Through Communication A8032, the BCRA reported that “all registered digital wallets, whether bank or payment service providers, that allow payments to be made with credit cards and/or prepaid cards through QR codes, must be interoperable.”

The measure, which comes into effect as of June 3 and will be implemented progressively, “represents a significant improvement in the payment experience for businesses and users,” the BCRA announced.

In this way, all virtual wallets that contain cards must be interoperable, which means that they can be used in any QR reader, regardless of the brand.

In addition, it was decided that the card issuer would pay the wallet a commission of 0.07% of the transaction amount.

Until this provision, Mercado Pago QR readers only accepted card payments if they were linked to a Mercado Pago wallet.

Three retail chains will be the first to accept these interoperable payments: Frávega, McDonald's and the Open 25 kiosks. After the agreement signed between Mercado Pago and the banks, it is expected that in three weeks this option will be extended to all places in the country where payment can be made via QR code.