# Transfiya

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/transfiya
> research date 2026-05-29 · extracted at 2026-10-04
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [ACH Colombia](https://www.achcolombia.com.co/)

## Overview

> **Note on classification.** This entry was originally bucketed as a QR standard, but transfiya is **not a QR-symbol standard** — it is a phone-number-addressed instant-transfer service. Reclassified as `Instant transfer`. The wiki shows no playground because there is no QR payload to encode; the slug is retained to avoid breaking incoming links.

**Transfiya** is **Colombia's ACH-operated interbank instant-payment service** developed by **ACH Colombia** — Colombia's bank-owned interbank-clearing entity — enabling **immediate cross-bank transfers using only mobile phone number as identifier** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Colombia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CO)</sup>. Between **January-July 2025**, Transfiya processed **282+ million transfers / 214% YoY increase** — substantial scale reflecting Colombia's instant-payment-adoption acceleration. **April 2025 expansion** added **Transfiya keys: email, ID number, alphanumeric** beyond phone-number addressing.

**Critical 2025 development**: Starting **October 5, 2025**, Transfiya transitions to **Bre-B** — **Banco de la República's central-bank-backed national instant-payment system launched September 2025** with full interoperability mandate. **Transfiya has been integrated as a node in Bre-B + repositioning to B2B payments focus** while Bre-B handles consumer instant payments. This **central-bank-takeover-of-instant-payments** mirrors Brazil's Pix model where the central bank operates the national rail rather than private interbank entities.

The structural arc: Transfiya pioneered Colombian instant interbank payment from **2019-2025** as ACH-operated service, demonstrating market demand. **Bre-B's launch reflects central bank's structural intervention** — providing free, mandatory-for-all-banks instant-payment rail with consumer-protection mandate. Transfiya's repositioning to **B2B payments** illustrates the **Colombian instant-payment-rail transition** from private ACH model to central-bank-as-operator pattern.

## History

**Background — Colombian payment landscape** <sup>[Colombia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CO)</sup>:
- **Banco de la República (BR)** — Colombian central bank.
- **ACH Colombia** — bank-owned interbank-clearing entity.
- **Nequi** (Bancolombia spin-off) + **DaviPlata** (Davivienda) — major Colombian wallets.

**Transfiya launch by ACH Colombia** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Phone-number-addressed cross-bank instant transfer.

**Major bank participation**: Bancolombia, Davivienda, Banco de Bogotá, BBVA Colombia, others.

**Zero-cost for major bank users** <sup>[1][1]</sup>:
- Bancolombia, Davivienda often free.

**Jan-Jul 2025 — 282M transfers / 214% YoY** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Substantial scale.

**April 2025 — Multi-key addressing** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- Email, ID, alphanumeric beyond phone.

**September 2025 — Bre-B launches** <sup>[2][2]</sup>:
- BR central-bank-backed national instant-payment system.

**October 5, 2025 — Transfiya transitions to Bre-B node** <sup>[3][3]</sup>:
- Repositioning to B2B payments.

## Technical specification

Transfiya is **ACH Colombia-operated phone-addressed interbank instant transfer** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

| Layer | Description |
|---|---|
| **Operator** | **ACH Colombia** (bank-owned interbank-clearing) |
| **Coordinator (post-Oct 2025)** | **Banco de la República (BR)** via Bre-B |
| **Currency** | COP (Colombian peso) |
| **Identifiers** | **Phone, email, ID, alphanumeric** (post-April 2025) |
| **Cost** | Zero-cost for major banks (Bancolombia, Davivienda) |
| **2025 Jan-Jul volume** | **282M+ transfers** |
| **YoY growth** | **214%** |
| **Post-Oct 2025 role** | B2B-focused node in Bre-B |

## Use cases

**P2P cross-bank instant transfers** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Cardinal.

**Phone-addressed transfers** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Core use case.

**Email/ID/alphanumeric addressing (2025+)** <sup>[2][2]</sup>: Expanded addressing.

**Zero-cost transfers** <sup>[1][1]</sup>: Adoption driver.

**B2B payments (post-Oct 2025)** <sup>[3][3]</sup>: Repositioned role.

## Implementations & ecosystem

**Operator**: **ACH Colombia**.

**Coordinator (post-Oct 2025)**: **Banco de la República via Bre-B**.

**Major participating banks**: Bancolombia, Davivienda, Banco de Bogotá, BBVA Colombia, AV Villas, Banco Caja Social, others.

**Companion systems**: **Bre-B** (central-bank-backed Sep 2025 national instant-payment), **Nequi** (Bancolombia), **DaviPlata** (Davivienda).

## Fun facts

- **282M+ transfers in Jan-Jul 2025**: Substantial scale.
- **214% YoY growth**: Rapid adoption.
- **April 2025 multi-key addressing**: Phone + email + ID + alphanumeric.
- **October 5, 2025 Bre-B transition**: Central-bank-takeover model.
- **B2B repositioning post-Bre-B**: Specialised role.
- **ACH Colombia bank-owned**: Private interbank-clearing operator.
- **Free for major banks**: Bancolombia + Davivienda zero-fee.
- **Bre-B vs Pix parallel**: Central-bank-operates-instant-payment-rail model.

## Comparison

| Feature | Transfiya (CO) | Bre-B (CO post-Sep 2025) | Pix (BR) | [Transferencias 3.0](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/transferencias-3-0) (AR) | [Yape](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/yape) (PE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | ACH Colombia (bank-owned) | **Banco de la República (central bank)** | BCB (central bank) | BCRA + COELSA | BCP (bank) |
| Type | **ACH instant transfer** | National instant payment | Instant payment | Instant interoperable QR | Bank wallet |
| Launch | n/a | Sep 2025 | Nov 2020 | Nov 2021 | 2016 |
| Identifiers | Phone + email + ID + alphanumeric | All | Various | Alias + IBAN | Phone + QR |
| Post-launch position | **B2B-focused node in Bre-B** | National rail | National rail | National rail | Wallet |

## Status

**Active, transitioning to Bre-B node** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [3][3]</sup>:
- **ACH Colombia operator since 2019**.
- **282M+ transfers Jan-Jul 2025 / 214% YoY**.
- **April 2025 multi-key addressing**.
- **Oct 5, 2025 Bre-B integration** + B2B-focused repositioning.

## Sources

[1]: https://www.achcolombia.com.co/ "ACH Colombia"
[2]: https://wise.com/co/blog/que-es-transfiya-colombia "Transfiya — Wise"
[3]: https://www.elpais.com.co/servicios/transfiya-cierra-una-era-en-colombia-cambio-definitivo-en-transferencias-de-bancolombia-davivienda-y-otros-bancos-2503.html "Transfiya transition — El País"
[lightspark]: https://www.lightspark.com/knowledge/colombia-instant-payments "Colombia instant payments — Lightspark"

- [1] [ACH Colombia][1]
- [2] [Transfiya — Wise][2]
- [3] [Transfiya transition — El País][3]
- <sup>[Colombia report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/CO)</sup> `reports/countries/CO-colombia.md`

## Deployments

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

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