MEXICO CITY, April 22 (Reuters) - Mexican lender Banorte is racing towards cashless football, overhauling payments at the country’s marquee stadium less than two months before nearly 90,000 fans are due to pour through its gates.
Banorte, which holds naming rights to the venue once known as the Azteca, is rolling out what executives describe as a “100% digital” experience for matchgoers, even as the stadium remains under construction and recent test events exposed technical hiccups.
Cash still rules the terraces at most football grounds in Mexico and across Latin America. Vendors weave through the stands selling beers and snacks, often clutching banknotes or tucking bills between their fingers.
Banorte has begun distributing portable card readers at recent matches, but intermittent Wi‑Fi has caused delays, frustrating vendors and fans.
“These are exactly the kinds of issues you pick up in pre‑inaugural matches, so you can fine‑tune all the details,” CEO Marcos Ramirez told reporters.
Banorte and stadium operators have since decided to separate the payments network from the public Wi‑Fi used by spectators, aiming to ensure transactions are not disrupted by heavy mobile traffic on matchdays.
Work is continuing around the clock at the stadium. Ramirez said the venue was effectively ready for use, but renovations would continue right up until it is handed over to FIFA on May 11.
“A stadium is never going to be 100% ready,” he said with a smile.
During a tour of the site, a Reuters reporter saw workers soldering in the stands, cranes hoisting equipment and cables hanging from tunnels leading onto the pitch. Around the stadium’s perimeter, newly installed ATMs bearing the Banorte logo stood ready for the crowds to come.
(Reporting by Kylie Madry, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
