Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the BCRA register entry, including banking and payment rails.
Get a payment license in Argentina.
Argentina does not license payment companies, it registers them. The Banco Central de la República Argentina keeps the Registro de Proveedores de Servicios de Pago and runs it from a consolidated text whose current version incorporates Comunicación A 8454 of 14 July 2026, with nine registrable functions and no minimum capital at all. Section 4.1.2 asks for 100% of client funds in sight accounts in pesos at Argentine financial institutions. At December 2025 the register held 215 providers offering payment accounts and 86 interoperable wallets.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Argentina in brief
A register rather than a licence, nine functions, and no capital at all.
The central bank keeps the Registro de Proveedores de Servicios de Pago and runs it from a consolidated text on payment service providers whose current version incorporates Comunicación A 8454 of 14 July 2026, in force the following day. Section 1.2.1 defines a provider as a legal person that is not a financial entity and performs at least one function inside a retail payment scheme; Section 1.2.2 says such a scheme needs at least three parties, a payer, a payee and one or more financial entities or providers. Section 2.1 then lists the functions whose providers must register, and there are nine of them: provision of payment accounts, QR administration, acceptance, initiation through a digital wallet, ATM networks, transfer networks, acquiring, aggregation and sub-acquiring, and non-bank bill collection. One company may perform several, and the file describes the operation for each. There is no minimum capital anywhere in the text, and no capital-adequacy method either. Not a low figure. None.
Section 4.1.2 is the rule that shapes the business model. One hundred per cent of client funds must sit in sight accounts in pesos at Argentine financial institutions, and the single exception is a transfer to money-market funds on the client's express written instruction. Section 4.1.3 makes the provider keep a separate operating sight account for its own transactions, and Section 4.1.1 says client money is available immediately. The clock in Section 2.3 is administrative rather than a decision deadline: the central bank has 10 business days to tell an applicant what the file is missing, the applicant has 20 business days to cure it, and once the certificate issues there are 12 months to start operating. Registration itself runs through the bank's system on the ARCA portal, with six named responsible officers, among them an information-security officer and a compliance officer. At December 2025 the register held 215 providers offering payment accounts and 86 interoperable digital wallets. Transferencias 3.0, the interoperable QR scheme, was completed on 29 November 2021. Tax runs on the 2026 scale at 25%, 30% and 35%, with IVA at 21% and 7% on dividends. We run the file from Madeira, in Spanish.
The Banco Central de la República Argentina registers payment service providers rather than licensing them, under a consolidated text current to Comunicación A 8454 of 14 July 2026. Section 2.1 makes nine functions registrable, from payment accounts to non-bank bill collection. There is no minimum capital and no capital-adequacy method.
Section 4.1.2 requires 100% of client funds in sight accounts in pesos at Argentine financial institutions, with money-market funds only on written instruction. Ten business days for deficiencies, twenty to cure, twelve months to start. 215 providers and 86 interoperable wallets at December 2025. We run it from Madeira.
The routes
Payment accounts, or one of the other eight registrable functions.
One register, nine functions, no capital. What changes between them is the client-money rule and the operating description the central bank expects. We fix the route first, then build once.
Payment accounts, or any of the other eight registrable functions - one register, no capital.
01 - PAYMENT ACCOUNT PROVIDER
Proveedor de servicios de pago que ofrece cuentas de pago
The function at Section 1.4.1: offering payment accounts to clients. It carries the client-money rules of Section 4.1 in full, and it is the category the central bank counts in its monthly retail-payments report - 215 providers at December 2025.
The function at Section 1.4.1: offering payment accounts to clients. It carries the client-money rules of Section 4.1 in full, and it is the category the central bank counts in its monthly retail-payments report - 215 providers at December 2025.
- ✓Registration in the Registro de Proveedores de Servicios de Pago
- ✓No minimum capital and no capital-adequacy method
- ✓100% of client funds in sight accounts in pesos in Argentina (Section 4.1.2)
- ✓Money-market funds only on the client's express written instruction
- ✓A separate operating sight account for the provider's own flows (Section 4.1.3)
- ✓Funds available to the client immediately (Section 4.1.1)
02 - THE OTHER EIGHT FUNCTIONS
Register - no capitalAdquirencia, agregación, QR y redes
Section 2.1 registers eight further functions beside payment accounts: QR administration, acceptance, initiation through a digital wallet, ATM networks, transfer networks, acquiring, aggregation and sub-acquiring, and non-bank bill collection. A provider may hold several at once.
QR administration, acceptance, wallet initiation, ATM and transfer networks, acquiring, aggregation and sub-acquiring, and non-bank bill collection. A provider may hold several.
- ✓QR administration and acceptance
- ✓Initiation through a digital wallet - 86 interoperable wallets at December 2025
- ✓ATM networks and transfer networks
- ✓Acquiring, aggregation and sub-acquiring
- ✓Non-bank bill collection (empresas de cobranza extrabancaria)
- ✓Changes to a registration reported within 15 business days (Section 2.4)
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. The central bank publishes no registration fee, so your quote covers the professional work, the corporate steps and the banking arrangements Section 4.1.2 requires.
Why Argentina
No capital, an administrative clock, and the deepest wallet market in the group.
Argentina asks a payment company to register, describe what it does and keep client money where the rule says. In exchange it opens a market of 215 registered payment-account providers and interoperable QR since 2021.
✓
No capital at all
The consolidated text sets no minimum capital and no capital-adequacy method for payment service providers. The money in the plan is the money the business needs.None in the consolidated text.
✓
Registration, not a licence
Section 2.2 files the whole application electronically through the central bank's system on the ARCA portal, and Section 2.3 issues a certificate rather than a discretionary authorisation.Filed electronically via ARCA.
✓
An administrative clock
Ten business days for the central bank to flag deficiencies, twenty for the applicant to cure them, then twelve months from certification to start operating.Ten days out, twenty to cure.
✓
Nine functions in one register
Payment accounts, QR administration, acceptance, wallet initiation, ATM and transfer networks, acquiring, aggregation and sub-acquiring, and non-bank bill collection - held singly or together.Held singly or together.
✓
215 providers and 86 wallets
At December 2025 the register carried 215 providers offering payment accounts, and 86 digital wallets were interoperable - a market with rails already built.86 interoperable wallets.
✓
Transferencias 3.0
Interoperable QR payment by transfer was completed on 29 November 2021, with the merchant fee capped at eight per thousand.Interoperable QR since 2021.
How it compares
How Argentina differs from its neighbours.
Argentina is the only country in this group that registers instead of licensing, and the only one with no capital figure and an absolute rule on where client money sits. The honest comparison is below.
Argentina vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Argentina | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Authorisation | Registration, not a licence | Licences in Brazil, Chile and Peru |
| Capital | None at all | R$ 2M in Brazil · 25,000 UF in Chile |
| Client funds | 100% in sight accounts in pesos | Trusts and central-bank deposits |
| Register size | 215 payment-account providers | 12 issuers in Uruguay · 5 in Paraguay |
Authorisation
ArgentinaRegistration, not a licence
Other jurisdictionsLicences in Brazil, Chile and Peru
Capital
ArgentinaNone at all
Other jurisdictionsR$ 2M in Brazil · 25,000 UF in Chile
Client funds
Argentina100% in sight accounts in pesos
Other jurisdictionsTrusts and central-bank deposits
Register size
Argentina215 payment-account providers
Other jurisdictions12 issuers in Uruguay · 5 in Paraguay
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | PSP registration (BCRA) | 25/30/35% | No capital · 100% in sight accounts |
 Uruguay | IEDE (BCU) | 25% · IVA 22% | No capital printed · funds segregated |
 Brazil | Instituição de pagamento (BCB) | ≈34% | R$ 2M per modality · R$ 1M ITP |
 Chile | Prepaid card issuer (CMF) | 27% | ≥ 25,000 UF · liquidity reserve |
ArgentinaLicense typePSP registration (BCRA)
Taxation25/30/35%
RequirementsNo capital · 100% in sight accounts
UruguayLicense typeIEDE (BCU)
Taxation25% · IVA 22%
RequirementsNo capital printed · funds segregated
BrazilLicense typeInstituição de pagamento (BCB)
Taxation≈34%
RequirementsR$ 2M per modality · R$ 1M ITP
ChileLicense typePrepaid card issuer (CMF)
Taxation27%
Requirements≥ 25,000 UF · liquidity reserve
Before you apply
Requirements for the BCRA registration.Requirements for the registration.
Section 2.2 lists the filing, Section 2.3 the clock and Section 4.1 the rules on client money. The checklist below is what a passing file contains.
01
A legal person that is not a financial entity and performs at least one of the nine functions Section 2.1 makes registrable.
02
Electronic registration through the central bank's system, reached via the ARCA portal - the whole filing is made there rather than on paper.
03
Bylaws certified by the corporate registry, the tax identification number, and both a legal domicile and a special domicile.
04
Six designated responsible officers, among them the legal representative, an information-security officer, a payment-systems supervisor and a compliance officer.
05
A description of how the company operates each of the functions it performs, function by function.
06
Shareholder and director information with criminal-record clearances.
07
No capital to raise and no ratio to hold: the consolidated text sets neither a minimum capital nor a capital-adequacy method.
08
Client-funds arrangements to Section 4.1.2 - 100% in sight accounts in pesos at Argentine financial institutions, with money-market funds used only on the client's express written instruction.
09
A separate operating sight account for the company's own transactions under Section 4.1.3, and immediate availability of client funds under Section 4.1.1.
10
A launch plan inside the twelve months Section 2.3 allows from certification, with changes reported within fifteen business days and the 180-day inactivity strike-off of Section 2.5.2.1 kept in view.
01
Legal person that is not a financial entity.
02
At least one of the nine functions (Section 2.1).
03
Electronic filing through the ARCA portal.
04
Bylaws certified; CUIT; both domiciles.
05
Six responsible officers named.
06
Operating description per function.
07
Shareholder and director clearances.
08
No capital and no ratio to hold.
09
100% of client funds in sight accounts in pesos.
10
Separate operating account; start inside 12 months.
Reflects the BCRA consolidated text on payment service providers, current to Comunicación A 8454 of 14 July 2026, as of 2026.BCRA consolidated text on payment service providers, current to Comunicación A 8454 of 14 July 2026.
How it works
From first call to the BCRA register.
01
Functions and strategy
Which of the nine functions you perform, whether payment accounts are among them, and what that means for client money - the route and budget fixed in writing.Which of the nine you perform.
02
Company and officers
Argentine company formed, bylaws certified, tax identification issued, domiciles set, and the six responsible officers appointed.Formed; six officers appointed.
03
The registration file
The operating description for each function, shareholder and director information with criminal-record clearances, filed electronically through the ARCA portal.Descriptions and clearances filed.
04
BCRA review
Deficiencies come back within 10 business days and are cured within 20. Plan on six to nine months from first call, most of it spent before the filing.10 days out, 20 to cure.
05
Certificate and launch
Certificate issued, client-funds accounts opened at Argentine institutions, operations started inside the twelve-month window.Accounts open; 12 months to start.
Quick facts
RegulatorBanco Central de la República Argentina
RulebookTexto ordenado PSP · Com. A 8454 (2026)
RouteRegistration, not a licence
FunctionsNine registrable
CapitalNone
Client funds100% in sight accounts in pesos
Clock10 + 20 business days · 12 months to start
Corporate tax25/30/35% · IVA 21%
Section 2.3 sets no decision deadline, only the deficiency and cure periods. A filing that draws no deficiency notice is the fastest route to the certificate, and our job.
Your Argentina desk
Run from our Americas desk.
Prifinance - Americas desk
Madeira · coordinating Argentine mandates in Spanish
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F, Madeira
01
Argentine company formation
A local company with bylaws certified by the corporate registry, the tax identification number issued, and the legal and special domiciles set before the filing opens.Bylaws certified; CUIT; domiciles.
02
The BCRA filing
The electronic registration through the ARCA portal, the six responsible officers appointed, and the operating description written function by function - drafted by us and defended through the deficiency round.ARCA portal; officers; descriptions.
03
Client-funds banking
Sight accounts in pesos at Argentine financial institutions for client money, the separate operating account of Section 4.1.3, and the written instruction wording where money-market funds are offered.Sight accounts in pesos; operating account.
04
Substance in Argentina
Officers who can hold the four named roles, criminal-record clearances for shareholders and directors, and the local presence the register entry is built on.Four named roles; clearances; presence.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of payment companies in Argentina.
A three-band corporate scale at 25%, 30% and 35% for 2026, IVA at 21%, 7% withholding on dividends, and a tax on bank debits and credits whose statutory ceiling is six per thousand.
Corporate tax 25/30/35%
The 2026 scale: 25% up to $133,514,185.74 of taxable income, 30% on the excess to $1,335,141,857.38, and 35% above that, each band with its fixed amount.The 2026 corporate scale.
IVA 21%
Article 28 of the VAT law sets 21%, rising to 27% for metered gas, electricity and water supplied outside residential use to registered taxpayers.27% on listed utility supplies.
Dividends 7%
General Resolution 5060/2021 applies a 7% withholding to dividends and profits generated in periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018, implementing Article 97 of the income-tax law.RG 5060/2021.
Bank debits and credits
Ley 25.413 lets the executive set the rate up to a ceiling of six per thousand. The rate actually in force comes by decree, so we confirm it for your accounts before the model is signed off.Capped at 6 per thousand.
Payroll
Income tax withholding and social-security contributions on Buenos Aires salaries. The operating budget prices them in with the four named officer roles.Withholding + contributions.
Treaties
The 7% on dividends is the domestic rate. Treaty positions on outbound flows are checked for your structure before the first distribution, not after it.Checked per structure.
Tax summary
Corporate tax25% / 30% / 35% on the 2026 scale
VAT (IVA)21% · 27% on listed utility supplies
Dividend withholding7%
Bank debits and creditsUp to 6 per thousand (Ley 25.413)
PayrollWithholding + contributions
Tax treatiesChecked per structure
*Figures as of 2026 per ARCA and the official legislation database. Treaty and regime positions are assessed per structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Argentine company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, registered provider.
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Argentina · BCRA
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The Argentine payment registration, answered.
Does Argentina license payment companies?+
No. It registers them. The Banco Central de la República Argentina keeps the Registro de Proveedores de Servicios de Pago, and a provider is any legal person that is not a financial entity and performs at least one function inside a retail payment scheme (Section 1.2.1).
Which activities have to register?+
Nine functions under Section 2.1: provision of payment accounts, QR administration, acceptance, initiation through a digital wallet, ATM networks, transfer networks, acquiring, aggregation and sub-acquiring, and non-bank bill collection. A company that performs several registers for each and describes each in the file.
How much capital is required?+
None. The consolidated text sets no minimum capital for payment service providers and no capital-adequacy method. The requirement that shapes the balance sheet is the client-money rule in Section 4.1.2, not a capital figure.
Where must client funds be held?+
Section 4.1.2: 100% of client funds in sight accounts in pesos at Argentine financial institutions. The only exception is a transfer to money-market funds on the client's express written instruction. Section 4.1.3 adds a separate operating sight account for the provider's own transactions.
How long does registration take?+
The text sets no decision deadline, only an administrative clock in Section 2.3: 10 business days for the central bank to communicate deficiencies and 20 business days for the applicant to cure them. Once the certificate issues there are 12 months to start operating. Plan on six to nine months from first call.
How is the application filed?+
Electronically, through the central bank's system reached via the ARCA portal (Section 2.2). The file carries bylaws certified by the corporate registry, the tax identification number, legal and special domiciles, six responsible officers, the operating description per function, and shareholder and director information with criminal-record clearances.
Who are the six responsible officers?+
Section 2.2 names the roles the registration must fill, among them the legal representative, an information-security officer, a payment-systems supervisor and a compliance officer. They are appointed before filing, because the registration identifies each of them.
How big is the market?+
At December 2025 the register held 215 providers offering payment accounts, and 86 digital wallets were interoperable. Payment by transfer with an interoperable QR code, Transferencias 3.0, was completed on 29 November 2021, with the merchant fee capped at eight per thousand.
How are payment companies taxed?+
Corporate income tax on the 2026 scale at 25%, 30% and 35% by band, IVA at 21%, and 7% withholding on dividends. The tax on bank debits and credits is capped by Ley 25.413 at six per thousand, with the rate in force set by decree and confirmed for your accounts.
Why Argentina rather than Uruguay or Brazil?+
Argentina has no capital figure, a register 215 names deep and interoperable QR since 2021, so a wallet reaches scale quickly. Uruguay has a much smaller register and no cap on balances, and its authorisation is a licence rather than an entry. Brazil asks for R$ 2 million per modality but supervises a far larger market. Groups building a peso wallet or an acquiring business start here.
Licence or register?+
A BCRA registration, not a licence.
Which activities?+
Nine functions under Section 2.1.
Capital?+
None at all.
Client funds?+
100% in sight accounts in pesos.
How long?+
10 days out, 20 to cure, 12 months to start.
How is it filed?+
Electronically via the ARCA portal.
Officers?+
Six named, including security and compliance.
Market size?+
215 providers; 86 interoperable wallets.
Taxes?+
25/30/35%, IVA 21%, dividends 7%.
vs Uruguay / Brazil?+
No capital; the deepest wallet market.
Client notes
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Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Banco Central de la República Argentina or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.