Bringing Chimoney to Latin America: Building Payment Infrastructure for a New Market

At Chimoney, our mission has always been to unlock economic opportunity for everyone, everywhere. When we set out to expand into Latin America in 2025, I knew this would be one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I'd work on. As a software engineer on the team, I had the opportunity to help build the infrastructure that would bring seamless cross-border payments to millions of users across LATAM, starting with Mexico.

The Challenge: Building for a New Market

Latin America presented unique challenges that went far beyond translation. The region has its own payment rails, regulatory requirements, and user expectations that differ significantly from what we'd built for African and North American markets. Mexican users needed SPEI transfers, CLABE number support, and instant bank cashouts in pesos. They expected apps in Spanish with localized emails and push notifications. Most importantly, they needed a payment experience that felt native to their financial ecosystem, not like a foreign product adapted for their market.

The technical complexity was significant. We needed to integrate with Mexican banking infrastructure, support multiple KYC requirements across LATAM countries, and ensure real-time transaction processing while maintaining the security and compliance standards our users trust.

Building the Foundation: Mexico as Our Entry Point

We chose Mexico as our entry point for LATAM expansion. With over 130 million people and growing fintech adoption, Mexico offered both the scale and infrastructure maturity we needed to validate our approach. But more than that, Mexico represented a gateway to the broader LATAM market, where remittances alone exceed $150 billion annually.

The first major technical challenge was implementing SPEI (Sistema de Pagos Electrónicos Interbancarios), Mexico's instant payment system. Unlike traditional wire transfers that can take days, SPEI enables real-time bank transfers 24/7. For our users, this meant they could receive money from family abroad and cash it out to their Mexican bank accounts within seconds, not days.

We integrated CLABE (Clave Bancaria Estandarizada) number support, which functions like Mexico's version of routing and account numbers. Every implementation detail mattered. Mexican banking institutions use 18-digit CLABE numbers, and getting the validation logic right was critical for ensuring successful transactions.

Technical Implementation: Making It Work

The architecture we built had to handle multiple currencies, real-time exchange rates, and instant settlement to Mexican bank accounts. We worked with local payment partners to ensure compliance with Mexican financial regulations while maintaining fast transaction speeds.

One of the most exciting technical challenges was building the multi-currency wallet infrastructure that powers our LATAM expansion. Users can hold USD, CAD, and MXN in the same wallet, converting between currencies instantly. Behind the scenes, we're managing exchange rate calculations, liquidity pools, and settlement processes across multiple payment networks.

The mobile app required complete localization. Beyond translating strings, we also redesigned user flows to match how Mexican users think about money movement. Our push notifications now use familiar Mexican financial terminology. Our KYC flows support INE (Instituto Nacional Electoral) identification cards and Mexican phone number formats. Every detail was considered to make the experience feel native, not foreign.

[Image Alt: Presenting Chimoney's LATAM infrastructure at Interledger Summit Mexico 2025, showing "Chimoney's ILP Stack & Chimoney App Updates" presentation slide with Uchi & Faheed]

The Interledger Integration: Opening New Possibilities

A breakthrough moment came when we integrated the Interledger Protocol into our infrastructure. At the Interledger Summit in Mexico last year, we demonstrated live how users could fund their Chimoney wallets from Mexican bank accounts, use those funds for web monetization payments, and cash out instantly to Mexican bank accounts via SPEI.

The demo showed a Mexican user funding her wallet through CLABE, streaming payments to creators via web monetization, and then a Nigerian creator cashing out to his bank account, all in real-time.

This wasn't just a technical demonstration , it was proof that we'd built true infrastructure for moving value globally without the traditional barriers of cross-border payments.

Impact and Early Results

Since launching in Mexico, we've seen strong adoption from users who need to send and receive money across borders. The instant SPEI cashouts have been particularly popular, with many users sharing that this is the first service that truly feels instant and reliable for their needs.

We've processed transactions, connected with Mexican payment providers, and learned directly from our users what matters most in their financial lives. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, especially around the speed and transparency of our service.

What We Learned: Building for LATAM

Building for Latin America taught our team valuable lessons about global payment infrastructure. First, localization goes far beyond language. It requires understanding local payment methods, regulatory frameworks, and user expectations at a deep level. Second, partnerships matter. Working with local payment providers gave us the insights and infrastructure access we needed to build a truly native experience. Third, users value speed and transparency above almost everything else. When you can show someone their money moving in real-time with clear exchange rates and no hidden fees, you build trust.

Looking Ahead: LATAM as a Gateway

Mexico is just the beginning. The infrastructure we've built can extend to other LATAM countries, each with their own payment methods and regulatory requirements. Brazil's PIX system, Colombia's PSE, Argentina's banking infrastructure—all represent opportunities to bring the same level of seamless payment experience we've built for Mexico.

Our vision is to connect every payment network globally, and Latin America is a crucial piece of that puzzle. The region has incredible economic potential, growing fintech adoption, and millions of people who need better ways to move money across borders. We're excited to be part of building that future.

At Chimoney, we believe in making value move seamlessly across the world. Our LATAM expansion is proof that with the right infrastructure, technology, and mission focus, we can unlock economic opportunity for everyone, everywhere. I'm grateful to have been part of this journey and excited for what comes next as we continue building payment infrastructure that serves the world.