How does a DeUna payment work?
DeUna was built to compete with cash. In shops, the customer scans the merchant’s DeUna QR code with the app and confirms the payment. Customers of partner institutions can also pay DeUna merchants from their own bank or cooperative app, without cash or a card.
Online, the exact flow depends on the provider that carries DeUna. In the documentation of one checkout provider, the shopper chooses DeUna at checkout and the provider creates a payment request in one of two modes. In numeric code mode, the shopper receives a 6-digit code and enters it in the DeUna app within 3 minutes. In QR mode, the shopper receives a dynamic QR code, valid for 15 minutes, that can be scanned with the app or opened directly by tapping it on a phone. Once the shopper confirms in the app, the order is marked as paid and the shopper returns to the merchant. That provider confirms the final status asynchronously and polls for it as a fallback, so a confirmation is not lost if a notification is late.
Another gateway, Payvalida, documents a simpler call. The merchant sends its merchant identifier, a unique order identifier, a timestamp and a SHA-512 checksum built with a secret value that must never reach the browser. The response returns the QR code as an image ready to display and a deep link that opens the DeUna app. Payments are in US dollars only, which is Ecuador’s official currency.
Why does DeUna matter for merchants?
DeUna sits on a very large bank. Banco Pichincha says it serves more than 36% of the Ecuadorian population, and its 2025 annual report describes DeUna as the largest digital payment and collection ecosystem in Ecuador. More than 1.9 million of its clients made and received instant payments with DeUna QR codes in 2025. The bank has added offline payments and transaction checks by WhatsApp, and more than 10,000 young people aged 12 to 17 already use the app.
Growth has been fast. Primicias reported 1.9 million DeUna users in 2023, up 171% on the year before, and a network of 380,000 affiliated businesses in 2024. Through a partnership with Kimobill, DeUna has been adding its QR payment button to savings and credit cooperatives, so customers outside Banco Pichincha can pay too.
Cards still lead online. PCMI data cited by Latam Fintech Hub puts credit cards at 74% of Ecuadorian e-commerce sales volume in 2025 and digital wallets at 6%. That makes DeUna a complement to cards rather than a replacement. It reaches shoppers who already pay by QR in person, people without a credit card, and younger users, and it is familiar enough that the online step needs little explanation.
What can go wrong?
Most failed DeUna payments are timing and flow problems. A 6-digit code that expires after 3 minutes is easy to miss if the shopper has to find their phone or open the app. A QR code shown on a phone cannot be scanned by the same phone, so mobile checkouts should offer the tap-to-open link. A low balance causes a decline that the shopper may read as a technical error.
Amounts matter. Under the December 2024 rules for Ecuador’s interoperable real-time payment network, payments made with a key or QR code are capped at one unified basic salary per payment. The salary was USD 470 in 2025 and rose to USD 482 from 1 January 2026. Larger baskets may need a card or another method.
Refunds are limited. In one provider’s documentation, DeUna refunds are possible only on the same day and only for the full amount, so later or partial refunds need another route, such as a bank transfer. There is no card-scheme chargeback, which lowers dispute risk, but clear order records remain the main defence in a complaint. Note too that DEUNA, the checkout company whose documentation is cited here, is a separate business from the DeUna wallet.
How would Omno handle DeUna?
DeUna would fit Omno’s standard flow for app-confirmed wallets. It would be presented in the hosted checkout with the right mode per device, a numeric code or a tap-to-open QR on mobile and a scannable QR on desktop, or through Direct Links for merchants with their own checkout. The payment would stay pending until the provider reports a final status, and the webhook would be the source of truth for releasing an order. The merchant’s routing rules would choose a provider that holds a DeUna connection. In the hosted checkout, if that provider were unavailable or rejected the request, the payment would move to the next provider in the rule until one accepts. Merchant rules could also hide DeUna above the QR payment cap. The routing-decision log would record which provider handled each payment.