In Ecuador, many consumers still receive wages in cash or have limited access to banking services, so completing the final step of online shopping with cash at a neighborhood store or pharmacy has become a natural part of the shopping journey. As its name suggests, Farmacias Medicity is a pharmacy chain recognized as a brand tied to medicine and health services, making it a familiar payment touchpoint for consumers who visit pharmacies regularly. Because the economy is fully dollarized, the amounts used for payment, receipt, and settlement are all denominated in USD, which keeps amount management clear.

This channel is a good fit if you are targeting product categories that overlap with pharmacy visitors, such as health supplements and personal care, or an older customer base that finds cash more convenient than cards. The customer profile differs from the accessibility-focused Farmacias 911 or the price-focused Farmacias Economicas, so the three chains can be considered separately by trade area.

Once a consumer selects this channel at checkout, a payment code is issued, and the consumer visits a Farmacias Medicity store within the deadline to pay the amount in cash along with the code. The moment the pharmacy's payment record is confirmed through the payment network, the transaction is finalized and the merchant can begin shipping. Designing reminder notifications that account for the share of orders that lapse due to non-payment after code issuance helps manage conversion rates.

Because Hecto Financial handles the connection with the local payment network, Korean merchants can review adoption without going through separate procedures in Ecuador themselves. Payment partnership status can vary by chain, so we recommend reconfirming availability at the time of launch.

• Business registration country

  Confirm contract eligibility based on domestic business registration

• Sales channels

  The integration approach and priority differ depending on your online sales channel mix, such as owned storefronts, open marketplaces, and mobile apps

• Product categories

  You should confirm in advance whether your products fall under categories restricted by Farmacias Medicity's merchant policy

• Local regulatory compliance

  Confirm compliance with Ecuador's payment and foreign exchange regulations (see official sources below)

Once cash dollars paid by consumers are collected by Hecto Financial in USD, they are exchanged (or left as-is if USD is designated) into one of three currencies—USD, KRW, or JPY—as specified in the merchant contract, and then disbursed. Unlike other South American countries, the biggest difference in Ecuador's settlement is that there is no local-currency conversion step. Because cash cannot easily be reversed for transactions that require a refund, alternative return methods such as bank transfer may be used, so please prepare a refund policy notice in advance.

• Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE)Official information on Ecuador's payment system and related regulations. If this page's content differs from the actual regulations, the official source takes precedence.