Nuvei has recently introduced direct acquiring services in Mexico, thereby enhancing its local infrastructure presence to cover 52 markets.
This development aligns with Nuvei’s broader strategy of establishing payment infrastructure within domestic ecosystems across various regions.
The Mexican payments landscape is both vast and intricate. The national payments ecosystem handled a transaction volume exceeding USD 676 billion in 2024, while the ecommerce sector reached about USD 97 billion, ranking second in Latin America by size. Ecommerce growth is anticipated to maintain an annual compounded rate of 24% until 2027. However, this market’s complexity lies in its distinct local payment options, stringent regulatory frameworks, and disparities in financial accessibility, all of which can impact approval rates, fraud outcomes, and overall transaction effectiveness.
Local Infrastructure as a Performance Driver
Nuvei aims to provide businesses with real-time transaction insights, enhanced authorisation success, and improved customer experiences through direct integrations within the domestic payment infrastructure and global card networks. By eliminating intermediary acquiring partners, Nuvei intends to streamline business relationships and minimize operational complexities associated with cross-border processing models.
In addition to traditional card acquiring, the Mexico launch offers access to local payment methods such as OXXO Pay and SPEI, alongside payout services, risk management tools, and real-time reporting capabilities. This bundled approach seeks to reduce the need for multiple acquiring partnerships, separate integration efforts, and fragmented reporting systems across different markets.
To secure a local acquiring licence, businesses must navigate regulatory approval processes, establish domestic connectivity, and make sustained operational investments. Currently, Nuvei holds licences in 52 countries and supports over 720 alternative payment methods worldwide. Recent expansions into Canada and Colombia followed the same strategy of direct connections to local payment ecosystems.
Regional and Strategic Significance
Mexico’s second-largest ecommerce market position makes it a key target for global payment providers aiming to establish in-market positions rather than relying on cross-border processing models. Local acquiring licences underscore a deeper commitment to regulatory alignment and long-term market engagement, distinguishing them from partnership-based approaches.
Nuvei’s strategy of building infrastructure within domestic ecosystems rather than circumventing them is reflective of an increasingly adopted model by global acquirers seeking improved authorisation performance in markets where local processing rules significantly differ from those in more established regions. The success of this infrastructure investment will ultimately depend on merchant adoption across the fragmented payments landscape of Latin America.
