For most Colombian wholesalers, cash pressure starts with slow-paying customers rather than with suppliers. A good payment set-up makes it easy for good customers to pay, keeps collection costs in line with thin wholesale margins and gives the finance team control over overdue receivables.
B2B invoices are different from consumer sales. A wholesaler may issue invoices of COP 10 million or COP 100 million on 30 or 60 day terms to repeat buyers. A percentage card fee that is tolerable on retail sales becomes expensive at that scale, while a bank transfer works well once the customer's finance team has the wholesaler set up as a supplier.
The mix that works for most wholesalers in 2026 is bank transfer for large domestic invoices, PSE or Bre-B for digital collection, cards or payment links for small or urgent orders, and USD or EUR receiving details for customers abroad, combined with deliberate credit terms.
| Method | Best for | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|
| COP bank transfer | Large domestic B2B invoices | Customer must start the payment and quote the reference |
| PSE | Digital B2B collection | Requires set-up through a collecting entity |
| Bre-B | Instant collection by key or QR code | Built for lower-value payments; check limits with your bank |
| Card or payment link | Small orders, deposits, urgent payments | Percentage fees reduce wholesale margin |
| Open-account terms plus transfer | Established customers on agreed credit | Ties up cash; capped at 45 days for many buyers |
| USD or EUR receiving details | Customers abroad | Exchange rules apply to goods exports |
| International wire | High-value invoices from abroad | Fees and correspondent deductions |
The answer is usually a mix: route each customer segment to the lowest-friction method that fits the invoice size, the margin and the credit risk.
The method (transfer, PSE, Bre-B, card, wire) describes how money moves. The terms (cash in advance, deposit plus balance, net 30, net 60) describe when it is due. Both need designing.
A fast transfer made after 60 days still means the wholesaler finances the receivable for two months. An immediate card payment helps cash flow but costs more in fees. Winning larger customers on longer terms can weaken cash flow unless credit control is tighter and working capital is in place.
Ley 2024 de 2020, the fair payment terms law, obliges merchants to pay their contractual obligations within a maximum of 45 calendar days from receipt of the goods or completion of the service. The limit was 60 days in the law's first year and has been 45 days since.
Operations between companies that are both classed as large companies are excluded, and clauses that set longer terms are ineffective by law. The law also preserves the supplier's right to late payment interest and to recover documented collection costs.
For a small or medium wholesaler selling to retailers and distributors, the law is a practical tool: quote it in contracts and on invoices, and use it to move customers asking for 90 days back to 45.
Direct bank transfer is often the strongest default for large domestic invoices. Colombian finance teams know it, its cost is proportionate compared with percentage card fees, and it suits repeat buyers.
Its weakness is invoice discipline. Unclear beneficiary details, missing references or several identical outstanding amounts create manual matching work. Each invoice should state the legal beneficiary, bank details, invoice number and due date.
Confirm the payment set-up when onboarding a customer: who approves invoices, what the supplier registration requires and how long approval takes. A wholesaler that is not registered in the buyer's system is paid late regardless of the terms.
PSE, operated by ACH Colombia, lets a company collect directly from its customers' savings, current or electronic deposit accounts through a payment button. PSE states that more than 35,000 companies use it, that the business is notified of each collection in real time, and that the service runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
It is useful for distributors with many medium-sized invoices, where matching manual transfers takes time. Pricing and limits are set by the collecting entity, so confirm them with your bank before rolling it out to every customer.
Bre-B is Banco de la República's instant payment system, which lets customers of 245 participating banks, cooperatives, digital wallets and payment providers send money to each other immediately using a registered key or a QR code. In its first year it carried more than COP 262.5 trillion in more than 1.7 billion transfers, and more than 90,000 merchants had registered a Bre-B key by the end of April 2026.
For wholesalers, Bre-B suits counter sales, deposits and smaller trade customers who want to pay at once. Most Bre-B payments are small: 62% of first-year operations were below COP 50,000. Larger invoices stay on transfer or PSE.
Cards and payment links help with new buyers, urgent orders, deposits and small invoices, and can close a sale that would otherwise wait for supplier set-up. The cost is a percentage of each payment.
| Invoice | Fee at 2% (illustration) |
|---|---|
| COP 2 million | COP 40,000 |
| COP 20 million | COP 400,000 |
| COP 100 million | COP 2 million |
The 2% rate is an illustration; acquirers set their own pricing. A practical rule is to accept cards and links below a set invoice value and steer large established accounts to transfer or PSE. Set the threshold from margin, customer value and the cost of carrying the receivable.
Asking buyers abroad to send an international wire for every invoice adds cost and delay for them. Local receiving details remove much of it: a US distributor pays a US dollar invoice as a domestic transfer, a European buyer pays in euros on SEPA.
Colombian companies can obtain USD or EUR receiving details from providers such as Global66 Business and Wise Business, while Colombian banks remain central for international wires and currency conversion. The comparison of cross-border payment providers for Colombian businesses sets out the fees.
Design the route around the customer, then decide how the currency is held, converted and reported. Payments for goods exported must pass through a Colombian foreign exchange intermediary or a compensation account registered with Banco de la República, and the exporter has six months from receipt to channel them. The money must also go to the exporter named in the customs documents. The guide to how Colombian exporters receive USD payments explains each route.
Net 30 or net 60 can be a legitimate sales tool, but it is a financing decision. Credit limits should reflect the customer's credit quality, payment history, order frequency, the margin on its orders and the wholesaler's own balance sheet. New or weakening accounts may need deposits, smaller limits or payment before shipment.
Measure days sales outstanding, the average number of days customers take to pay, by customer segment. Extra revenue that takes 90 days to turn into cash still has to fund inventory in the meantime.
When an invoice passes its due date, the escalation should be predictable: a reminder from the account manager, a call from finance, a hold on new orders above the credit limit, and a formal demand. Ley 2024 de 2020 preserves the right to late payment interest and to recover documented collection costs, and contract clauses that exclude late payment interest are ineffective. Stating both on the invoice is often enough to move a slow payer up the queue.
A written payment policy turns these choices into rules the sales and finance teams apply the same way. It sets, for each customer segment, the method offered, the terms allowed and the point at which credit is reviewed.
| Segment | Method | Terms |
|---|---|---|
| New trade customer | Bre-B, card or transfer | Payment before dispatch, or deposit plus balance |
| Established small retailer | PSE or Bre-B | Short terms within a set credit limit |
| Large distributor | Bank transfer | Agreed terms, within 45 days unless both are large companies |
| Customer abroad | USD or EUR receiving details, or wire | Deposit plus balance, or a letter of credit for large orders |
Review the policy each quarter against actual days to pay. A segment that consistently pays late moves to shorter terms or a deposit; a segment that pays early can earn a higher credit limit. A prompt-payment discount, such as a small percentage off for payment within ten days, is worth testing where it costs less than financing the receivable.
Record the policy in the customer contract and on each invoice. Customers pay to the terms they have accepted in writing, and the 45-day limit under Ley 2024 de 2020 gives the wholesaler a clear legal reference when a buyer asks for longer.
Hundreds or thousands of payments a month create matching work, partial payments and unidentified receipts even when the payment routes work well. Use consistent references and methods that return usable data: PSE notifies each collection, and banking and payment platforms offer exports or integrations.
Each extra collection account is another source to reconcile. Use the smallest account structure that meets customer, currency and risk needs; the guide to business bank accounts for wholesalers covers the choice.
Wholesalers often pay suppliers before goods arrive and give customers 30 to 60 days after delivery, so they can be profitable on paper while cash is tied up at both ends. Better payment methods narrow this gap but do not close it.
Colombia's electronic invoice offers a direct route. Once registered in RADIAN, the DIAN's registry of electronic invoices as negotiable instruments launched on 5 August 2021, an invoice can be sold or endorsed, with each transfer recorded so that ownership is clear and the invoice cannot be financed twice. A factoring company then pays most of the invoice value early.
Bank working capital and trade credit suit large, profitable orders over a defined trading cycle. The guide to trade credit for importers and exporters explains the instruments.
Helm, the firm's own business account and payments platform, brings collection accounts, payout accounts, currency conversion and trade documents into one place, with balances held by licensed partners in each region. It is most relevant to wholesalers collecting from customers abroad or paying foreign suppliers in meaningful volumes. Purely domestic wholesalers will rely mainly on a Colombian bank, PSE and Bre-B.
Whichever providers you use, build one customer table: top customers, average invoice, payment method, agreed terms, actual days to pay, collection cost and gross margin. It shows where a change of method or terms releases the most cash. The firm's trade payments service arranges the international accounts through licensed partners.
Bank transfer is usually the default for large domestic B2B invoices, PSE and Bre-B suit digital collection, cards suit small or urgent orders, and USD or EUR receiving details suit buyers abroad.
Yes. PSE collects directly from the customer's bank account and notifies the business of each payment in real time; pricing and limits are set by the collecting entity.
Yes. Merchants can register a Bre-B key or QR code and receive instant payments from customers of the 245 participating entities; it is best suited to smaller payments.
Ley 2024 de 2020 sets a maximum of 45 calendar days from receipt of goods or completion of services, except for operations between large companies.
Only when the convenience or the sale justifies the fee. Many wholesalers accept cards below a set invoice value and steer large accounts to transfer or PSE.
Through international receiving details, international transfers to a Colombian bank, or a registered compensation account. Goods export proceeds must be channelled through the exchange market within six months.
Agree terms at onboarding, invoice on delivery, confirm acceptance, remind before the due date, monitor days sales outstanding and sell registered e-invoices to a factoring company when cash is needed early.
Buckingham Capital Consulting has obtained payment and e-money licences for firms including Nexpay, Orbital and Hryze since 2013, and arranges collection accounts, supplier payments and currency facilities for wholesalers and distributors in Latin America through licensed partners. Colombian wholesalers selling abroad use its trade payments service, operated on Helm, alongside their Colombian bank.
Speak to an expert: WhatsApp +44 7563 115980, Telegram @buckinghamcapital or info@buckinghamcapitalconsulting.co.uk.
This article is general information, reviewed against the regulator’s published requirements on the date shown. It is not legal advice; the regulator’s current publications take precedence.