Latin American Exchange Bitso Brings Crypto Remittance Service to Colombia

The company launched a similar business in Mexico in 2021.

AccessTimeIconJul 7, 2022 at 8:07 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 5:40 p.m. UTC
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The Latin American crypto exchange Bitso launched a cryptocurrency remittance service in Colombia, the company said on Thursday.

The service – which will allow individuals and businesses to send and receive digital dollars – is the first crypto remittance product in Colombia to date, according to Bitso. For now, the feature will be available via the company’s website, with a mobile app soon to follow.

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  • “These transactions are not affected by volatility at all,” said Emilio Pardo, country manager of Bitso in Colombia. “The price of the stablecoins that we use depends on the international currency market, with parity with the dollar, a great benefit to beat inflation.”

    Bitso is seeking to mirror the crypto remittance service it launched in 2021 in Mexico, which processed $1 billion in the first half of 2022. The company hopes to double its volume of international transfers by year end – and to process $4 billion in 2023.

    Remittances totaling $8.56 billion were sent to Colombia from abroad in 2021, an all-time record, El Tiempo newspaper reported.

    Going in the other direction, Colombians sent remittances abroad totaling $380 million last year, up 52.4% from the 2020 level. Money sent to the U.S. was $103 million, up 102% year-over-year.

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    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Andrés Engler

    Andrés Engler was a CoinDesk editor based in Argentina, where he covers the Latin American crypto ecosystem. He holds BTC and ETH.


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