which range from bank transfers to cash delivered through specialized networks, account for more than half of online sales in the region. Specifically, in Colombia, bank transfers make up approximately 35% of all e-commerce transactions.

The core difficulty lies in the fact that many direct sales brands and traditional retail merchants operated with cross-border processing, facing typical obstacles: low credit card penetration, inflated currency conversion costs, and compromised authorization rates. This situation directly impacted the growth potential of these businesses.

Integrated solution: Local payments with domestic infrastructure

Through this agreement, Amway is implementing a novel operational model within its Colombian structure. The company now accepts payments directly in local currency via three main channels: local processing of debit and credit cards, PSE bank transfers (Colombia’s national payment system), and Efecty cash vouchers (a network of physical points).

The key differentiator is that dLocal operates as the sole integrated provider: it supplies local processing, sets optimized pricing for volume, and offers localized support. All operations and report generation are managed on a single consolidated platform. The direct benefit is operational: Amway improves its authorization rates, accelerates fund settlement times, and gains access to detailed reports without managing multiple local providers.

Regional expansion: Replicating the model in other markets

The architecture of this alliance is not limited to Colombia. Both companies are actively discussing extending local payment acceptance to other countries in the region, leveraging dLocal’s multi-market and multi-method coverage.

“As a global direct sales company, payments must work reliably at the local level,” said Carolina Vásquez, Customer Service Manager at Amway Latin America. This statement summarizes the philosophy behind the agreement: each market requires payment solutions designed for its specific reality, not generic solutions that are difficult to adapt.

The initiative sets a precedent for how payment platforms and direct sales companies can collaborate to create truly local infrastructure that accelerates growth in territories where traditional payment methods do not prevail.