The Cuban government will remove licenses from businesses without QR service for payment gateways in February

Photo: RL Hevia

Text: Editorial Cuba Noticias 360

The Cuban government has launched another warning for owners of MSMEs and self-employed workers, as if they do not update the online payment service in their businesses before February, their work licenses will be withdrawn.

A few issues stand out: Does the country have the right infrastructure to implement payment gateways for all businesses? What will they do for those for whom online payment service is not possible, due to the nature of their company or to avoid the inconveniences inherent in enabling platforms?

This measure, which has its pros and cons, is the result of a banking procedure that the government implemented just a few months ago, which, among other reasons, caused a cash crunch and long delays at ATMs.

In fact, at this stage of the championship, there are businesses that do not accept transfers, as is the case of Zapata in Havana and the gastronomic complex on 12, according to a Facebook post by independent art curator Abelardo Mena.

For example, in Matanzas and most of western Cuba, the deadline is February 2. And the government of the region itself has made it clear: as established by Resolution 93/2023, work licenses will be removed from organizations that do not have a QR service to operate through payment gateways.

Matanzas Vice Governor Marietta Poe Zamora herself said that the customer has the right to choose how to pay when they go to any state or private business: “The electronic option must exist in all state and non-state economic actors through the Ministry of Local Trade (MINSIN). managed activities,” he noted.

Resolution 93/2023 of the Ministry of Local Trade in Cuba highlights that sellers, whether natural or legal persons, must offer electronic payment methods in addition to cash starting in February.

The measure, it is the general opinion of those who implement it, aims to give options to people who prefer to conduct electronic transactions. Cash isn’t going away, they explained, because many consumers don’t have the technology or choose not to use it.

That is, those who sell products or provide services must request their QR code through the national payment platform, TransferMovil or Enzona.

The concept itself is positive as it offers the possibility of another payment option. The negative probably lies in the short period that these units will have, and in factors that are not dependent on them: such as the proper functioning of the platform in the initial and simple authentication step. Let’s add poor connectivity and absence of POS terminals, which are not working efficiently even in stores in MLC.