# Toke

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/toke
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-06
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Banco Central del Uruguay](https://www.bcu.gub.uy/)

## Overview

**Toke** is **Uruguay's new QR-based payment system**, developed by **Urutec** with participation from **Uruguayan financial system companies + accompanied + monitored by Banco Central del Uruguay (BCU)** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Uruguay report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/UY)</sup>. Toke allows people to **make purchases at commercial locations by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone** while obtaining **the same tax benefits as debit cards + electronic-money instruments**. The system enables **real-time payments 24/7/365 through scanning QR code from mobile phone** with funds **credited to merchant's account immediately**.

The structural significance: Toke fits within **BCU's broader payment-system-modernisation roadmap** — including **instant payments launch in August** + **interoperability work between QR-payment platforms** + **cross-border Brazilian Pix-payments-in-Uruguay + planned Argentine-payment-method-acceptance**. **Major Uruguayan banks integration** — **Banco República (state) + Santander + Itaú + Scotiabank + BBVA + HSBC** — provides comprehensive bank coverage. Uruguay's payment landscape historically dominated by **debit cards + credit cards + Redbrou** with **Mercado Pago / dLocal e-commerce platforms** as fintech competitors. Toke addresses **mobile-QR-merchant-payment-gap** that previously required **bank-specific apps or platform-specific solutions**. **Cross-border QR-payment-mesh with Brazil Pix + planned Argentina integration** illustrates Uruguay's **Mercosur-region payment-modernisation alignment**.

## History

**Background — Uruguayan payment landscape** <sup>[Uruguay report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/UY)</sup>:
- **Banco Central del Uruguay (BCU)** — central bank.
- Major Uruguayan banks: Banco República (state), Santander, Itaú, Scotiabank, BBVA, HSBC.
- **Urutec** — Uruguayan technology partner.
- **Mercosur** regional context.
- Pre-Toke: Debit cards + credit cards + Redbrou + Mercado Pago.

**Urutec + BCU + financial-system Toke development** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Industry-collaboration model.

**Bank integration**: Banco República, Santander, Itaú, Scotiabank, BBVA, HSBC enable Toke <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**BCU instant-payment + cross-border roadmap** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- August instant-payment launch.
- Brazilian Pix-payments-in-Uruguay.
- Planned Argentine integration.

## Technical specification

Toke is **Urutec + BCU-coordinated Uruguayan QR-payment system with real-time 24/7/365 settlement** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Developer** | **Urutec** |
| **Coordinator** | **Banco Central del Uruguay (BCU)** |
| **Country** | Uruguay |
| **Currency** | UYU (Uruguayan peso) |
| **Operation** | 24/7/365 real-time |
| **Settlement** | Immediate to merchant account |
| **Identification** | QR code scan via mobile phone |
| **Tax-benefit treatment** | Same as debit cards + electronic-money instruments |
| **Major participants** | Banco República, Santander, Itaú, Scotiabank, BBVA, HSBC |
| **Cross-border roadmap** | Brazil Pix integration + planned Argentina |

## Use cases

**Merchant QR payments** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal — commercial locations.

**Real-time 24/7/365 payments** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Always-available.

**Tax-benefit-treated commerce** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Same as cards + e-money.

**Cross-bank universal acceptance** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: 6+ Uruguayan banks integrated.

**Cross-border QR with Brazil Pix** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Brazilian-tourist acceptance.

**Planned Argentine integration** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Future Mercosur integration.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Developer**: **Urutec**.

**Coordinator**: **Banco Central del Uruguay (BCU)**.

**Participating banks**: **Banco República (state), Santander, Itaú, Scotiabank, BBVA, HSBC** + others.

**Companion**: **BCU instant-payment system** (August launch).

**Cross-border partners**: **Brazil Pix** (inbound tourists), planned **Argentina** integration.

## Fun facts

- **Urutec-developed with BCU supervision**: Industry-collaboration model.
- **24/7/365 real-time settlement**: Modern instant-payment standard.
- **Same tax benefits as debit cards + e-money**: Equivalent fiscal treatment.
- **Major Uruguayan banks integrated**: Banco República + Santander + Itaú + Scotiabank + BBVA + HSBC.
- **Cross-border roadmap**: Brazil Pix + planned Argentina.
- **Mercosur regional context**: Cross-border-payment-mesh alignment.
- **Pre-Toke gap**: Mobile-QR-merchant-payment-gap addressed.
- **Cross-bank universal acceptance**: Interoperability mandate.

## Comparison

| Feature | Toke (UY) | [Transferencias 3.0](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/transferencias-3-0) (AR) | Pix (BR) | [Transfiya](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/transfiya) (CO → Bre-B) | [Yape](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/yape) (PE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer | Urutec | BCRA + COELSA | BCB | ACH Colombia → Banco de la República | BCP (bank) |
| Type | **QR-payment with bank-system integration** | Instant interoperable QR | Instant payment | Instant transfer → National rail | Bank wallet |
| Launch | n/a | Nov 2021 | Nov 2020 | n/a → Sep 2025 (Bre-B) | 2016 |
| Cross-border | **Brazil Pix + planned Argentina** | Mercosur exploration | Pix Internacional, multi-LATAM | n/a | n/a |

## Status

**Active** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:
- **Urutec + BCU coordination**.
- **6+ Uruguayan banks integrated**.
- **24/7/365 real-time QR-merchant-payment**.
- **Brazil Pix cross-border integration**.
- **Planned Argentine integration**.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.busqueda.com.uy/economia/nacio-toke-un-sistema-pagos-codigo-qr-secundado-el-banco-central-n5393146 "Toke launches — Busqueda"
[2]: https://semanarionoticias.net/bcu-presento-toke-nuevo-sistema-de-pago-mediante-escaneo-de-codigo-qr-desde-el-telefono/ "BCU presenta Toke — Semanario Noticias"
[3]: https://www.ambito.com/uruguay/el-bcu-avanza-nuevos-mecanismos-digitales-y-apunta-alcanzar-el-hito-los-pagos-transfronterizos-n6059230 "BCU cross-border roadmap — Ambito"
[idc-uy]: https://www.idc-uy.com/post/sistema-de-pagos-en-uruguay-qr-y-transformaci%C3%B3n-financiera "UY QR payment system — IDC"

- [1] [Toke launches — Busqueda][1]
- [2] [BCU presenta Toke — Semanario Noticias][2]
- [3] [BCU cross-border roadmap — Ambito][3]
- [idc-uy] [UY QR payment system — IDC][idc-uy]
- <sup>[Uruguay report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/UY)</sup> `reports/countries/UY-uruguay.md`

## Deployments

Found in the following country reports (grep across `reports/countries/`):

- **UY** — [UY-uruguay.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/UY)