Cobre Becomes First to Bring Instant B2B Bank Transfers to Colombia

Colombian businesses are about to get a major upgrade in how they move money. Cobre, the leading B2B payments platform in Latin America, announced it will roll out the country’s first-ever instant interbank payment system exclusively for businesses—starting this September.

The move positions Cobre as the first player in Colombia’s financial system to fully implement real-time, interoperable payments under the national Bre-B (business-to-business real-time payments) framework. While consumers in some countries already enjoy instant payments, Cobre is targeting the often-overlooked enterprise layer—where inefficiencies, batch settlements, and outdated rails still dominate.

And if you’re wondering what this really means: forget waiting days for payments to settle. This is cash flow without the lag.

24/7 B2B Transfers, No Tech Overhaul Required

With Cobre’s new setup, companies will be able to send and receive funds instantly—24/7, including weekends and holidays. Payments will be processed using payment aliases (think email-style addresses instead of clunky account numbers), which simplifies the experience without requiring businesses to change their existing accounting or ERP systems.

That’s a big deal in a region where fragmented systems often slow down innovation, and real-time capabilities are more promise than reality.

“Real-time payments aren’t just for consumers anymore,” said José Gedeón, Cobre’s CEO and co-founder. “We’re putting Colombia’s enterprise payment ecosystem on par with global standards—without forcing companies to rewire their infrastructure.”

This could be especially beneficial for high-volume businesses—like major retailers, fintechs, and logistics firms (many of which are already Cobre clients)—that deal with constant supplier, contractor, and partner payments. Faster settlement means better cash flow, shorter accounting cycles, and fewer late payment headaches.

Colombia’s Answer to Pix?

If this feels reminiscent of Brazil’s Pix system—which has transformed consumer payments across Latin America—you’re not far off. But where Pix initially focused on P2P and consumer-to-merchant flows, Cobre is taking a direct shot at enterprise inefficiency.

Most of Colombia’s real-time infrastructure has yet to meaningfully touch business payments. Cobre’s integration with the Bre-B system aims to fill that gap, turning what’s often a slow, manual B2B payment process into a modern, interoperable engine.

And it’s coming fast: early access begins in the coming weeks for Cobre clients.

A Leap for LATAM Fintech Infrastructure

Cobre’s move signals a broader trend in Latin America, where the next wave of fintech growth is centered around infrastructure—the rails, APIs, and interoperability layers that make digital finance actually work at scale. As regulators push modernization agendas and private players like Cobre step up to meet them, the region is rapidly catching up to markets like the EU and India, where real-time B2B payments are already reshaping enterprise operations.

“This didn’t happen overnight,” said Gedeón. “It’s the result of deep collaboration with ecosystem partners and a shared commitment to building tools that actually serve business needs.”

Cobre may have just given Colombia’s financial system its most important real-time upgrade yet—one that could ripple across LATAM as other markets look to replicate the model.

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