Nuvei has launched direct acquiring in Mexico, expanding its local infrastructure footprint to 52 markets.
The move forms part of Nuvei's stated strategy to build payment infrastructure within domestic ecosystems across multiple markets.
Mexico's payments landscape presents both scale and complexity. The country's payments ecosystem processed more than USD 676 billion in transaction volume in 2024, while ecommerce reached approximately USD 97 billion, making it the second-largest online market in Latin America. Moreover, ecommerce is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 24% through 2027. Despite this scale, the market is characterised by distinct local payment methods, regulatory requirements, and uneven financial access, factors that directly affect approval rates, fraud outcomes, and overall transaction performance.
Local infrastructure as a performance lever
Through the process of processing transactions through direct integrations with domestic infrastructure and global card networks, Nuvei aims to give businesses access to real-time transaction data, improved authorisation rates, and more consistent customer experiences. Removing intermediary acquiring partners reduces both the number of payment relationships businesses must manage and the operational complexity associated with cross-border processing models.
Beyond card acquiring, the Mexico launch provides access through a single integration to local payment methods including OXXO Pay and SPEI, alongside payouts, risk management, and real-time reporting. The bundled approach is intended to reduce the need for multiple acquiring relationships, separate integrations, and fragmented reporting environments across markets.
Obtaining a local acquiring licence requires regulatory approval, domestic connectivity, and sustained operational investment. Nuvei now holds such licences in 52 markets and supports more than 720 alternative payment methods globally. Recent expansions into Canada and Colombia preceded the Mexico launch and followed the same model of establishing direct connections to domestic payment ecosystems.
Broader regional and strategic context
Latin America has attracted growing interest from global payment providers seeking to serve expanding digital commerce bases. Mexico, as the region's second-largest ecommerce market, is a strategic priority for providers looking to establish in-market positions rather than rely on cross-border processing. Local acquiring licences signal a deeper level of regulatory alignment and long-term market commitment than partnership-based models typically require.
Nuvei's approach, building infrastructure inside domestic ecosystems rather than routing transactions around them, also reflects a model increasingly adopted by global acquirers seeking to improve authorisation performance in markets where local processing rules and payment behaviours diverge significantly from those in more established regions. Whether this infrastructure investment translates into meaningful competitive differentiation will depend on adoption by merchants operating across Latin America's fragmented payments landscape.
