EBANX Unlocks Billion-User Market with Recurring Payment Expansion

BANGKOK, THAILAND – April 21, 2026 – By Brenda Thompson

Global payment technology company EBANX today announced a significant expansion of its recurring payment services, a move poised to connect over one billion consumers in emerging economies with the global digital subscription market. The announcement, made at the Money20/20 Asia conference, details the extension of its recurring alternative payment methods (APMs) into six new countries: the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, South Africa, Colombia, and Peru.

This strategic expansion builds on the company's existing footprint, effectively creating a payment bridge for global merchants to reach a vast and largely untapped customer base. For subscription-based businesses in streaming, software, and gaming, the move unlocks access to populations where credit and debit card penetration remains low, fundamentally altering the landscape of cross-border e-commerce.

Bridging the Digital and Financial Divide

The core of EBANX's initiative addresses a stark reality in the global economy: while digital services are borderless, access to them is often not. According to the World Bank, over 1.3 billion adults across these markets lack access to a credit or debit card, creating a major barrier to participating in the burgeoning subscription economy. In Southeast Asia alone, over 70% of the population is considered unbanked or underbanked, with cash and digital wallets dominating transactions.

This expansion directly targets this gap. By integrating with popular local payment methods, the company enables consumers to subscribe to global services using the financial tools they already trust and use daily. This includes digital wallets like GCash and Maya in the Philippines, OVO and DANA in Indonesia, and account-to-account (A2A) solutions like South Africa's Capitec Pay.

"Consumers without access to credit or debit cards rely heavily on APMs to pay for subscription-based e-commerce services," said Eduardo de Abreu, Global Chief Product Officer at EBANX, in a statement released today. "If a SaaS or streaming company does not offer local, alternative solutions for these consumers, they simply won't access them."

This reality forces a paradigm shift for global merchants, who can no longer rely on a card-centric strategy to achieve growth in these high-potential regions. The new integrations provide a direct channel to a massive audience that is mobile-first and increasingly eager to consume digital content and services.

A New Frontier for Subscription Growth

For global merchants, this expansion represents a monumental commercial opportunity. The global subscription market is projected to grow into a multi-trillion dollar industry, but its success in emerging economies is entirely dependent on solving the local payment puzzle. EBANX's focus on recurring APMs is the key that unlocks this potential.

Previously, merchants attempting to penetrate these markets often relied on cumbersome, one-off payment workarounds that created significant friction. "For years, low card penetration in emerging markets forced subscription merchants to rely on one-off payment workarounds that were never built to support long-term customer relationships," commented Abreu. "Over time, these approaches eroded retention because every renewal required the customer to pay again, manually."

By enabling automated, consent-based billing through local APMs, EBANX is drastically reducing customer churn and improving lifetime value. Early results from existing integrations underscore the power of this model:

• In Brazil, 56% of customers using the Pix Automático recurring feature through EBANX were new users for the merchants.
• A global SaaS provider using the NuPay digital wallet in Brazil saw a 13% increase in paid subscriptions compared to credit cards and a 76% payment success rate.
• In India, a global AI merchant implementing UPI AutoPay acquired over 4,000 new customers per day during its first three months on the platform.

These figures illustrate a clear trend: offering localized, automated payment options is not just a convenience but a powerful engine for customer acquisition and revenue growth.

The Evolution of Alternative Payments

The expansion highlights a broader evolution in the global fintech landscape. Alternative payment methods, once seen as simple substitutes for cash, are now developing sophisticated capabilities that rival traditional banking products. The new services being rolled out by EBANX deliver a seamless, card-like experience for end-users without requiring a card.

Through a one-time consent process, customers can authorize merchants to automatically debit their digital wallet or bank account for recurring subscription fees. This consent-based model is critical, providing the predictability merchants need while maintaining the trust and control consumers expect from their local payment providers.

The integrations span a diverse array of market-leading platforms, including:

• Southeast Asia: Digital wallets such as TrueMoney in Thailand, alongside the previously mentioned wallets in the Philippines and Indonesia.
• Africa: The recurring feature of Capitec Pay in South Africa, an A2A solution that EBANX was the first to offer for cross-border transactions.
• Latin America: The mobile payment platform Nequi in Colombia and the digital wallet Yape in Peru, complementing existing recurring options like Mercado Pago and Pix Automático.

This technological advancement signifies that payment innovation is no longer flowing exclusively from developed to emerging markets. Instead, solutions born from local challenges in regions like Latin America and Asia are now setting new global standards for convenience and financial inclusion.

Integrating into Vibrant Local Ecosystems

EBANX is not entering a vacuum but rather integrating into dynamic and competitive local payment ecosystems. Countries like Indonesia and the Philippines have seen an explosion in digital wallet adoption, with local players like GoPay and GCash becoming deeply embedded in daily life. Regulators have often played a proactive role, fostering innovation while ensuring stability through national standards like Indonesia's QRIS and the Philippines' QR Ph.

The company's strategy appears to be one of collaboration and integration, leveraging the trust and ubiquity of these established local platforms. By acting as a technological and regulatory bridge, EBANX handles the complexity of cross-border transactions, compliance, and multiple payment integrations, allowing merchants to access these markets through a single platform.

This approach enables global businesses to offer a truly localized checkout experience, which is critical for building consumer trust and driving conversion rates. As the digital economy becomes increasingly globalized, the ability to seamlessly transact across these diverse payment landscapes will be a defining factor for success.