Payments/BR
Brazil
ISO BR · 3 schemes
Summary
- Pix 153M users (75% population)
- 42B transactions in 2023
- R$17.2T annual turnover
- Cash drop 43% to 6% (2019-2024)
- Free for individuals 0.33% business
Banking landscape
Central Bank
- Name: Banco Central do Brasil (BCB)
- Website: https://www.bcb.gov.br/
- Role: Monetary policy, Pix operator
Major Banks (2024)
| Rank | Bank Name | Type | Digital Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Itaú Unibanco | Private | Itaú App |
| 2 | Banco do Brasil | State | BB App |
| 3 | Bradesco | Private | Bradesco App |
| 4 | Santander Brasil | International | Santander App |
| 5 | Caixa Econômica | State | Caixa App |
Market Structure
- Pix: Dominant system
- Nubank: 100M+ customers
- Fintechs: Thriving
- Cards: Declining share
Payment infrastructure
National Payment Systems
| System | Operator | Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pix | BCB | Instant/QR | 153M users |
| STR | BCB | RTGS | Active |
| SILOC/SITRAF | Banks | ACH | Active |
| Card networks | Visa/MC | Cards | Active |
Pix Platform
- Launched November 2020
- 24/7/365 operation
- Instant settlement
- Free for individuals
- QR code primary method
Record Performance
- 250.5M transactions (April 6, 2024)
- R$124.4B in single day
- 93% adult population usage
- 47% of all financial transactions
QR code standards
Pix QR
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Operator | BCB |
| Launch | November 2020 |
| Users | 153M+ |
| Companies | 15M+ |
Pix QR Types
- Static QR: Merchant display
- Dynamic QR: Transaction-specific
- Copia e Cola: Text code
- Pix Key: Phone/email/CPF
Transaction Flow
- Scan merchant QR
- Enter amount (if static)
- Confirm payment
- Instant settlement
Mobile payment apps
| App | Provider | QR | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| All bank apps | Banks | Yes | Full Pix |
| Nubank | Nubank | Yes | Neobank |
| PicPay | PicPay | Yes | Wallet |
| Mercado Pago | MercadoLibre | Yes | Commerce |
Usage Statistics
- 93% adult population
- 62% most frequent method
- 67.6% low-value payments
- Cards surpassed for P2B
Cash Replacement
- 2019: 43% used cash
- 2024: 6% use cash
- Dramatic transformation
- Google survey data
Schemes
| Scheme | Type | Symbology | Adoption | Technical standard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pix QR | Instant | BCB | 153M users | pix |
| Pix Key | Alias | BCB | Universal | pix |
| Card QR | EMV | Networks | Declining | — |
Sources
Full country report
Schemes
Standards
Primary · 3
Mentioned · 1