Brazil central bank to license crypto firms from Feb. 2026

Firms will need central bank authorization and must follow financial‑sector standards on customer protection, governance, internal controls, anti–money laundering and counter‑terrorism financing, compliance and risk management. Providers must maintain cybersecurity policies and incident response plans.

The framework divides firms into three groups: intermediaries, custodians and brokers. Companies that implement the required safeguards can apply for authorization to operate. Those that fail to meet the standards will be barred from providing services once the rules take effect.

The central bank set treatment for fiat‑pegged stablecoins and cross‑border crypto use under Brazil’s foreign‑exchange regulation. Purchases and sales of stablecoins, and virtual‑asset transfers or settlements for international operations, will follow FX rules. Payments or transfers involving an unauthorized counterparty will be limited to $100,000.

Regulators established a transition period. Companies will have nine months to fully adapt after the rules take effect, according to CNN Brasil. Institutions that remain out of compliance by November 2026 must cease operations.

Gilneu Vivan, the central bank’s director of regulation, described the rules as “designed to help prevent scams, fraud and money laundering using cryptocurrencies.”

As GNcrypto reported, Brazil’s net crypto inflow rose 60.7% year over year in January–September 2024 to $12.9 billion. Brazil ranked 10th in Chainalysis’s 2024 Global Crypto Adoption Index, and local tax data indicated USD stablecoins accounted for nearly 70% of transactions that year. Brazil’s central bank president Roberto Campos Neto said the bank aimed to regulate stablecoins by 2025.