Non-banking acquisition and transactional efficiency: The new infrastructure of Conekta in Mexico
The National Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV) granted the Mexican fintech Conekta authorization to operate as a direct non-banking acquirer. This regulatory change and its own infrastructure allow it to connect directly to the card payment networks in the country without relying on the intermediation of a traditional acquiring bank.
From aggregation to direct non-banking acquisition
Founded in 2012, Conekta began processing digital payments under an aggregator scheme, operating on third-party infrastructure. The new authorization adds its own acquiring capabilities to its multi-method platform (which already integrates cards, interbank transfers, cash at chains like OXXO, wallets, and installment payments).
According to Héctor Cárdenas, founder and CEO of Conekta, the technical reconstruction of the platform took approximately two years of internal development since 2024. Throughout its history, the company reports having processed over $15 billion in 428 million transactions for more than 8,000 merchants in the country.
Increase in acceptance rates and fraud intelligence
The transition from aggregator to direct acquirer modifies the relationship with card issuers and risk management:
- Approval optimization: The direct connection and better data transmission to issuing institutions can increase payment acceptance rates by up to 26% in selected merchants.
- Chargeback control: The company reports chargeback rates between 0% and 0.2% in its merchant network.
- AI prevention engine: The company's own fraud prevention system makes decisions in less than 80 milliseconds, evaluating local purchasing patterns and applying dynamic 3D Secure 2.0 according to the level of risk.
- Wallets and seamless integration: It processes Apple Pay and Google Pay with chargeback rates between 0.01% and 0.02%. For merchants currently integrated into the platform, the transition to the new scheme will not require additional technical adjustments.
From the editorial perspective of next+, the CNBV's authorization of Conekta as a direct acquirer is a clear indicator of the maturation of the fintech ecosystem in Mexico. By moving from being an aggregator operating on banking infrastructure to becoming a direct participant in the payment network, the company reduces operational dependencies and gains control over the entire transactional cycle. For e-commerce companies in the country, having specialized non-banking acquirers in the digital environment represents an effective way to enhance the approval rate of legitimate purchases and combat the "false positive" of fraud, a historical problem that has hindered the growth of regional e-commerce.