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A leading payments industry news source for more than 17 years. Glenbrook curates the news and keeps you abreast of the important daily headlines in payments.
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August 25, 2025
On the web
'New Voucher Track': The Transformation of Corporate Benefits [Brazil]
Finsiders Brasil
"Since August 1st, the Brazilian corporate benefits market has entered a new phase with the implementation of the so-called 'new voucher rail ." This model broke with the traditional logic of closed networks and established a system of open arrangements. Under this model, issuers and acquirers must interoperate. This is a milestone that promotes a more integrated, competitive, and innovation-friendly ecosystem, structurally changing the dynamics of the sector."
August 21, 2025
Top Post
Pix Under Fire: U.S. Challenges Brazil’s State-Led Payment Revolution
The Rio Times
"The United States Trade Representative (USTR) launched an investigation in July 2025 into Brazil’s fast-growing payment system Pix. Washington acts on complaints from the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a group representing major U.S. technology and financial firms. The ITI argues that Brazil’s central bank plays a double role by both regulating and running Pix, creating unfair competition for private players."
August 15, 2025
On the web
Central Bank of Brazil Has a Plan to Migrate Companies From Ted [Transfers] to Pix
Finsiders Brasil
"Pix quickly became popular for transfers between individuals. It's expected to gain traction in payments between individuals and businesses with this year's launches—Pix by Contactless and Pix Automatic...Among the security initiatives, MED 2.0 will go live in early 2026. MED stands for Special Return Mechanism, a tool created by the Central Bank to facilitate the return of funds transferred via Pix in proven cases of fraud."
August 13, 2025
On the web
Brazil’s Drex CBDC Project Pivots Away From Blockchain, Tokenization
Ledger Insights
"DREX was always part of an open finance push by the Banco Central do Brasil, and it will remain so. But the focus of the next phase of work is now far narrower – for brokers to enable clients to use assets – stocks, bonds and others – as loan collateral. So it’s now a lien reconciliation project that will use neither blockchain nor decentralization technologies, but will integrate with PIX, Brazil’s successful retail instant payment system."
August 11, 2025
On the wires
Stripe Users Can Now Accept Pix in Brazil via Ebanx
PR Newswire
"EBANX, a global technology company specializing in payment services for emerging markets, has deepened its four-year partnership with programmable financial services company Stripe to expand coverage of Brazilian payment methods worldwide. Businesses on Stripe can now offer Pix, the popular instant payment method developed by the Central Bank of Brazil."
August 7, 2025
On the web
Pix Did Not ‘Cannibalize’ Cards, Says BC President
Finsiders Brasil
"The most widely used payment method in Brazil, Pix cannot be considered a rival to cards, nor has it "cannibalized" them. Quite the contrary: the banking and financial inclusion enabled by the instant payment system have contributed to a surge in annual growth in transactions with debit, credit, and prepaid cards."
dlocal Revolutionizes Pix Payments in Brazil With Smartpix, Enabling Unique ‘Pix on File'
dLocal
"dLocal, the leading cross-border payment platform specialized in emerging markets, announced the launch of SmartPix, a groundbreaking payment solution that enables merchants in Brazil to process tokenized Pix payments, including recurring and on-demand charges, without requiring customers to manually authorize each transaction."
July 30, 2025
On the web
Boku Secures Payment Institution License by Central Bank of Brazil
FX News Group
"Payment solutions provider Boku has been granted a Payment Institution license by the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB). This authorisation enables Boku to operate as a Payment Initiator and E-money Issuer, positioning the company to participate in Brazil’s evolving Open Finance ecosystem as a Payment Initiator Service Provider (PISP) – a key step toward enabling seamless Pix payments without redirection (JSR). With this licence, Boku is on track to make Pix Automático available to merchants in early 2026."
July 25, 2025
On the web
Central Bank Tightens Security Rules for Pix, Its Instant Payment System
Valor International
"Brazil’s Central Bank has introduced new regulations to enhance security in Pix, the country’s widely used instant payment system. Under the new rules, banks and financial institutions must remove Pix keys (unique identifiers used for transactions) associated with individuals and businesses whose tax records are not in good standing with the Federal Revenue Service."
July 17, 2025
On the web
Pix Drives Sharp Decline in Cash Use in Brazil
Valor International
"Fewer Brazilians are using physical cash for payments as the country embraces what Google calls the “Cashless Era,” marked by a decisive shift from paper currency to digital transactions, according to the study Payments in Transformation: From Cash to Code. Regarding how Pix is used, 76% have used it for direct transfers, 75% for QR code payments, and 37% for contactless transactions."
June 12, 2025
On the web
Central Bank of Brazil Hints at Credit-Focused CBDC Pilot Phase
Bitcoin News
"The third phase of the CBDC pilot will involve implementing tokenization solutions that allow customers to provide banks with visibility into their collateral assets in Brazil. The drex pilot, currently in its second phase, has encountered issues that impact its viability. Its main roadblock has been the lack of a privacy solution that fulfills all the requirements the bank needs to apply bank secrecy-like laws to drex transactions, meaning that transactions must be obfuscated from third parties but visible for regulators."
June 9, 2025
On the web
Automatic Pix: BC Publishes Rules to Prevent Corporate Fraud
Finsiders Brasil
"The Central Bank (BC) published a set of rules to reinforce security in Automatic Pix , a modality aimed at recurring transactions that will be launched on June 16. One of the measures, for example, is that only companies with an active CNPJ for at least six months will be able to receive payments via Automatic Pix. Payment service providers must also verify the “reliability” of client companies, in order to prevent fraud."
June 5, 2025
On the web
Netflix, Amazon, Globoplay, OLX and Others Are ‘Pioneers’ in Automatic Pix
Finsiders Brasil
"On June 16, Automatic Pix will debut with eight companies selected by the Central Bank (BC), a group called “Pioneers”: Amazon, Globoplay, Grupo OLX, Cemig, Disney+, Netflix, Spotify and Visão Prev. The new feature was designed to replace or compete with recurring payments made today using credit cards, bank slips or direct debit, but with greater security, reach and fluidity."
Brazil’s Payment Revolution Accelerates: Pix Automático Launches
MEF
"Brazil’s payment landscape is evolving yet again with the launch this month of PIX Automático. With PIX already transforming how individuals and businesses transact, the addition of automation has major implications for the mobile ecosystem. In this post, MEF CEO Dario Betti explores how enabling automated recurring payments marks the next phase in Brazil’s instant payments journey and may impact stakeholders."
May 29, 2025
On the web
BS2 Buys Fintech Platform to Advance With “International Pix”
Finsiders Brasil
"BS2 , a digital bank focused on companies, wants to move forward with an “international Pix” solution this year. To this end, the Minas Gerais-based institution is purchasing VoucherPay , a platform that allows Brazilians to pay for purchases abroad with Pix or credit card in installments in reais."
May 22, 2025
On the wires
Binance Pay Integrates With Pix, Enabling Instant Crypto-Powered Payments in Brazilian Reais Across Brazil
PR Newswire
"Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency platform by trading volume and number of users, has integrated its payment solution, Binance Pay, with Brazil's Pix system to enable instant payments in the local currency using cryptocurrencies and transfers to any individual or merchant across Latin America's largest country."
May 15, 2025
On the web
Streaming Services Have a “Huge Appetite” for Automatic Pix, Says BC
Finsiders Brasil
"With its launch confirmed for June 16, Automatic Pix has already been attracting interest from large companies, including some of the largest streaming services operating in Brazil. The new method, which has been undergoing approval testing since the end of April, is designed to facilitate recurring payments, such as utility bills, subscription plans, school fees, and more."
May 13, 2025
Top Post
‘It Is Not Illegal to Charge Fees,’ Apple Tells Brazilian Regulator on NFC Probe
9 to 5 Mac
"Apple Pay and the iPhone’s NFC sensor have long been the subject of disputes around the globe. Last year, the European Commission compelled Apple to grant developers access to the NFC reader, and more recently, the company expanded this access in other regions due to increasing regulatory pressure. Now, a national payment system in Brazil has a regulatory body taking an even closer look at the iPhone’s NFC, and it appears the company isn’t willing to budge."
May 9, 2025
On the web
Brazil’s Central Bank Presents Regulatory Priorities for 2025 and 2026
Mattos Filho
"On April 24, 2025, the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) announced its list of regulatory priorities for 2025 and 2026. The main topics include the evolution of Open Finance, virtual asset regulations, monitoring artificial intelligence usage, and the expansion of Pix's functionalities."
May 7, 2025
On the web
Central Bank of Brazil Publishes New Rules for the Operation of Automatic Pix
Finsiders Brasil
"In recent days, the Central Bank (BC) published new rules for the operation of Automatic Pix . The measures include, for example, a longer period for financial institutions that serve companies to stop offering the modality. With its launch confirmed for June 16, Automatic Pix entered the testing phase."
April 22, 2025
On the web
Fast Payments in Action: Emerging Lessons From Brazil and India
Atlantic Council
"As the rise of instant payment systems transforms the global financial sector, more governments are considering launching their own central bank-led immediate payment systems. Pix and Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Brazil and India’s respective instant payment systems, provide two key lessons for governments interested in implementing new fast or immediate payment systems."
April 10, 2025
On the web
BC Opens Consultation That Looks at the Market Power of Digital Wallets of ‘Big Techs’ [Brazil]
Finsiders Brasil
"Regulator wants to hear from the market by June 2 to discuss creating rules for card tokenization. The Central Bank is evaluating two options for regulating digital wallets. One would be to create a specific type of participation for “token applicants." The other option is for “token applicants” to be institutions authorized and supervised by the Central Bank, subject to direct regulation."
April 3, 2025
On the web
Payments Sector Concerned About Uncertainty Over ‘Split Payment’ [Brazil]
Finsiders Brasil
"The uncertainty surrounding how split payments will be implemented is causing concern in the payments industry. The model, provided for in the tax reform, will allow for the automatic collection of taxes at the time of the financial settlement of the transaction. The system is expected to start operating in 2027, but industry executives argue that clear guidelines for implementing this new model must be in place as soon as possible."
April 1, 2025
On the web
Central Bank [Brazil] to Launch Pix Installments in September
Finsiders Brasil
"The Central Bank is already working on the development of Pix Parcelado and the expectation is to launch this new product in September 2025. The information was given by Renato Gomes, director of Financial System Organization and Resolution during the Pix Forum."
March 12, 2025
On the web
Elo, Agility and INETCO Announce Strategic Partnership to Revolutionize Payments Reliability in Brazil
INETCO
"Agility, one of Brazil’s leading IT and Cybersecurity service providers, and INETCO®, a leader in payments monitoring and fraud prevention, announced a new partnership with Brazilian payment processing trailblazer Elo. The partnership leverages INETCO’s real-time transaction monitoring solutions and Agility’s expertise in supporting clients in sectors such as banking, stock exchanges, telecommunications, and healthcare."
On the wires
EBANX Data Shows 41% of Online Card Transactions in Brazil Come From Digital Issuers
Business Wire
"Digital-first financial institutions have become key drivers behind cards' sustained presence and growth in rising economies. According to internal data from EBANX, fintech companies and digital players now account for 41% of the total value transacted through credit cards for online purchases in Brazil."
March 7, 2025
On the web
Pix Has New Security Mechanisms and Changes the Rule for Using Random Keys
Valor Investe
"The Central Bank published (6) changes to the Pix Regulation to require participating financial institutions and payment institutions to ensure that the names of individuals and companies linked to Pix keys are in accordance with the names registered in the CPF and CNPJ databases of the Federal Revenue Service."
February 28, 2025
On the web
New Wave of Growth Expected as Pix Introduces Tap-To-Pay Feature
Valor International
"At least 13 banks and payment institutions in Brazil are set to offer the new tap-to-pay feature for Pix, which officially launches this Friday. Financial system and retail representatives expect this functionality to streamline transactions at card machines, potentially driving a new wave of growth for the payment method."
OneKey Payments Launches First Pix Using Biometrics for ‘Bets’ in Brazil
Games Brazil
"OneKey is introducing Pix using biometrics in partnership with Belvo, a leader in Open Finance integrations in Latin America, to help companies recover conversion rates and cost-benefits that may have been impacted by the new regulations. This is the first technology that allows payments via open banking using facial recognition, offering a safer, faster and more efficient experience, in addition to reinforcing responsible gaming practices to avoid debt and gambling addiction."
February 27, 2025
On the web
Central Bank of Brazil: CBDC Privacy Problem Still Unresolved
Bitcoin News
"In a report detailing the outcome of the first phase of drex, the national CBDC pilot, the Central Bank of Brazil acknowledged that none of the anonymity and privacy solutions tested met the project’s needs."
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