Uruguay’s goods exports reached US$13.493 billion in 2025, the highest level in a decade, according to Uruguay XXI. For companies that pay suppliers uruguay invoices, the question is how to settle invoices in pesos.
A payout can be funded in dollars or USDC while the local credit is made in UYU. The two legs run on different systems. Connecting them cleanly is the whole job.
This guide covers how payouts to Uruguayan suppliers work and where cross-border payments break down. It also shows how a USDC-funded payout reaches a Uruguayan bank account in pesos.
Why Companies Pay Suppliers in Uruguay
About 73% of private-sector deposits in Uruguayan banks were in foreign currency at the end of 2025, according to CPA Ferrere’s analysis of BCU data.
The peso itself moves. The Uruguayan peso appreciated 11.2% in 2025, so an invoice priced in pesos can cost noticeably more dollars from one quarter to the next.
A payable denominated in UYU carries real FX exposure for a company whose revenue is in USD or USDC. Planning around that exposure is part of managing the payable.
How Suppliers in Uruguay Receive Payments in UYU
Yativo settles UYU payouts locally through a licensed local payout partner. Each gateway below credits the account in UYU.
Instant interbank transfers
Uruguay’s instant interbank transfers have run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year since June 2023, according to BCU data reported by El Observador. They work 24/7 at 14 institutions, including local banks and electronic money issuers.
This rail carries most of the volume. Uruguayans made 56 million instant interbank transfers in 2025, up 121% on 2024. Pesos made up 83% of interbank transfers in the second half of the year. Instant transfers accounted for 65% of interbank operations in late 2025.
Local bank transfer
Yativo’s Bank Transfer (UYU) gateway, ID 504, settles in under 30 minutes. The catalog minimum is UYU 1,000 per payout.
POBO settlement
POBO stands for pay on behalf of. A POBO (Local) (UYU) payout settles at T+1, the next business day. This gateway requires a POBO endorsement on the account before it can be used.
SWIFT in USD
Some invoices are agreed in dollars even when the vendor banks in Uruguay. The SWIFT (USD) gateway settles at T+1, the next business day.
The Challenges When You Pay Suppliers in Uruguay from Abroad
Timing drifts across time zones. Instant transfers run around the clock. The funding and approval steps in front of them sit in your own business day. Plan the approval early enough to keep the payout on schedule.
FX and conversion are priced twice. Sending small amounts across borders costs an average of 6.36% of the amount sent, according to the World Bank. On top of the transfer cost, the peso’s 11.2% appreciation in 2025 shows how much the conversion rate itself can move.
Intermediaries can deduct along the way. Each hop in a cross-border chain can add cost. Check the amount that actually lands against the invoice total.
Reconciliation gets messy. Matching a peso credit to a dollar invoice takes care when references are thin. Batch payments add another layer, since one debit covers many credits. Clear references help at every stage.
How to Pay Suppliers in Uruguay in UYU Using USDC on Yativo
Yativo treats stablecoins as a settlement layer, not a destination. You hold a float balance and request a quote for the UYU amount. A licensed local payout partner then credits the vendor’s account. The recipient never needs a crypto wallet and receives a normal local credit in pesos.
- Fund your float balance. Top up with USDC or with fiat, depending on your account setup. The balance is what payouts draw against.
- Request a quote. Specify the UYU amount and the rail. The quote shows the rate, fees, delivery time and exact local amount before you confirm.
- Add the payout details. Enter the vendor’s bank account, the account holder name, the invoice number and the rail.
- Confirm and track. The payout routes through a licensed local payout partner and settles in UYU. Bank Transfer (UYU) lands in under 30 minutes. POBO (Local) (UYU) and SWIFT (USD) settle at T+1.
Yativo’s active gateways for Uruguay are listed below, with their IDs and settlement times.
| Gateway | ID | Settlement |
| Bank Transfer (UYU) | 504 | Under 30 minutes |
| POBO (Local) (UYU) | 1392 | T+1 (next business day) |
| SWIFT (USD) | 744 | T+1 (next business day) |
These are the active gateways in Yativo’s catalog today. Always read the live list from the payout-methods endpoint before you route a payment.
Any gateway with POBO in its name requires a POBO endorsement on your account.
Your recipient does not need a crypto wallet. They never see or touch stablecoins. On their side, the payment looks like a normal local transfer.
How to Send Stablecoin Payouts to Uruguay with Yativo
Option 1: Dashboard (for manual payouts)
- Fund your Yativo float balance with either a fiat or a stablecoin deposit, such as USDC.
- Go to Transfer in your Yativo dashboard.
- Select the float wallet you are paying with, for example USD, EUR, MXN or whichever balance you funded.
- Choose the customer you are paying on behalf of. This step is necessary for fintechs that run payouts on behalf of their customers.
- Choose Uruguay as the destination and Bank Transfer as the payout method.
- Enter the recipient details the payout form asks for, such as the holder’s name, cédula or RUT, bank, account type and account number.
- Enter the amount in USD or UYU.
- Review the quote: exchange rate, fees, delivery time and the exact UYU amount your recipient receives.
- Confirm with your PIN and 2FA.
- Track the payout in real time and download the receipt for your records.
Option 2: API (for automated and bulk payouts)
Every endpoint below is in the Yativo API documentation. Production calls go to https://api.yativo.com/api/v1, and the sandbox runs at https://smtp.yativo.com/api/v1.
Authenticate every request with the X-Api-Key and X-Api-Secret headers. Each key only works from the server IPs listed on it. These keys replaced bearer tokens, as covered in our October update. Every POST also needs a unique Idempotency-Key header.
Step 1. Generate a USDC deposit address on Solana to fund your balance:
POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/crypto/create-wallet
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: cd55ed3a-3223-53f4-a167-a328e3e573c4
Content-Type: application/json
{
"currency": "USDC_SOL"
}Step 2. List the payout methods available for Uruguay:
curl "https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/payment-methods/payout?country=URY" \
-H "X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY" \
-H "X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET" \
-H "Accept: application/json"In this example, Bank Transfer carries gateway ID 504. Always read the ID from the live response instead of hardcoding it.
Step 3. Fetch the required fields for that gateway:
GET https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/beneficiary/form/show/504
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRETThe response lists every required field and its accepted values. Build your payment_data object from it. For field details, see API documentation.
Step 4. Create the beneficiary. Replace the placeholder with the fields the form returned:
POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/beneficiaries/payment-methods/
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: e175f29e-73ac-56bf-a559-8b0b3409d01e
Content-Type: application/json
{
"gateway_id": 504,
"nickname": "Montevideo software firm",
"currency": "UYU",
"customer_id": "e8caa491-57b6-4c39-9e3a-d2c97e47fbf0",
"payment_data": {
"{field_from_form}": "{value}"
}
}Step 5. Lock your UYU rate. Quotes hold for 5 minutes:
POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/exchange-rate
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: e9d0fa54-67aa-58ca-a7a8-32375bcc83cf
Content-Type: application/json
{
"from_currency": "USD",
"to_currency": "UYU",
"method_id": 504,
"method_type": "payout",
"amount": 400
}Step 6. Initiate the payout from your balance:
POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/wallet/payout
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: 810812f8-0316-5a94-8563-20e12bc57861
Content-Type: application/json
{
"debit_wallet": "USD",
"amount": 400,
"payment_method_id": 48370,
"customer_id": "e8caa491-57b6-4c39-9e3a-d2c97e47fbf0",
"quote_id": "4a72ecf8-6c8a-4e38-9971-8aabe9f785ed"
}Use the id from the beneficiary response as payment_method_id. For bulk runs, repeat the call per beneficiary, as described on our payouts page.
For a deeper walkthrough of the local rail, see Uruguay bank transfer payouts. For the full country picture, read stablecoin payouts to Uruguay.
Comparing Ways to Pay Suppliers in Uruguay
| Yativo local payout | International wire | Exchange withdrawal | |
| Funding source | USDC or fiat float | Bank balance in your home currency | Balance held on an exchange |
| Conversion | Quoted before you confirm | Handled within the wire chain | Set by the exchange at withdrawal |
| Intermediary deductions | None between quote and local credit | Can occur along the chain | Platform fees applied at withdrawal |
| Local settlement | UYU credit via a licensed local payout partner | USD credit, then a local conversion step | Varies by provider |
| Speed | Under 30 minutes or T+1 by rail | Varies by corridor | Varies by currency and corridor |
| Reconciliation | Invoice reference carried on the payout | Reference fields can be shortened in transit | Reference data can be limited |
| FX visibility | Rate shown at quote | Rate confirmed after settlement | Rate shown at withdrawal |
The table is qualitative on purpose. Costs depend on your corridor, volume and banking setup, so run a quote before you compare.
Best Practices for Paying Suppliers in Uruguay
Verify bank details at onboarding. Collect the account number and holder name once, store them, and treat any later change as a new event.
Confirm changes through a second channel. Call a known contact at the vendor on a number you already hold. Do not use contact details supplied in the change request itself.
Put the invoice number in the payout reference. Keep it short and consistent with your own ledger so the credit is easy to trace.
Agree the payout currency and terms in the purchase order. State whether the invoice is in UYU or USD, which rail applies, and when payment is due.
Quote before confirming. Request a quote before confirming the payout, and review it against the approved invoice.
Batch on a fixed schedule. Group small payouts into a single run, which also clears the UYU 1,000 minimum per Bank Transfer payout. Keep the reconciliation records with each batch.
Tax, invoicing, customs and FX reporting duties stay with your company and its advisors.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a local payout to a Uruguayan bank account take?
It depends on the gateway. Bank Transfer (UYU), gateway ID 504, settles in under 30 minutes. POBO (Local) (UYU), gateway ID 1392, and SWIFT (USD), gateway ID 744, settle at T+1, the next business day.
Is there a minimum amount for a Bank Transfer payout in Uruguay?
Yes. The Bank Transfer (UYU) catalog minimum is UYU 1,000 per payout.
Do Uruguayan instant interbank transfers run on weekends?
Yes. Uruguay’s instant interbank transfers have run 24 hours a day, 365 days a year since June 2023, according to BCU data reported by El Observador. They work 24/7 at 14 institutions, including local banks and electronic money issuers.
What does POBO mean on a Uruguayan payout?
POBO stands for pay on behalf of, and a POBO (Local) (UYU) payout settles at T+1, the next business day. This gateway requires a POBO endorsement on the account before it can be used.
Does my recipient need a crypto wallet?
No. Your recipient gets a normal local credit in their usual account or wallet. They never touch stablecoins, and the payment looks like any other domestic transfer.
Is paying out this way legal and compliant?
Yes, when it runs through regulated infrastructure. Yativo is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business, registration number 31000270723339. A licensed local payout partner handles the local leg. Your own tax and reporting duties still apply, so confirm them with your advisor.
How long does a quote last?
Quotes from the exchange-rate endpoint hold for 5 minutes. You see the rate, the fees and the exact amount your recipient gets before you confirm.
Start Paying Suppliers in Uruguay with Yativo
Fund a float with USDC or fiat, request a quote in UYU, and let a licensed local payout partner credit your supplier’s account in pesos. Bank Transfer (UYU) settles in under 30 minutes, while POBO (Local) (UYU) and SWIFT (USD) settle at T+1, the next business day. Your vendor receives a normal local credit, with no crypto wallet involved at any point. Book a demo to set up your first payout, or contact sales if you already know your monthly volume.
Sources
- Uruguay XXI: Informe anual de comercio exterior de Uruguay 2025
- El Observador: Más de 150 mil transferencias instantáneas por día en 2025
- cpaferrere.com: 73% of private-sector deposits in Uruguayan banks were in foreign currency at the end of 2025
- remittanceprices.worldbank.org: World Bank