Carnet
Carnet is the Mexican card acceptance brand of PROSA, providing interoperable debit, credit, and prepaid transaction processing across 200,000+ POS, ATM, and e-commerce acceptance points for 60+ financial institutions, with add-on fraud, security, analytics, and notification services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersMexico City, Mexico
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Carnet does
Carnet is a Mexico-based payment acceptance brand operated by Promocion y Operacion S.A. de C.V. (PROSA) that connects card-issuing financial institutions and acquirers to a national electronic transaction network spanning POS terminals, ATMs, and e-commerce portals. The company has operated for over 50 years and serves more than 60 financial institutions across 200,000+ acceptance points, advertising a 99% transaction effectiveness rate and total interoperability for debit, credit, and prepaid cards. The product portfolio is anchored by the core Carnet acceptance brand and Soluciones de Pago/Adquirente offerings, supplemented by Contactless (Chip Dual Interface) technology, Carnet E-Secure for online transaction security, PROALERTA for real-time fraud monitoring and predictive risk scoring, Analytics Carnet/Prosa Analytics for market intelligence and behavioral analysis, and a Multichannel Notification System covering RCS, WhatsApp Enterprise, BLASTER calls, and email.
Under the hood, the network processes transactions using ISO 8583 messaging and complies with the RED MX national standard, with fraud and analytics capabilities delivered through PROALERTA's anomaly detection and predictive scoring layers. Carnet is privately held under PROSA with no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, and a headcount in the 11-50 range; revenue, financial performance, and ownership details beyond PROSA's corporate control are not publicly disclosed.
Carnet makes money primarily through transaction fees charged to financial institutions and merchants for processing debit, credit, and prepaid card payments across its national acceptance network, with pricing on a quote-based B2B model rather than published rates. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales to issuers, acquirers, and certified terminal manufacturers, supported by direct institutional contact channels and a corporate website plus LinkedIn and Instagram presence aimed at brand credibility rather than direct conversion.
Carnet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carnet
- Legal name
- Promoción y Operación S.A. de C.V.
- Website
- https://carnet.mx
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Carnet is the Mexican card acceptance brand of PROSA, providing interoperable debit, credit, and prepaid transaction processing across 200,000+ POS, ATM, and e-commerce acceptance points for 60+ financial institutions, with add-on fraud, security, analytics, and notification services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carnet industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Payment Network Services
- NAICS
- Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320), Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Payment Processing & Acquiring Infrastructure (FSAGABAC)
Keywords
Where Carnet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mexico City
- HQ country
- Mexico
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Carnet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Payment Processing Transaction Fees: Carnet generates revenue through transaction fees charged to financial institutions and merchants for processing debit, credit, and prepaid card payments through its national acceptance network.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Carnet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carnet operates Mexico's national electronic payment acceptance network, providing total interoperability for debit, credit, and prepaid cards across 200,000+ POS terminals, ATMs, and e-commerce portals. The company routes and settles transactions between 60+ issuing financial institutions, acquirers, and merchants using ISO 8583 messaging and the RED MX standard. Its offering is complemented by security (Carnet E-Secure), fraud prevention (PROALERTA), contactless technology, and analytics services that together form an integrated payment ecosystem for the Mexican market.
Product overview
Carnet is a payment acceptance brand operated by PROSA that offers a comprehensive portfolio of payment solutions in Mexico. The core offering centers on Carnet as the main acceptance brand providing total interoperability for debit, credit, and prepaid cards across physical and digital commerce. The product suite includes payment solutions (Soluciones de Pago), Contactless technology, and Adquirer solutions (Soluciones para Adquirente) as primary offerings. Add-on modules include Carnet E-Secure for transaction security, PROALERTA for fraud prevention, analytical products for market intelligence, a multichannel notification system, and Analytics Carnet for data-driven decision support. The ecosystem is designed to serve both issuing financial institutions and acquiring businesses across 200,000+ acceptance points nationwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Carnet E-Secure: Security solution that guarantees reliable, secure, and fast electronic transactions involving Issuers, Acquirers, and Merchants.
- PROALERTA
Products and services
- Carnet Payment Acceptance Network Mexico's national card payment acceptance brand connecting issuing financial institutions with a robust electronic transaction network, offering total interoperability for debit, credit, and prepaid cards across 200,000+ POS terminals, ATMs, and e-commerce portals in Mexico.
- Soluciones de Pago Configurable payment solutions that enable financial institutions to quickly launch debit, credit, and prepaid card products optimized for specific market niches.
- Contactless (Chip Dual Interface) Dual-interface chip technology enabling both contact and contactless card payment operations through short-range antennas for faster, more hygienic, and more secure transactions at the point of sale.
- Soluciones para Adquirente Acquiring switch solution that supports acquirers in integrating and efficiently operating a card payment media network under the POS scheme, using ISO 8583 messaging and the RED MX standard.
- Carnet E-Secure Electronic transaction security solution that protects online commerce by ensuring reliable, secure, and fast transactions involving issuers, acquirers, and merchants.
- PROALERTA Fraud administration and prevention system providing real-time analytical and predictive tools that monitor every transaction across all channels of the payment switch and assign a risk score to each operation.
- Analytics Carnet Data intelligence and analysis service for acquirers designed to maximize transaction value and optimize decision-making through real-time monitoring and behavioral insights.
- Sistema de Notificaciones Multicanal Multichannel customer notification platform that supports personalized messages via RCS, WhatsApp Enterprise, BLASTER (pre-recorded calls), and mass email (up to 1 million emails per day).
- Productos Analíticos (Prosa Analytics) Analytical products including performance studies, approval analysis, and behavioral analysis to help financial institutions and merchants understand customer performance and behavior for strategic decision-making.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99% transaction effectiveness rate without issues
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Carnet
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Carnet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
Carnet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PROSA (Promocion y Operación S.A. de C.V.)corePROSA is the parent company and operator of the Carnet payment acceptance brand. PROSA provides the infrastructure, legal framework, and corporate governance for Carnet's national payment network services.
- Prosa AnalyticscoreAnalytics platform providing market intelligence and data analytics services for Carnet customers, offering performance studies, approval analysis, and behavioral analysis tools.
- Financial Institutions (60+)coreOver 60 Mexican financial institutions partner with Carnet as issuers and acquirers, using the network for card acceptance and transaction processing across debit, credit, and prepaid products.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Carnet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Stripe: Global payments infrastructure provider expanding in Mexico; competes for the same digital merchants and acquirers with modern APIs that Carnet currently lacks.
- PROSA: Parent company of Carnet and the underlying payment switch operator in Mexico; direct parent and operator of the same acceptance network described here.
- Visa: Global card network operating in Mexico; Carnet effectively operates as a domestic acceptance brand interoperable with Visa rails, making Visa a benchmark and partial substitute.
- Mastercard: Global card network with deep Mexican issuer and acquirer relationships; competes with Carnet on acceptance coverage and increasingly on processing infrastructure.
- Mercado Pago: Major LatAm digital wallet and acquirer with strong Mexican footprint; competes for both merchant acceptance and consumer payment flows in Mexico.
Emerging players
- Conekta: Mexico-focused online payment gateway and PSP for merchants; competes for digital acceptance volumes that Carnet also targets via its e-commerce integration.
- Clip: Mexican mPOS and payments startup targeting SMBs with modern contactless terminals; overlaps with Carnet's POS acceptance value proposition.
- OpenPay: Mexican payment processor offering card acceptance and digital checkout APIs; competes in the same domestic acquiring/processing segment with a more developer-friendly stack.
Regional players
- Ebanx: LatAm-focused cross-border payment processor with Mexican coverage; competes for cross-border and e-commerce volumes that Carnet's domestic network also serves.
Direct peers
- Eglobal: Mexican payment processor/transactions switch serving issuers and acquirers with multi-channel processing (POS, ATM, e-commerce); directly comparable domestic processing infrastructure peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Carnet social profiles
Digital presenceCarnet financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carnet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Carnet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carnet M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carnet
What does Carnet do?
Carnet operates Mexico's national electronic payment acceptance network, providing total interoperability for debit, credit, and prepaid cards across 200,000+ POS terminals, ATMs, and e-commerce portals. The company routes and settles transactions between 60+ issuing financial institutions, acquirers, and merchants using ISO 8583 messaging and the RED MX standard. Its offering is complemented by security (Carnet E-Secure), fraud prevention (PROALERTA), contactless technology, and analytics services that together form an integrated payment ecosystem for the Mexican market.
Is Carnet a public or private company?
Carnet is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Carnet founded?
Carnet was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Carnet based?
Carnet is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico, in the Latin America region.
How does Carnet make money?
One revenue line is on record: payment Processing Transaction Fees.
Who are Carnet's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Stripe, PROSA, Visa, Mastercard and Mercado Pago. Emerging players are Conekta, Clip and OpenPay. Ebanx is listed as a regional player. Eglobal is listed as a direct peer.
Does Carnet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carnet.
What industry is Carnet in?
Carnet's product category is Payment Network Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAC, Payment Processing & Acquiring Infrastructure. Its NAICS code is 522320.