Behind Tilopay: How We Built Central America’s Most Trusted Payment Gateway

A few years ago, selling online in Central America still meant overcoming a major barrier: finding a payment gateway that could offer different payment methods and deposit sales revenue into a local bank account.

Digital platforms already made it possible to manage orders, reservations, and services. However, many businesses in Central America could not complete the sale because they lacked a payment solution tailored to the region.

Tilopay was born from that opportunity. The goal was to create a payment gateway designed for the realities of Central America that could make online payments easier for businesses of different sizes and across industries, without forcing them to deal with difficult, bureaucratic processes or costly development.

The Opportunity That Gave Rise to Our Payment Gateway

Tilopay’s development began in 2019, when digital commerce in Central America was growing more slowly than in other markets. Many businesses still did not consider digital channels a central part of their operations, and accepting online payments could require more time, investment, and technical support.

Looking back at Tilopay’s beginnings, its founders, Henry Nanne and Alejandro Pacheco, explain that digital platforms already handled areas such as logistics, catalogs, and content. However, many Central American businesses still could not take full advantage of them because the payment process did not meet the region’s needs. This reality helped them identify the opportunity to create a solution that would make these platforms easier to use and help strengthen Central America’s digital ecosystem.

When COVID-19 arrived, that opportunity became even clearer. Many businesses had to move to digital channels to keep operating, and online payments became a necessity. The pandemic confirmed that the region needed a solution ready to support that transformation.

UN Trade and Development reported that, globally, retail sales made online increased from 16% of the total in 2019 to 19% in 2020, remaining at that level throughout 2021. This growth shows how the pandemic accelerated the shift to digital channels and increased the need for online payment solutions.

Two Strengths and the First Payment

From the beginning, Tilopay was built around two areas that needed to move forward together: technology and business vision. Henry Nanne led technology and product development, while Alejandro Pacheco focused on sales, partnerships, and the company’s growth.

“From the beginning, we have worked as a team: Henry has handled technology and product, while I have handled sales. A technology company can develop a great product, but if no one brings it to market, it serves little purpose. And if there is no good product behind it, there is nothing solid to sell either. Achieving that balance, without making one area more important than the other, has been one of the key factors behind Tilopay’s success.”

— Alejandro Pacheco, Co-Founder of Tilopay.

This combination made it possible to maintain a balance between developing a payment gateway that worked properly and bringing it to the businesses that needed it. The technology had to solve a real need, while also being easy to implement and use.

The first business to use Tilopay was Hija de Tigre, a boutique that decided to place its trust in a new and innovative solution. Processing that first sale was important because it proved that months of work could become a real solution for businesses in the region.

“Seeing it in action was incredibly exciting. Seeing the sale go through confirmed that what we had worked on for months actually worked and that, by solving the payment piece, more businesses could feel confident operating online.”

— Henry Nanne, Co-Founder of Tilopay.

That first payment confirmed that Tilopay could provide the missing piece businesses needed to accept online payments. From that moment on, a continuous process of improvements, new features, and integrations began.

Trust Built One Integration at a Time

Building a trusted payment gateway required more than developing the technology. Tilopay also had to earn the trust of global platforms, partners, and Central American businesses.

One of the biggest challenges was getting international companies to pay attention to a product created in a region that had received little priority for years. Some integrations required more than a year of emails and conversations before development could begin.

Persistence allowed Tilopay to integrate with more than 90 global platforms. One of its most important milestones came in 2022, when it became the only payment gateway in Central America with a certified native Shopify plug-in.

This integration automates and embeds payment options directly into Shopify, so businesses can start accepting payments without building the process from scratch. This milestone reflects Tilopay’s work to adapt international platforms to the region.

Security is another essential factor that has helped build that trust. Tilopay follows PCI DSS, an international security standard that establishes requirements to protect card information and payment-related data.

Tilopay also uses tools to prevent fraud and protect payments and customer data, including Fraudio, Kount, Mastercard ID Check, Visa Secure, and AMEX SafeKey. 

Solutions That Evolved with Each Business

Over time, Tilopay’s payment gateway evolved alongside its customers as they began needing new ways to accept payments. This evolution led to the development of products for different stages, operations, and industries.

A business can use Payment Link and QR Code to offer a payment option through digital channels. Others may need Platform Connections to integrate payments into the tool they use every day.

For monthly payments, memberships, or recurring services, Subscription Billing lets businesses automate the process. This way, each solution supports a different way of operating and accepting payments.

“The magic lies in adapting it and localizing that functionality to the realities of our markets. 

Every business should be able to choose how it wants to operate, which platform to use, and how to manage its activity, without payments becoming a complication. All the technology, integrations, partnerships, and work we do share the same goal: ensuring successful payments and making getting paid the easiest part of your business.”

— Alejandro Pacheco, Co-Founder of Tilopay.

This vision involves looking at solutions used in more developed markets and adapting them to Central America’s payment methods and needs.

From Costa Rica to a Regional Vision

Tilopay’s story began in Costa Rica. It then expanded to Guatemala and later to Panama. From there, it continued growing its presence in other countries across the region, guided by a vision that recognized the opportunities and differences in each market.

This expansion made it possible to reach more businesses and achieve the scale needed to continue investing in technology, security, and integrations. As Tilopay entered new countries, it was important to understand their local payment methods and customer preferences.

Tilopay went from addressing a local need to building a payment gateway with regional reach that can support businesses of different sizes and across industries.

The Purpose That Continues to Guide Tilopay

Tilopay was born from identifying a clear opportunity: making online payments easier in a region where many businesses still faced barriers to completing their sales.

That purpose did not end with the company’s launch. It has also guided the development of new solutions, platform integrations, and expansion into other markets. The goal is for every business to choose how to operate and which tools to use, without accepting payments becoming a complication.

From the beginning, our founders have shared the same purpose: to make getting paid the easiest part of your business.

That is why our technology, partnerships, and security improvements all share the same goal: helping every payment go through successfully so businesses can focus on the rest of their operations.

Today, Tilopay continues to pursue the purpose that gave rise to the company: making getting paid one of the easiest parts of any business, regardless of its size, industry, or operating model.

Explore Tilopay’s products and find the best way to accept payments for your business.