June 16, 2026

How APAC merchants can crack the LATAM opportunity

Darren Bi

Head of Global Accounts, Asia

With rapid growth appearing in Latin America, the opportunity is ripe for APAC merchants with the right expansion strategy.

LATAM’s rapid consumer growth is catching the attention of merchants around the world. Valued at $1.9trn in 2025, the LATAM retail market is estimated to grow to $2.03trn this year - with a CAGR of over 6% seeing it potentially reaching $3.41trn by 2034. This creates an exciting opportunity as the continent enters the next stage of its consumer evolution and cross border e-commerce continues to rise.

Fortunately, APAC merchants are already used to working with international markets. Trade between Asia (driven largely by China) and Latin America has grown more than 25 fold over the past two decades, positioning Asia as one of LATAM’s most important trading partners. China is now the largest trading partner for several major Latin American economies, including Brazil and Chile, and the relationship between the two regions is only set to strengthen in coming years with China-Latam trade alone expected to reach US$700 billion by 2035. However, having the right payment solutions is critical to success, not only to successfully execute transactions but also to properly cater for each country’s unique preferences.

Understanding LATAM

A priority for any entrant to LATAM is to understand the complex nature of the region, with each country possessing its own cultural and financial differences. Furthermore, not only are there around 20 different currencies actively used in the region, but LATAM is home to a wide variety of different regulatory regimes.

Any merchant seeking to enter LATAM will need to alter their offering accordingly to meet the requirements of each market. For instance, consumers in Brazil use the instant payments network PIX while those in Colombia use the country’s PSE system. The former is a centrally regulated, real-time system that was launched six years ago while the latter is older and largely decentralised. This means any merchant entering these countries will need to be flexible to both, which are considerably different payment frameworks.

Faced with such a varied backdrop, it’s clear APAC merchants entering LATAM need payment solutions flexible enough to be tailored to each market.

The power of local knowledge

Local expertise is paramount when entering any new market, especially in a fragmented region like LATAM. Navigating the complexity of different regulatory regimes, and the cultural and behavioural nuances of each country’s consumers, means understanding how these will influence payment strategies. What may work in Argentina could falter in Chile, and vice versa.

Without the right payment strategy, aligned to local consumer preferences, currencies and regulatory environments, merchants risk higher costs, high risk rates and different points of contact that prevent efficiency and provide poor service to clients. Therefore, APAC merchants entering LATAM need payment partners that already possess this knowledge, to make the market entry seamless and maximise chances of success. New entrants need to work with providers that have teams on the ground in both LATAM and Asia to ensure they know exactly what is required to succeed from the outset.

The Getnet approach

As a leading LATAM fintech, Getnet acts as a payments orchestrator, combining local acquiring, regional payment methods, compliance and market expertise into a single, scalable go-to-market solution. This enables APAC merchants to overcome the operational, regulatory and cultural complexities of entering Latin America, accelerating market entry while reducing risk.

Our teams have invested significant time on the ground across LATAM markets, building a deep understanding of the cultural, financial and regulatory dynamics that shape consumer behaviour. This local insight allows merchants to effectively localise their payment strategies - maximising conversion rates, building customer trust and ensuring compliance from day one.

At the core of this offering is Getnet SEP, a payments orchestration platform that provides a single entry point into LATAM. By integrating local acquiring, alternative payment methods, multi-currency capabilities, local settlement and simplified reconciliation, Getnet SEP enables merchants to launch and scale efficiently across the region. Built with scalability in mind and delivered via APIs, the platform supports a wide range of payment services, including sales, refunds, subscriptions, tokenisation, as well as risk, fraud and compliance management.

Currently live in five key markets - Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay - Getnet SEP enables expansion through a single, direct integration, significantly accelerating time to market. Its technology simplifies the complexity typically associated with LATAM payments infrastructure, removing technical barriers and enabling sustainable revenue growth.

Underpinned by strong local support teams across both APAC and LATAM, Getnet combines advanced technology with hands-on expertise. The platform processes approximately €2.6bn in transactions each month, equivalent to around 107 transactions per second, demonstrating both its scale and reliability.

Ready for LATAM expansion?

The LATAM opportunity is continuing to grow, offering APAC merchants a new era of consumer activity to access. Entering this market is not easy and the importance of local expertise cannot be overlooked. If you’re interested in exploring the LATAM market, and would like to know how Getnet can help, contact me today! Darren Bi, Head of Global Accounts, Asia.