dLocal, the cross-border payment platform connecting global merchants to emerging markets, and Open English, a leading online English-learning platform, have rolled out Bre-B as a new instant payment method for students in Colombia. The nationwide launch highlights both companies’ readiness to activate new local payment rails as soon as they become available.
Overcoming local payment hurdles
In Colombia, digital education continues to grow, but payment access remains uneven. The local market faces several persistent challenges:
- Credit-card ownership is limited.
- Transaction declines are common.
- Cash-based payment flows still heavily rely on offline steps.
For subscription-based services like eLearning, these frictions can interrupt student enrolment and increase checkout drop-offs, making the use of an instant payment network highly relevant.
Leveraging the Bre-B infrastructure
Launched by Banco de la República last October, Bre-B is Colombia’s first government-backed real-time payment infrastructure. It supports 24/7 transfers using digital identifiers known as llaves and has reached nearly 100 million registrations to date.
By integrating this new payment method through dLocal, Open English allows students and corporate clients to pay instantly from participating Colombian banks or digital wallets using a Bre-B llave or QR code. Bre-B was activated within Open English’s existing payment setup, enabling a fast rollout without disrupting the enrolment flow. Payments are confirmed in seconds, removing the need for credit cards or manual verification, so students can access classes shortly after signing up.
Industry perspectives
Andrés Moreno, CEO at Open English, commented on the integration:
“If someone is ready to learn, we don’t want payments to slow that down. Making education accessible means acting quickly when local systems change. Bre-B lets students in Colombia pay in a way that works for them. With dLocal, we can do that without compromising how our checkout performs.”
Sofia Posada, head of alternative payment methods at dLocal, added:
“Since Bre-B launched, we’ve seen how quickly people start using it in everyday payments. Rolling this out with Open English is all about putting that rail where it makes sense, helping students pay and get started right away.”
A growing strategic partnership
Beyond the Bre-B rollout in Colombia, dLocal and Open English are continuing to expand their two-year collaboration. The partnership currently supports alternative and local payments across key emerging markets, including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Turkey.
Looking ahead, upcoming initiatives for the partnership will include:
- The addition of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options like Pareto in Argentina and Pagaleve in Brazil.
- The exploration of B2B and payout flows to support teachers, partners, and internal operations.
Together, these initiatives reflect a shared focus on building payment flows that match local payment behaviour while supporting the scale and operational needs of a global digital education platform.
