Chile

In-store, debit and prepaid cards took 39% of point-of-sale value in 2024, credit cards 22%, cash 18%, digital wallets 12% and account-to-account payments 7%, according to Worldpay; cash fell from 51% of transaction value in 2019. The Banco Central de Chile’s August 2025 payment systems report counts 374 digital transactions per person a year and says card and electronic transfer transactions have more than quadrupled in a decade. Redcompra, Visa and Mastercard are the main schemes, and prepaid card use grew by more than 213% between March 2024 and March 2025, according to the central bank.

The Cámara de Comercio de Santiago (CCS) estimates online sales reached about US$10 billion (CLP 9.5 trillion) in 2025, real growth of just over 9%, equal to 12.6% of retail, and projects 6% growth in 2026. Electronics, home and technology make up nearly 46% of online sales, while food and drink grew fastest, up 25% in real terms. Mercado Libre and Falabella are major platforms, and the CCS-run CyberDay and CyberMonday events create sales peaks (CyberMonday 2024 generated US$447 million). Buyers expect prices in CLP and debit acceptance, and business buyers need an electronic invoice (factura) issued against their RUT tax number.

The Banco Central de Chile (BCCh) regulates payment systems and foreign exchange, while the Comisión para el Mercado Financiero (CMF) is the main licensing and supervisory authority for banks, payment card issuers and operators, and fintech firms. The Fintech Law (Law 21,521 of 2023) created an open finance system, implemented through CMF General Rule 514, covering data sharing and payment initiation. Foreign firms providing regulated financial services in Chile must set up a locally incorporated company or a registered agency. A new data protection law (Law 21,719, published in December 2024) replaces the current regime on 1 December 2026, with fines of up to 4% of annual turnover.

Chile has the region’s highest levels of financial inclusion. The World Bank’s Global Findex 2025 found that 85% of adults had an account in 2024 (87% in 2021, up from 42% in 2011) and 81% owned a debit card; in 2021, 42% had paid digitally for an online purchase. Smartphones are widespread: 87% of adults used one as their main phone in 2024. Cash is now a minority method, falling to 18% of in-store value in 2024 (Worldpay).