Itaú launches Itaú Pay and enters the e-commerce dispute with Nubank

Itaú Unibanco (ITUB4) entered e-commerce with a bang. This Friday (30), the bank announced the launch of Itaú Pay, an integration tool with virtual stores that allows you to purchase online using the Itaú application, without entering your card details, according to Money Times.

In practice, the new payment method appears as a button on the retailer's checkout page, next to credit card and Pix. Also according to the report, the proposal is to eliminate the need to enter card information for each purchase.

The debut takes place on Decolar.com, an online travel agency. According to Money Times, expansion to other partners is planned for the coming months.

The movement puts the bank in direct competition with Nubank (ROXO34) in the e-commerce payments market, a reading that the report itself makes in the title.

What is at stake is the consumer's choice at the exact moment of purchase. When appearing side by side with a card and Pix, the product starts to compete for the preference of those who are about to pay, and whoever controls this button gains influence over their purchasing habits.

From a liberal perspective, more payment options tend to pressure services to improve in price and convenience, and the consumer is the main beneficiary of this competition.

What changes for the investor

For those who follow ITUB4 and ROXO34, the launch shows how the two banks compete for the digital customer. The announcement, however, does not provide adoption, revenue or margin numbers, so the effect on results depends on data that has not yet been released. It is worth monitoring the expansion to new partners and the indicators that the bank publishes. This article does not recommend the purchase or sale of any asset.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.