Latin America is not one single market: The strategy starts with that
Any serious discussion about the Latin American digital ecosystem has to begin with a reality check: the region is not uniform. Regulatory frameworks, telecom structures, subscription habits, and even the way users perceive value differ sharply between countries. Even basic subscriber fundamentals can change market economics: in Chile and Peru, postpaid bases are stronger than in many other markets, while much of the region remains heavily prepaid.
That diversity shapes everything: product design, pricing, frequency of charging, customer care, and acquisition channels. In practice, it means that the same digital service can perform very differently depending on local consumption patterns.
“You can offer the same product across countries, but that doesn’t mean people will consume it the same way”
This is where Digital Virgo’s operating model becomes a strategic advantage: it has a “Glocal” DNA. This means bringing global capabilities down to local execution. “We go from global to local,” explains Edgar Lomelí, reinforcing that this approach has repeatedly proven effective across markets such as Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina.
But localization isn’t only about being present in-market, “it’s about having local teams who live the market, not just study it” adds Marco Barbaceli. In a region where long-term telco partnerships depend on trust and operational excellence, cultural and operational proximity becomes part of delivery itself.
Payments are the growth lever: DCB plus local payment methods is the winning formula
If there is one trend that is reshaping digital monetization in Latin America, it is the accelerating rise of local and alternative payment methods. DCB (Direct Carrier Billing) remains a powerful engine due to its simplicity and conversion strength, but the region is increasingly defined by payment plurality: wallets, bank transfers, cash-based rails and country-specific systems.
Brazil is the most striking example. Pix has become deeply embedded in everyday life, and its adoption in practical terms is huge. Brazilians use Pix for daily purchases, with broad trust and near-universal access through traditional and digital banks. The impact is structural, many consumers do not have cards, and Pix fills that gap.
But this does not mean that Pix is a replacement for DCB. It as an expansion layer. In Latin America, many users cannot purchase digital services via DCB due to operator rules or plan structures, including hybrid “control” plans or prepaid users with limited usable balance. “This can represent 60% to 70% of the user base who may be blocked from accessing certain services through carrier billing alone: an enormous and untapped segment”, concludes Marco.
“Pix won’t replace DCB, but it unlocks a whole new world of users we can now reach”
The opportunity for 2026, in his view, is turning that access problem into a growth engine: integrating recurring Pix capabilities (Pix Automatico), optimizing acquisition funnels, and making alternative payment flows profitable at scale. He also highlights the roadmap beyond Brazil: exploring wallets and local rails such as Mercado Pago (Argentina), Yape (Peru), and Oxxo Pay (Mexico), depending on market structure and consumer behavior.
For telcos and partners, the implication is clear: the next phase of digital monetization in Latin America will be built on payment orchestration, not payment monoculture. The winners will be those who can deploy the right payment rails for the right users, in the right market, with the right UX.
Brazilian users’ quality demand is raising the bar for the region
Brazil also illustrates another powerful trend: market maturity is pushing the ecosystem toward quality and sustainability. Brazil has been challenging for years, and that operators have consistently demanded higher and higher quality. That pressure, he argues, helped build a more sustainable model, based on better products, healthier acquisition practices, and stronger customer care.
In 2025, that model reached a point of consolidation. After multiple complex years, Digital Virgo and the market proved that a sustainable ecosystem can perform not only for service providers, but also for operators and broader stakeholders. This is due to disciplined acquisition practices, including performance acquisition through major platforms, and to building long-term trust with the ecosystem, including operators and even the regulator.
“Operators are constantly pushing the ecosystem toward higher quality content, aligned with what the end-users are demanding”
Looking forward, this “quality imperative” becomes a regional signal. Edgar notes that Brazil is often the market that sets the consumption benchmark: users are more demanding due to device penetration, internet speeds, and broader digital habits and those expectations tend to spread.
For partners across Latin America, the takeaway is strategic: the next growth cycle won’t be driven by volume alone. It will be driven by premiumization, retention, and credibility.
Content, niches and local culture: The key to conversion and monetization
Latin America’s digital ecosystem is not only about payments, but also about relevance. Both leaders describe a portfolio reality where core verticals remain strong: gaming, streaming, and language learning are consistently high-performing categories.
But the most telling growth stories are local. Specific services can succeed when aligned with local passions and consumption habits. In Peru, a football-focused service like “Goles” became a standout success, building on learnings from a prior launch in Chile, an example of how regional synergies can work when adapted intelligently.
“Latin America is mostly prepaid, but Chile and Peru are different. And that changes everything: pricing models, charging frequency, acquisition”
In Chile, Edgar points to Teatrix, a theater-focused OTT streaming service aligned with strong cultural demand, again illustrating that “one Latam” doesn’t exist from a content perspective either. The plan is to extend Teatrix to Peru, where a similar niche exists, while acknowledging it may not fit other markets like Mexico in the same way.
Brazil’s premiumization path follows a similar logic at scale. Marco references well-known brands and franchises that perform strongly in-market: Pocoyó, Gallina Pintadinha, and MasterChef, and emphasizes that the 2026 strategy goes further into premium services. He mentions expanding partnerships such as Blacknut, and building a pipeline of recognizable, stable premium products.
For the region, this is a core “how to win” lesson: monetization follows cultural fit, and cultural fit is local by definition.
Digital Virgo’s priorities in the region: Expansion, partnerships & new growth paths
When Edgar and Marco describe what comes next, three priorities stand out: expansion, deeper telco partnership, and monetization diversification.
In Hispanic Latin America, 2026 will be a year of constant movement: carrier policy changes, market adjustments, and execution challenges that require agility. Mexico is a market where operator decisions can quickly reshape performance, but also where opportunities remain, including potential growth with AT&T (particularly in postpaid segments and cloud gaming).
“It’s not just about knowing the market, it’s about living the market”
At the regional level, new launches are central. Expansion in Central America will be a meaningful next step for Digital Virgo, starting with Guatemala and then moving towards markets like Costa Rica. Edgar highlights Dominican Republic as a market that surprised with a rapid move toward profitability, reinforcing the idea that momentum can shift quickly when conditions align.
In Brazil, priorities are both operational and strategic. Beyond expanding payment methods (Pix, cards, wallets), he highlights a move toward working not only B2C, but also increasingly B2B within operators, supporting telcos more broadly in building ecosystem value. He also describes a more global role for Brazil in helping shape the group’s approach to alternative payment methods across key markets.
Taken together, Edgar and Marco’s perspectives offer a clear framework for to build sustainable digital monetization in Latin America. Success in the region increasingly depends on orchestrating multiple payment methods, not relying on a single rail. It depends on premiumization and long-term ecosystem trust, not just acquisition spikes. And it depends on localization: real local market living, not surface-level adaptation.
