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You just need a phone, that's it. Banking requires all the infrastructure, etc.

There's plenty of primarily-online banks. I haven't set foot in a brick and mortar bank in well over a decade.

You presumably live in a developed economy. There's a reason 70% of El Salvadorans don't have bank accounts, and it isn't a context of easy online banking.

It's small payments what are are mostly done in cash, like the $0.20 bus fare, $1.25 lunch, $0.50 soda or $0.25 tortillas. There is no widespread electronic alternative for those payments yet here.

Free mobile banking accounts have been available for a while in El Salvador, and can be opened with a selfie and a photo of your national ID. They are only avaialble for those 18+ and older though.

primarily-online-banks are close to non existent in latinoamerica

I don't see why developing a sophisticated mobile bitcoin payment platform would be any easier.

Because you don't have to deal with custody and regulation. It's just software.

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