Ebanx está com inscrições abertas para a nova edição de seu programa de estágio voltadas para pessoas negras residentes em Curitiba e Região Metropolitana.
Foto: Renato Próspero/SMCS
Get the hottest Fintech Singapore News once a month in your Inbox
Global expansion is high on the agenda for merchants today, yet the reality is far from simple. Setting up local entities, adapting to fragmented payment systems, and navigating diverse regulations can turn opportunities into frustration.
This challenge is especially visible in emerging economies, where growth is fastest but the barriers to entry are steep. Eduardo de Abreu, Vice President of Product at EBANX, explains:
Eduardo de Abreu
“Based on data from World Data Lab, over the next 10 years, we are going to see almost 700 million people joining the consumer class (people who spend more than US$12 per day) in emerging markets. This is massive in terms of potential growth and addressable markets.”
Unlike developed markets, they tend to rely on localised payment rails like mobile wallets and alternative payment methods (APMs). Without integrating these digital payments, even the most ambitious cross-border strategies can stall before they start.
Connecting APAC Merchants to the Next Frontier of Payments
Now in its third consecutive year in APAC, the EBANX APAC Payments Summit has previously been held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2024 and Sanya, China, in 2023. The summit itself is in its eighth year, previously taking place in the United States, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico.
Choosing Macau as the host city is both strategic and symbolic. As a growing hub for regional collaboration and innovation, Macau reflects EBANX’s deeper commitment to APAC and its merchants, offering an ideal location to unite merchants and partners across the region.
This year’s agenda aims to give participants a clear, strategic view into new opportunities for merchants expanding into Latin America, Africa, and more high-growth regions.
The summit will spotlight Brazil’s Pix Automático, Latin America’s gaming market growth, the rise of digital wallets and stablecoins in cross-border payments, and Africa’s expanding payment rails.
The lineup features a powerhouse mix of voices shaping the future of global payments, including João Del Valle, Co-Founder and CEO of EBANX; Jonathan Haigh, Chief Product Officer at World Data Lab; Jason Maweu Masai, Head of Digital Product at M-PESA; and Eric Barbier, CEO of Triple-A.
Emerging Markets at the Center of the Conversation
The EBANX APAC Payments Summit will focus on select main themes. Firstly, it will bring forth timely insights on payments innovation and digital commerce, from Brazil’s Pix to Africa’s local schemes and Latin America’s fast-growing gaming economy.
The Summit will dive into what makes Latin America one of the most dynamic gaming markets in the world: a mobile-first audience, strong community-driven engagement, and a complex mix of cards, instalments, digital wallets, and even cash payments.
Interestingly, many alternative payment methods were never designed with merchant purchases in mind. Yet, their deep integration into daily life has made them a dominant option for online shopping, especially so in countries where access to cards and bank accounts remains limited.
Another highlight will be a deep dive into Pix Automático, launched in June 2025 as a major evolution of Brazil’s most-used payment system. Designed for recurring transactions, it offers merchants access to more than 60 million Pix users who do not hold credit cards. Eduardo adds on,
“Card penetration is not the same as card acceleration. We do see people with higher access to cards, but the credit component is still limited, like US$50 as a limit. ”
Beyond Latin America, the Summit will explore Africa’s payments landscape, highlighting domestic schemes such as Verve in Nigeria. These solutions are driving financial inclusion and e-commerce adoption in some of the continent’s fastest-growing economies.
Stablecoins will also take centre stage, with contributions from Triple-A on how it could rewrite the rails of cross-border digital commerce.
Tax and regulatory updates in Latin America is another highlight. When asked about the compliance challenges that APAC merchants face when expanding into LATAM and how EBANX helps navigate them, Fernanda De Fino, Director of Global Risk and Compliance at EBANX, shared,
Fernanda De Fino
“This is what we provide for the best, that is, solving the complexity. In terms of compliance, we have a strong team with deep knowledge in the local market, that could navigate it and facilitate the merchant operation there.”
The APAC edition of the summit is indeed a forward-looking forum designed to anticipate what’s next for the industry. It will unlock opportunities in non-obvious markets, showcase breakthrough technologies, and help merchants understand the future of payments across rising economies.
Why APAC Matters in EBANX’s Multi-Market Expansion
Although EBANX currently processes payments locally in India, the company itself supports around 100 APAC merchants, including for global platforms like AliExpress, Canva, and Weverse.
With a single integration, merchants can access 29 countries and leverage more than 200 local payment methods. EBANX handles settlement, compliance, and cross-border processing, allowing companies to focus on market growth.
“We have been granted by the MAS, as an MPI (Major Payment Institution). EBANX is the first, as of now, the only Brazilian company that has this license here in Singapore. It represents our commitment to regulatory compliance and the security that we offer to our merchants and also to our clients.”
The license builds on EBANX’s recent strategic steps in Asia, such as its partnership with YES BANK and the appointment of a country director to lead its operations in India.
Where Merchants Gain the Edge in Global Commerce
In an era where cross-border commerce is being reshaped by real-time payments, alternative payment methods, and rising consumer markets, APAC merchants have more competition than ever.
In tandem, regions like South Asia, Africa, and Latin America are set to see significant digital commerce growth, driven largely by the adoption of local payment methods.
The EBANX APAC Payments Summit offers a rare vantage point into these shifts, combining market intelligence, live case studies, and access to on-the-ground players from across these high-growth economies.
When queried about various payment methods across different regions and how to balance innovation with fraud prevention and compliance, Fernanda dives in,
“When you know the market, when you know how the payment methods work, when you have a local team that is also a consumer, you can prevent fraud and be compliant with regulations easily. EBANX is ahead of the game since the beginning, and this is our footprint in the region.“
For APAC merchants with global ambitions and the readiness to meet consumers on their own payment terms, this Payments Summit, due to be held at the prestigious Karl Lagerfeld Hotel, is where market intelligence meets market access. It’s where you leave with the strategies and insights that make it happen.
