Kushki

Kushki: Regional Payments Platform For Latin American Merchants

Kushki is a LATAM focused payments platform that helps merchants accept and send payments across multiple markets through one integration. Kushki presents itself as a regional non bank acquirer operating in Latin America, with online, in person, and payout capabilities.

What Is Kushki

Kushki is a paytech that evolved from a payment gateway into a regional non bank acquirer. The company emphasizes a full stack approach to processing that standardizes functions across Latin American markets. Its product set includes card not present acceptance, card present acceptance via POS terminals in select countries, local bank transfers, cash based vouchers, payment links, hosted checkout, SDKs, and automated payouts. A single integration to Kushki’s APIs is designed to enable coverage of multiple countries and payment types while centralizing reporting and operational controls in the Kushki Console.

Where Kushki Operates

Kushki’s public documentation and support content show active operations and merchant onboarding in five Latin American countries:

• Mexico

• Chile

• Peru

• Colombia

• Ecuador

Country pages and affiliation guides indicate that contracting and required documents are handled locally through the relevant Kushki subsidiary. In person card acceptance via POS terminals is currently available only in Mexico and Chile. For online acceptance and payouts, service availability is documented by feature and country in Kushki’s developer guides. Merchants should validate method availability and rules per market during integration planning.

Payment Methods And Channels

Cards Online

Kushki supports debit and credit card acceptance online with one step charge flows and two step authorization and capture flows. Developers can implement Kushki.js Hosted Fields to handle sensitive card data within fields hosted on Kushki infrastructure. This pattern reduces PCI scope for merchants by tokenizing card data before it reaches the merchant’s servers. The documentation also covers pre authorizations, partial captures where applicable, and error code handling. One click payments allow storing a card token for faster subsequent charges, and scheduled subscriptions enable recurring billing where supported.

Bank Transfers

Kushki provides local transfer rails that vary by country. For example, Mexico guides describe transfers using a CLABE account reference. The integration sequence typically includes creating a transfer initiation, receiving bank confirmation, and handling asynchronous notifications from Kushki on final status. Transfer methods are available across several countries according to the API documentation and country specific guides.

Cash Based Payments

Cash based “cash in” methods allow customers to generate a reference or voucher and pay at a physical location. After payment, Kushki confirms receipt and notifies the merchant via webhook or API status checks. This is useful for customers who prefer to pay with cash or do not use cards or online banking. Country specific availability and partner networks are detailed in the APIs and help center.

Payment Links And Hosted Checkout

Kushki offers Smartlinks and a Payment Button. Smartlinks are configurable links that can accept multiple payment methods such as cards, transfers, and cash. The Payment Button redirects customers to a secure hosted portal that supports credit, debit, transfer, and cash. Both options can be branded with merchant logos and colors and are responsive for mobile and web.

Card Present

Kushki’s in person payment solution provides POS terminals with features such as EMV, contactless acceptance, and wallet compatibility. As of the latest site content, card present solutions are available in Mexico and Chile. Kushki positions these as part of a unified platform that also supports e commerce and payouts to create an omnichannel experience.

Payouts

Kushki PayOuts enables businesses to disburse funds via bank transfer, and documentation also covers cash distribution workflows. Disbursements are automated through an API from the merchant’s Kushki balance, with webhooks and status queries to reconcile payouts at scale. Use cases include supplier payments, customer refunds, and partner commissions.

Integration Options

Kushki’s developer ecosystem includes:

• REST APIs documented with a reference portal covering pay ins, payouts, and operations like pre authorization, capture, and refunds.

• Kushki.js Hosted Fields for secure web collection of card data, with tokenization handled by Kushki.

• Mobile SDKs for iOS and Android to collect payments in native apps.

• E commerce plugins that provide a plug and play option for popular platforms and emphasize unified coverage across five countries.

• Smartlinks and Payment Button that reduce custom development by using hosted flows.

• Webhooks and a two way API for asynchronous status, notifications, and end to end transaction lifecycle management.

The Kushki Console centralizes operational tasks such as reviewing transaction details, monitoring performance, and managing configurations across payment methods and countries.

Security And Compliance

Kushki states that it holds PCI DSS Level 1 certification and surfaces this prominently across product pages and documentation. Hosted Fields and tokenization are provided to minimize merchants’ exposure to cardholder data. Kushki also references multiple layers of security, including anti fraud tooling with rule sets and optional AI based enhancements, along with authentication and verification checks as part of transaction flows. The company publishes security and compliance information and implements webhooks with signing guidance to protect event integrity.

Merchant Experience And Use Cases

Kushki is positioned for merchants that need consistent acceptance and payouts across several LATAM markets while keeping a single technical integration. Typical scenarios include:

• Regional e commerce that requires cards, transfers, and cash vouchers under one integration and console.

• Omnichannel retailers operating online and in store, especially in Mexico and Chile where card present is offered.

• Marketplaces and platforms needing automated payouts to sellers or partners via bank transfers and other channels.

• Subscription businesses that benefit from tokenization, one click returns, and scheduled recurring charges in supported countries.

• International PSPs and ISVs seeking local acquiring and standardized data across markets through a regional acquirer.

Developer Journey

Merchants can start with hosted options like Payment Button or Smartlinks for faster time to market. Where deeper control is required, the API supports granular flows such as pre authorization and capture, partial capture where applicable, and programmatic refunds. Hosted Fields reduce PCI scope by keeping card collection within Kushki’s environment and returning tokens to merchant servers. Webhooks provide asynchronous notifications for charge, transfer, cash in, and payout events. The mobile SDKs enable native app flows, and the plugin catalog handles common e commerce stacks.

Conclusion

Kushki is a strong candidate if your roadmap includes multi market expansion in Latin America, if you need to support cards plus local alternatives like transfers and cash vouchers, and if a single integration with centralized reporting is important. Its PCI Level 1 posture, tokenization approach, and hosted collection options can reduce compliance burden. For merchants with physical stores in Mexico or Chile, Kushki’s POS solutions align with an omnichannel strategy. For platforms and marketplaces, the payout APIs add operational coverage for disbursements.