Brazil

Ebanx isn't new to the payments technology game in Latin America, having focused on cross-border e-commerce technology a few years ago to allow consumers in that region to make purchases from international merchants.

In theory, the beauty of e-commerce is that a merchant can court any shopper in any part of the world with an internet connection. In practice, attracting a shopper and providing them with the customer experience they expect will look different in every country, says Lee Clifton of JP Morgan Merchant Services.

Brazilian payments provider Ebanx is working with Alibaba Group to test a retail store that combines physical and virtual showcases to allow consumers to obtain Chinese technology products.

Fintechs providing installment loans are attracting significant funding from investors who see opportunities in developed economies for consumer financing products, which are already well established in emerging markets.

Legacy retailers are starting to get serious about checkout-free technology, bringing new insights into the challenges inherent in replacing decades-old traditional checkout layouts at stores.

Russia and its BRICS partners are developing cross-border alternatives to U.S.-dominated payments systems such as Swift, driven by the rise in cross-border trade and a desire to find non-dollar alternatives to international payments systems vulnerable to sanctions by the U.S. government.

ZestFinance is bringing its machine learning software ZAML to Brazilian retailer Via Varejo and its digital banking subsidiary Banqi to power the credit underwriting for Varejo’s “carnês” point-of-sale microfinance lending product.

Coffee farmers in Brazil’s countryside could be soon be using cryptocurrency for their day-to-day needs.

Brazil has one of the world's worst payment fraud problems, which has come in handy for ClearSale as it tries to cut transaction decline rates for online payments globally. The Olympics also came in handy.

Brazil is the latest Latin American country to establish plans for a low-cost instant payments network with the aim of increasing financial inclusion and eliminating cash from the economy.