Argentine service exporters in 2026: collecting dollars after the BCRA's easing
For years an Argentine software company paid in dollars had to settle much of it into pesos at the official rate. The Central Bank began dismantling the cepo in April 2025 and kept easing rules for service exporters in 2026. The direction is clear; the details still change month to month.
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A Rosario software studio bills a New York client US$26,000 a month. In 2023 it had to settle most of that into pesos at the official rate, well below what the dollars were worth in practice. In 2026 it checks the BCRA's latest communication each month, because the rule that applies to its receipts keeps getting narrower.
What changed
On 14 April 2025 the Central Bank of Argentina (BCRA) lifted most currency restrictions on individuals and moved the peso to a floating band. Companies, and exporters in particular, kept more rules for longer: obligations to bring export proceeds into Argentina and settle them through the official exchange market.
Through 2026 the BCRA eased those rules further, including measures that exempt exporters of goods and services from repatriating and settling proceeds when they meet joint conditions, and, later in the year, broader treatment of service exports regardless of their concept code. The details are in BCRA Comunicaciones and the consolidated text on foreign trade and exchange.
What to check, every month
The rules are published as numbered Comunicaciones that amend the consolidated text. Before relying on last quarter's practice:
- Read the current consolidated text, or ask your bank's foreign trade desk which rule applies to your receipts.
- Check whether your company meets the conditions for any exemption.
- Confirm the deadlines that apply to receipts you must settle.
The paperwork
Exports of services are invoiced with the electronic factura E through the tax authority (ARCA, formerly AFIP). Keep the contract with the foreign client, each factura E and proof of payment. Banks ask for them when classifying receipts.
Why dollars still matter
Even with controls easing, many Argentine companies keep dollars as their reference currency, and many employees and contractors ask to be paid in dollars. Where the rules allow you to hold dollars, paying dollar costs, such as tools, cloud services and contractors abroad, directly from them avoids conversions in both directions.
Paying into Argentina: the local rail
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Local rail | Transferencias 3.0 immediate transfers |
| Run by | Banco Central de la República Argentina |
| Settlement | Seconds, 24/7, between bank accounts and payment-app accounts (CVU) |
Source: BCRA: Transferencias 3.0. Checked when this guide was last updated; the scheme's own page has the current figures.
Where Rivet fits
Rivet opens business accounts for registered companies after verification. For a company registered in Argentina, BCRA rules decide whether and how export proceeds may be held outside the country, so confirm with your bank first. Companies that qualify, and companies registered abroad that Argentine founders run, get US account details in their own name on every plan, so US clients pay by ACH, plus euro and sterling details from the Growth plan. Rivet is not a bank; regulated partner institutions hold the funds.
Questions people ask
Do Argentine service exporters still have to convert dollars into pesos?
The obligation has been narrowed several times since 2025. In 2026 the BCRA extended exemptions for service exports that meet joint conditions. Confirm with your bank which conditions apply to your receipts.
What is factura E?
The electronic invoice type Argentine taxpayers issue for exports of goods and services, authorised through the tax authority's systems.
Can an Argentine company keep export proceeds abroad?
Only within the conditions the BCRA sets. Recent rules have widened them, but check the current consolidated text on foreign trade and exchange before acting.
Why do Argentine professionals still prefer dollars?
Decades of inflation and controls make dollars the store of value for many businesses and workers, even as rules ease.
Sources
Rashidatou writes Rivet's guides to how money moves between countries: the payment rails, what each one costs, and the account details a company needs to get paid in another currency. Every figure in Rashidatou's articles is traced to the scheme rulebook, the regulator or the provider's published price list, and those sources are listed at the end.
More from Rashidatou K. →This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and fees change; check the sources above and the provider’s current terms before you act on them.
- argentina
- service exports
- bcra
- cepo
- usd
- software
