Never keep more money in Nequi than you are willing to lose access to for 48 hours.

However, The platform was designed for velocity (money moving fast between friends), not storage (saving large sums). When everyone demands their money at once, the system doesn't collapse—it crashes technically.

Is this a genuine financial crisis, a technical glitch, or a collective panic attack? This article looks into the reality behind the "Nequi withdraw" trend. The current hysteria traces back to a specific legal event in early 2025. Colombia’s Superintendence of Industry and Commerce (SIC) ruled against Bancolombia (Nequi’s parent company) in a high-profile lawsuit regarding unauthorized transactions.

In Colombia, saying “ Nequi ” is almost synonymous with sending money. With over 18 million users, the Bancolombia-owned app became the backbone of the informal economy, handling everything from empanada sales to salary payments. But recently, a new phrase has started trending on social media, causing panic in food stalls and office group chats alike: “Nequi withdraw.”

For years, users complained that Nequi’s security was too lax—specifically the fact that a SIM swap or a stolen phone could drain an account via a simple OTP (One-Time Password). The SIC sided with a user who lost millions of pesos, forcing Bancolombia to retroactively.