Brazil Bans Crypto; Meta Starts USDC Payouts in Colombia
Brazil’s central bank will bar cryptocurrencies in regulated cross-border payments from Oct. 1; Meta is piloting USDC payouts to creators in Colombia and the Philippines.
On April 30, the Central Bank of Brazil published Resolution No. 561, which bans the use of cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins and bitcoin, in regulated cross-border payments. The rule amends prior regulations on international transfer services and takes effect Oct. 1.
Resolution No. 561 requires cross-border transactions carried out by regulated institutions to be executed exclusively through a foreign exchange transaction or by movement in a non-resident’s Brazilian real account held in Brazil. The text explicitly prohibits the use of virtual assets in those regulated cross-border payment operations and separately lists “virtual assets” as a distinct category of transactions.
The prohibition applies to institutions that provide cross-border payment and exchange services under Brazil’s regulatory framework. The Oct. 1 effective date gives covered firms a deadline to change the rails they use for regulated international payments.
A 2025 report from Latin American exchange Bitso, based on activity from nearly 10 million customers in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, found that about 40% of crypto purchases involved dollar-pegged stablecoins. USDC accounted for roughly 23% of purchases in 2025, bitcoin 18% and USDT 16%.
Meta has begun a pilot allowing qualifying creators in Colombia and the Philippines to receive payouts in USDC. Creators can connect a compatible crypto wallet to their Meta payout account and receive earnings on the Solana or Polygon networks.
Stripe is the primary backend partner for the pilot. The company acquired stablecoin infrastructure firm Bridge and was selected after Meta issued requests for proposals to third-party providers in February 2026.
Meta previously pursued a company-backed cryptocurrency project, first announced as Libra and later renamed Diem, between 2019 and 2022. That project ended after regulatory opposition in the United States and Europe.
The Brazilian resolution and the Meta payout pilot take effect amid increased stablecoin usage in Latin America and differing regulatory approaches to crypto in the region.
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