Overview
- The Banco Central de Reserva del Perú approved Circular N° 0026-2026 on Saturday that creates the formal 'Servicio de Aceptación de Pagos' for firms that receive and transfer digital payments for merchants.
- The rule requires that funds received on behalf of merchants be kept separate from providers' own resources in exclusive accounts held at banks rated at least B+ or at electronic-money issuers that participate in the LBTR.
- Administrators of payment infrastructures and payment acceptors must publish tariffs and commissions, and contracts with merchants must state fees, settlement times, party responsibilities, and dispute-resolution procedures.
- Operations using Pagos Inmediatos with Alias and QR codes must follow the BCRP's interoperability rules so different providers can route and settle instant payments across systems.
- The regulation takes effect January 1, 2027 with an adaptation period for providers, a change that will force contract, accounting, and technical adjustments and should lower merchant exposure to counterparty and insolvency risk.