Use of QR immediate payments and banking at informal activities in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

The presence of the informal economy in Bolivia is important. Indeed, the daily activities in the different cities of the central axis of the country, in particular Santa Cruz, show the importance of the sector, focused mainly on commerce and, to a lesser extent, on micro and small production. Product fairs are traditional in the city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, with the Barrio Lindo fair standing out for its size and variety of products. On the other hand, since the coronavirus pandemic, electronic payments, and particularly immediate ones with QR, have increased exponentially according to official statistics. The purpose of this research, consequently, is to investigate the use of QR payments in the informal sectors and whether this has favored the opening of bank accounts. Field work was carried out at the Barrio Lindo fair with the cooperation of students from the Universidad Evangélica Boliviana of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The results found show that, at the fair, payments and collections with QR have an important presence, are carried out quite frequently, promoted the opening of bank accounts, especially in the case of costumers, and contributed to the increase in sales of the merchants.