Fintech & payments regulation in Argentina (2026)

Legal framework

Banco Central de la República Argentina (BCRA) framework for Proveedores de Servicios de Pago (PSPs), anchored on Communication 'A' 6885/2019 and successive amendments (including 'A' 8398/2026 on cybersecurity and 'A' 8432/2026 on PSP-as-a-Service), plus Executive Decree 353/2025 creating the Sistema de Finanzas Abiertas (Open Finance). No single 'Ley Fintech' — sectoral regime split among BCRA, CNV, UIF and PDPA.

Key points: digital payments & fintech in Argentina

1. 01PSP registration regime (BCRA)

   The BCRA maintains a mandatory Registry of Payment Service Providers. PSPs that offer payment accounts (PSPCP) must comply with Communication 'A' 6885 and later texts, including the requirement that 100% of client funds be held in on-demand peso sight accounts at Argentine banks, available on request.

   bcra.gob.ar bcra.gob.ar

2. 02Expanded PSP categories (2024–2026)

   The BCRA has progressively expanded the perimeter beyond PSPCPs to cover aggregators, acquirers, payment initiators, and 'acceptors of payments with transfer'. Communication 'A' 8432/2026 (May 2026) added a 'PSP-as-a-Service' category, extended the deadline to begin operations from 6 to 12 months and gave existing PSPs 90 days to adapt.

   boletinoficial.gob.ar beccarvarela.com allende.com

3. 03Transferencias 3.0 (instant-payment rail)

   Launched by the BCRA in December 2020, Transferencias 3.0 is a mandatory interoperable instant-payments and QR scheme that credits funds within 15 seconds, 24/7, across bank CBUs and PSP CVUs. Payments are irrevocable and consumers pay no commission; merchant fees are capped at 6–8‰.

   bcra.gob.ar dpi.global

4. 04Cybersecurity obligations for PSPs

   Communication 'A' 8398 (Feb 2026) formally brought PSPs into the BCRA's cyber-resilience regime, giving them 180 calendar days (until 4 August 2026) to implement governance, incident-response and third-party risk controls comparable to those imposed on regulated financial institutions.

   jfcattorneys.com beccarvarela.com

5. 05Open Finance – framework created, not yet live

   Executive Decree 353/2025 created the Sistema de Finanzas Abiertas (SFA) with the BCRA as lead application authority alongside CNV, SSN, ARCA and ANSES. The BCRA's 2026 objectives confirm that implementation is still at the working-group stage: no technical standards, consent framework or go-live date have been published.

   bcra.gob.ar jfcattorneys.com

6. 06BNPL and crypto boundaries

   There is no dedicated BNPL statute; BNPL is captured by general consumer-credit, data-protection and AML rules, with the BCRA's 'Non-Financial Credit Providers' regime applying to non-bank lenders. The BCRA also prohibits PSPs from offering, holding or transacting in crypto-assets on behalf of clients, isolating the payments regime from the CNV-supervised Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) registry.

   bcra.gob.ar bruchoufunes.com abogados.com.ar

Timeline of decisions

1. 6 May 2026Law · official
   BCRA issues Communication "A" 8432 creating "PSPCP as a Service"

   Published in the Official Gazette, the rule formally regulates payment service providers that offer payment accounts through third parties, requiring identification of the sponsoring bank, prior authorization of partners, and tougher fit-and-proper and supervision standards. It is the most significant overhaul of the PSP licensing/registration regime since 2020.

   Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina

2. 30 Apr 2026Guidance · official
   BCRA reinforces e-wallet security and anti-fraud measures

   The central bank ordered financial institutions and PSPs offering digital wallets to deploy mechanisms to detect suspicious or unusual user activity to mitigate fraud, strengthening consumer protection across virtual wallets. Entities were given a transition period to adapt their systems.

   BCRA

3. 2 Feb 2025Guidance
   BCRA changes rules on returns for digital wallet balances and money-market funds

   The central bank adjusted the framework governing immediate-redemption money-market funds and idle balances held in digital wallets, reshaping how fintechs can offer yield on customer cash. The move altered the economics of the leading virtual-wallet remunerated-balance products.

   Infobae

4. 6 Jun 2024Law
   Communication "A" 8038 relaxes client-fund return obligations for PSPCPs

   The BCRA modified the client-funds administration regime for payment service providers offering payment accounts, eliminating the obligation to pass through to clients the yield earned on the peso sight accounts where their funds are deposited. It reversed a key 2023 consumer-yield rule.

   Bomchil

5. 25 Aug 2023Guidance
   BCRA obliges virtual wallets to pay interest on all customer balances

   The central bank required digital wallets to remunerate idle customer balances, extending deposit-like yield obligations to fintech payment accounts. The rule was later softened by Communication "A" 8038 in 2024.

   Infobae

6. 1 May 2023Enforcement · official
   Communication "A" 7759 extends crypto-asset ban to PSPCPs

   The BCRA prohibited payment service providers that offer payment accounts from carrying out or facilitating transactions with crypto assets, and from offering them in their apps or websites, citing risks to users and the financial system. It extended to fintechs the crypto ban first imposed on banks in 2022.

   BCRA

7. 24 Feb 2022Law · official
   Communication "A" 7462 defines "digital wallet" and creates Interoperable Digital Wallets Registry

   The BCRA established a specific regime for digital/virtual wallets offered by banks or PSPs and created a mandatory registry for wallets enabling instant QR-based payments. Providers already operating had until 15 April 2022 to register.

   BCRA

8. 7 Dec 2020Law · official
   Launch of "Transferencias 3.0" with interoperable QR codes

   Approved by Communication "A" 7153 (30 Oct 2020) and effective 7 Dec 2020, the open instant-payments scheme introduced a universal interoperable QR and the "pago con transferencia" instant-transfer payment, letting any bank or PSP account pay to any other to expand digital payments and financial inclusion.

   BCRA

9. 30 Jan 2020Law · official
   Communication "A" 6885 complements the new PSP regime

   Issued weeks after the foundational PSP rule, it refined the definitions, reporting duties and operating conditions for payment service providers, including the fund-segregation and registration framework. Together with "A" 6859 it formed Argentina's first dedicated fintech-payments rulebook.

   BCRA

10. 9 Jan 2020Law · official
    Communication "A" 6859, Argentina's first regulation of payment service providers

    The BCRA created the legal category of "payment service providers offering payment accounts" (PSPCP), requiring registration in a dedicated SEFyC registry (by 31 Mar 2020), 100% segregation of client funds in peso sight accounts, and immediate availability of funds on request. This is the foundational licensing/registration framework for Argentine fintech.

    BCRA

Sources

1. 1.bcra.gob.ar/en/registry-of-payment-service-providers-psps/
2. 2.bcra.gob.ar/archivos/Pdfs/Texord/t-snp-psp.pdf
3. 3.bcra.gob.ar/en/transfers-3-0/
4. 4.bcra.gob.ar/en/news/payment-service-providers-may-not-carry-out-transactions-with
5. 5.bcra.gob.ar/en/news/objectives-and-plans-2026/
6. 6.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/341644/20260506
7. 7.jfcattorneys.com/en/guides/fintech-regulation-argentina
8. 8.jfcattorneys.com/en/news/bcra-com-a-8398-ciberseguridad-psp
9. 9.allende.com/fintech/el-banco-central-introduce-nuevas-regulaciones-sobre-proveedo
10. 10.beccarvarela.com/en/novedades/regulacion-de-nuevas-funciones-de-pago-se-crean-nuevos-r
11. 11.bruchoufunes.com/en/bcra-restricts-digital-asset-operations-by-psp/
12. 12.dpi.global/globaldpi/argentina_fps
13. 13.beccarvarela.com/en/publicaciones/boletin-del-departamento-fintech-novedades-legales-f
14. 14.abogados.com.ar/fintech-comentarios-a-la-nueva-normativa-del-bcra-sobre-proveedores-n