What is PIX?
PIX is Brazil’s official instant payment system, created, operated, and regulated by the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB). Unlike private payment networks, PIX is a national payment infrastructure built and governed by the Central Bank itself to modernize how money moves inside Brazil. (Banco Central do Brasil) With PIX:
Payments transact in seconds
It works 24/7, including weekends and holidays
It connects all banks, wallets, and payment institutions through one central system
It is designed to be fast, low-cost, secure, and highly available (Banco Central do Brasil)
Because PIX is built and governed by the Central Bank, it is:
A public national payment infrastructure
Highly regulated
Used nationwide by consumers, merchants, banks, fintechs, and government entities
📊 PIX by the Numbers (2025)
🇧🇷 Adoption & Reach
Over 170 million adult Brazilians use PIX, representing a vast majority of the adult population. (Agência Brasil)
More than 900 million PIX keys are registered (CPF, phone, email, random), meaning there are significantly more PIX identifiers than people. (Ceicdata)
💸 Transaction Volume & Frequency
From its launch through September 2025, PIX processed over 196 billion transactions, moving roughly R$ 84.9 trillion in value. (E-Commerce Brasil)
In 2025 alone up to October, PIX had already processed around R$ 28 trillion in transactions. (Agência Brasil)
PIX routinely surpasses 300 million transactions per day, with a record of 313.3 million transactions in a single 24-hour period. (Agência Brasil)
PIX accounts for more than 50 % of all electronic payment transactions in Brazil, showing its dominance over cards, TED, boleto, and other channels. (InfoMoney)
How PIX Works in Practice
PIX is not just an “instant transfer” method. It is a complete national payment infrastructure that connects Brazilian banks, wallets, and payment institutions through a central system operated by the Central Bank of Brazil.
Basic Flow
A merchant or platform generates a PIX payment (usually as a QR Code or a PIX key).
The payer opens their bank or wallet app and scans the QR Code (or enters the PIX key).
The payment is authorized in the payer’s app.
Funds are transferred in seconds.
The receiver is notified immediately.
The entire process usually takes less than 20 seconds. (Banco Central do Brasil)
Main Usage Scenarios
PIX is widely used across different business models:
E-commerce checkouts
Physical stores using static or dynamic QR Codes
Payment links
Invoices and bills
P2P (person-to-person) transfers
Marketplaces and platform payouts
For international products, PIX usually behaves like:
A real-time bank transfer
With the user experience of scanning a QR Code like a wallet payment
Key Roles in a PIX Transaction
Every PIX payment involves:
Payer: The person who sends the money
Receiver: The merchant, platform, or individual who receives it
Payer Bank/Wallet: The institution of the payer
Receiver Bank/Wallet: The institution of the receiver
Central Bank Infrastructure: Routes, validates, and settles the transaction
Identification of the Payer
In PIX:
The identity of the payer is only fully known after the payment is completed.
Before payment, the receiver only knows the amount and destination data.
This means it is not possible to block a specific payer before the payment happens — only after the transaction is processed.
This technical characteristic directly affects:
Fraud prevention
Compliance flows
Risk analysis
Compliance and Risk
Because PIX is instant, compliance decisions cannot happen before the transfer — only after the payment is completed.
Our model works as follows:
Our platform runs compliance and risk checks right after the PIX payment is completed.
If a payer fails internal or regulatory checks:
The payment is automatically refunded.
The payer is flagged as “Rejected” for future transactions.
This model exists because:
You cannot identify or block the payer before the transfer.
Risk and compliance decisions must happen after the transaction is known.
Availability
PIX is:
Available 24/7
Including weekends and holidays
With the same speed at any time
There is no concept of “banking hours” in PIX.
Regulation and Access to Payment Rails
Our platform is also 100% regulated by the Central Bank of Brazil. Being regulated allows us to:
Participate directly in the Brazilian payment ecosystem
Process PIX transactions through authorized infrastructure
Follow all technical and regulatory standards defined by the Central Bank
We do not operate as an unregulated intermediary. All payment flows follow rules defined by the Central Bank. Because:
PIX is created and operated by the Central Bank, and
Our platform is regulated by the Central Bank.
We have legitimate and compliant access to:
Official payment routes
Real-time transaction processing
Regulated financial infrastructure inside Brazil
This guarantees:
Compliance with Brazilian financial regulations
High reliability and stability
Alignment with national payment standards
How PIX Compares Internationally
For international readers, PIX is closest to:
Zelle (USA)
UPI (India)
Faster Payments (UK)
SEPA Instant (EU)
PIX stands out for:
Much broader consumer adoption (majority of adults use it)
Native and standardized QR Code payments
Massive use in retail and everyday transactions
24/7 operation and coverage of weekends/holidays