Five Years On, Pix Dominates Payments in Brazil as Central Bank Tightens Security Rules

Overview

• Brazil’s Central Bank advanced mandatory authorization for fintechs to March 2026, set a R$15,000 per-transaction cap for certain participants, and ordered the cancellation of improper pooled accounts after roughly R$1 billion was diverted via compromised institutions.
• Pix now accounts for 51.2% of all payment operations and is used regularly by about 90% of adults, with monthly activity nearing 7 billion transactions, according to official data.
• Transactions via Pix reached R$28 trillion through October 2025, putting the system on pace to approach R$30 trillion for the year, the Central Bank reported.
• The shift toward everyday use pushed the average transfer value down to about R$188–190, coincided with more than 26.4 million newly banked people, and delivered an estimated R$117 billion in savings over five years.
• Banks advocate retention windows or nighttime limits to curb fraud, fintechs warn against eroding instantaneity, and regulators are preparing MED 2.0 along with rules for Pix Parcelado and Pix Internacional.