COONECTA taps BPC’s next-generation platform to empower communities and drive financial transformation

COONECTA, Ecuador’s leading transactional network serving financial institutions regulated by the Superintendencia de Economía Popular y Solidaria (SEPS), has partnered with BPC, a global leader in payment solutions, to drive country-wide digital transformation and financial inclusion. Powered by BPC’s next-generation SmartVista platform, this initiative consolidates infrastructure across 90 affiliated credit unions and 75 member institutions, reducing operational complexity and bringing modern financial services including international debit and credit cards, e-wallet, mobile payments to millions of Ecuadorians—particularly in rural and underserved areas.

In an industry where legacy systems and fragmented infrastructure continue to hold back progress, COONECTA aimed to make a bold statement: the future of finance in Ecuador will not be led solely by traditional banks or global fintechs — it will be shaped by the cooperative sector, empowered by world-class technology. With a broad network, a nationwide bill payment network, digital wallet, and remittances support, COONECTA was looking for a modern technology that would allow it scale and improve operational efficiency. SmartVista was chosen for its adaptability, microservices architecture, and platform innovative features.

BPC delivered a fully integrated, non-siloed digital core for COONECTA on SmartVista unifying issuing, acquiring, and digital channels on a single modular platform. The rollout extends acceptance of internationally branded debit cards; enables multi-product credit and debit issuing and lifecycle management tailored to cooperative needs; adds an e-commerce gateway for online acceptance; and introduces a modern digital wallet and mobile banking. To safeguard the network’s high transaction volumes, BPC provided real-time, omnichannel protection through its SmartVista Fraud Management, while the cloud-ready architecture scales quickly and stays compliant with international mandates, including 8-digit BIN migration, 3-D Secure, secure provisioning and tokenization.

The real breakthrough is strategic optionality. COONECTA is now able to launch products and services quickly, scale new revenue lines, and enter verticals that were previously inaccessible — including acquiring and merchant payments, enabling open-loop digital acceptance for merchants in rural locations where cash traditionally dominates.

The transformation enabled COONECTA to expand into credit card issuing capabilities across its network and revamp how cooperative institutions can aggregate and diversify their service portfolios. For many member institutions, adding credit services to existing offerings — including debit, prepaid, wallets, and digital channels marks their first real step into digital financial services. The transformation removes the burden of managing costly, fragmented systems and gives them access to the same tools as any major bank — but with full control, lower cost-to-serve, and faster go-to-market capabilities.

Tomas Adolfo Lara Tenorio, Latin America Solution Consultant, BPC NALA said: “This partnership marks a new era of financial modernisation in Ecuador — one rooted in collaboration, not fragmentation. With next-generation platform SmartVista, COONECTA is future-proofing its operations while expanding access to secure digital services in every corner of the country.”

COONECTA’s strength lies in its deep presence in regions where traditional banking infrastructure is limited. Many of the network’s cooperatives operate in small towns and rural communities, where digital services have historically been difficult to deploy. By leveraging modern platform, COONECTA can now offer these institutions cost-effective and fully integrated access to card issuing, mobile-first banking, acquiring, and remittance flows — all from one modern platform.

Ramiro Baldeón, CEO of COONECTA commented: “Together with BPC, we are delivering a transformation that strengthens our mission to empower the cooperative movement and the people we serve. The partnership provided as modern technological tools to scale inclusive digital financial services from a single, intelligent core — with real and lasting impact.”

Mariana Posada, Chief Operating Officer, BPC NALA, added: “This is execution at scale. Thanks to the proficiency and collaboration between COONECTA and BPC teams, we’ve set a modern infrastructure that blends efficiency, compliance, and inclusion — from the heart of Quito to the most remote corners of the country.”