The Central Bank of Brazil has authorised EBANX to offer a payment initiator service through Pix allowing the fintech’s merchants to manage Pix payments within their websites. Through this authorisation, merchants will be able to manage Pix on their online platforms with no need for online shoppers to access the bank's app to make a payment.

New Payments Initiation capabilities for EBANX The PISP (Payment Initiation Service Provider) license expands the range of services the global payments giant, a direct participant of Pix, is able to offer to its customers. As a payment initiator, EBANX is now making the service available to more than 500 merchants so their online shoppers in Brazil can make payments using Pix within their own website or ecommerce app without needing to obtain their own initiator payment license from the Central Bank of Brazil. Erika Daguani, Vice President of Product at EBANX has explained in the official company press release that as a payment initiator, EBANX can now streamline the payment process, reduce friction and increase transaction security, and the user no longer needs to leave the store's website or app, log into a bank's app or worry about copying and pasting the QR code and checking that everything is correct.

Company officials are confident that payment with Pix in digital commerce will become more streamlined through this collaboration. In addition to the pros for the end user, the payment initiator service through Pix also benefits companies selling online by increasing customer retention and conversion rates. Data from the latest EBANX's Beyond Borders 2022/2023 study cited by the company shows that Pix already accounts for more than 16% of total ecommerce sales volume in Brazil.

How the integration will work on the infrastructure side Created by Brazil's Central Bank as part of the Open Banking agenda, the payment initiator license authorises companies to initiate payments and transfers via Pix for online purchases, with the aim of simplifying the consumer journey and reducing the number of payment steps. EBANX officials indicated that only about 20 institutions are now licensed to offer the service. The new payment initiator capability allows people to shop online using Pix directly from the ecommerce website or app, with no need to access the bank's app to make the payment.

Through Pix, the transaction is initiated by the company itself – in this case, through the EBANX software platform– and instead of scanning or copying the QR code and accessing the bank app to complete the payment, the customer is automatically directed to the authentication screen of the bank app. Once authenticated, the transaction is completed and the customer returns to the store's website or app. Pix milestones so far Launched in late 2020, the Pix instant payment system created by Brazil’s Central Bank is already used by about 75% of Brazilians and has accelerated digital payments and financial inclusion across Brazil The latest functionality added to Pix starting with November 2022 allows its customers can make transfers via PIX from other financial institutions to Banco de Brasil's account through the bank's WhatsApp channel.

The institution is reportedly the first in the world to offer this option. In August 2022, Brazil’s central bank allowed customers to complete the journey of consenting to data sharing within the scope of Open Finance through WhatsApp, something also reportedly unprecedented. .