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Peru Formalizes Wallet Wage Payments as Argentina’s Labor Bill Pits Banks Against Fintechs

The moves test how far governments will expand worker choice without undermining deposit guarantees or bank credit.

Overview

  • Peru’s Ministry of Economy and Finance put into force Decreto Supremo N°011-2026-EF to implement Law N°32413, making digital wallets and electronic‑money accounts valid channels for paying wages and labor benefits.
  • The regulation affirms that only the worker chooses the receiving bank or electronic‑money issuer, with employer interference classified as a very serious labor infraction subject to sanctions.
  • The Superintendencia de Banca, Seguros y AFP will set operational limits for security and AML/CFT, proof of payment is the wallet credit to an account in the worker’s name, and the MEF with the central bank will publish an updated list of authorized interoperable wallets.
  • Public‑sector use in Peru will roll out progressively pending further MEF dispositions, while specialists highlight pending rules on balance and transaction caps, cybersecurity standards, and unified dispute‑resolution procedures.
  • In Argentina, Article 35 of a labor‑reform bill would allow salaries to be credited to PSPs and virtual wallets; banking associations formally urged senators to reject or change it citing depositor protections and a potential multi‑trillion‑peso credit squeeze, as the fintech chamber counters that PSPs are BCRA‑supervised with segregated funds and that the change broadens worker choice ahead of a scheduled February 11 debate.