Kambista: Cambia Dólares Hoy

What Kambista is for

If you hold dollars and need soles, or the reverse, this app is one way to make the swap from a phone. Kambista describes itself as a digital exchange house in Peru. You quote an amount, send the money from your own online banking, and receive the other currency in an account you choose.

The listing gives trips, investments, international payments and general personal money management as the reasons people use it. The rate information it shows refers to the local dollar price and to the Sunat exchange rate, so the app is written for people dealing with the Peruvian market.

Checking rates before you exchange

The converter shows exchange rates and the dollar price for the day, and the listing says these are updated in real time. You see the figures before you commit to an amount, which is the point of the quote step.

After an exchange, the app lets you compare the cost against what you would otherwise have paid and see your total savings. The listing also mentions preferential rates.

Rate alerts are personalised, so you set the levels you care about. The app also tracks the rate in real time, and the listing presents this as a way to pick a moment to buy or sell dollars.

Making an exchange, step by step

First you enter the amount you want to change and choose the account the money should reach. Then you make a transfer from your online banking into the Kambista account. The listing tells you to keep the receipt from that transfer.

Next you enter the receipt number in the app, and the funds go to the account you chose. The listing says this works from any bank. It gives about 20 minutes for immediate operations and 24 hours for interbank transactions.

The listing also describes a customer service team that advises you at each stage of the exchange.

Identity checks and regulatory registration

Each operation goes through biometric validation, which is the identity check the listing describes as the basis of the app's security.

The listing states that Kambista is registered with the SBS-UIF for supervision of money laundering and terrorist financing prevention (LA/FT). It also says the company has completed more than 1 million operations.