Amazon to launch first debit card in Mexico

On Tuesday, Amazon. Inc launched its first-ever debit card in Mexico , part of a push to encourage shoppers without bank accounts to buy online.

Internet retailers

and brick-and-mortar chains in Mexico are investing heavily in e-commerce as the sector gains in popularity, although it is still a small fraction of total retail sales.

Part of the challenge is attracting consumers who are wary of online fraud and do not have access to credit and debit cards. Less than a third of adults in Mexico have credit cards, according to a 2017 government report.

Amazon said that Mexico was the first country where it has offered a debit card, called Amazon Rechargeable , aiming to give customers a new method to shop on its website.

“Clients that don’t have a credit or debit card will find Amazon Rechargeable an easy and practical way to convert cash into a payment method,” said Fernando Ramírez , Amazon’s Product Manager in Mexico , in a statement.

Easy-access debit cards could help pull people into the formal economy, especially if tied to shopping promotions , Actinver analyst Carlos Hermosillo Bernal said.

“How do you bring formality to the informal sector? You have to make a bridge,” he said.

Shopping chains typically offer credit but rarely debit cards, Hermosillo Bernal added. Amazon’s card, backed by MasterCard and Mexican bank Grupo Financiero Banorte , can be loaded with cash at convenience stores across the country.

People over 18 years old with their Unique Population Registry Code ( CURP ), Mexico's unique identity code for both citizens and residents of Mexico, and who do not have a level 2 card in Banorte are eligible for the Amazon Rechargeable card.

At first, Amazon will provide the customer with a virtual number, but once the card reaches a MXN$500 balance , the card will be sent to the customer's address.

Amazon last October began offering a cash payment system at convenience stores including 7-Eleven , similarly targeting shoppers without credit cards.

Electronic commerce

, popularly known as e-commerce, is a term for the commercial transactions conducted electronically on the Internet.

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