Trade friction between the United States and Brazil is extending to the area of payments. The United States plans to impose a 25 per cent tariff on most Brazilian imports from 22 July, and to include the Brazilian Immediate Payment System Pix in the relevant trade documents as one of the contentious matters. At the same time, the use of the dollar-stable currency in the digital assets market in Brazil continues to grow.
Pix is included in trade disputes
The final measures issued by the United States Trade Representative on July 15 resulted from a year-long “301 Survey”. The survey covered topics such as digital trade and electronic payments. In the view of the United States, part of Brazil ' s policy is at a disadvantage to United States electronic payment companies, and Pix is included in this context.
It is important to note that the United States does not tax Pix alone, but uses the issue of electronic payments as one of the reasons for imposing tariffs on Brazilian commodities.
Pix, launched by the Central Bank of Brazil in 2020, has become the local daily payment infrastructure. According to Central Bank of Brazil data, Pix processed 63 billion transactions in 2024, amounting to R$ 26.4 trillion. The system has also increased competitive pressure on banking card networks and other payment services.
The dollar has continued to expand.
The rapid development of local payment systems has been accompanied by a larger share of the dollar-stable currency in Brazil's encrypted market. The Central Bank of Brazil had previously indicated that the stabilization currency represented approximately 90 per cent of the country ' s declared flow of encrypted funds, which users usually used to pay and transfer value.
This trend has also begun to be integrated with local payment networks. In June, Oobit access Pix, supported by Tether, was available for deposit in Rayar, possession of USDT and payment through Pix key or 2-dimensional code. The stabilization currency is settled backstage and the front end is still in the form of payments that are familiar to Brazilian users.
In addition to Brazil, the dollar stabilization currency is being used more and more in other markets in Latin America. Crypto.news used Bitso data to claim that moored United States dollars in 2025 accounted for 40 per cent of its platform's encrypted purchases, higher than bitcoin.
Brazil restricts cross-border settlement use
The Brazilian regulatory authority does not prohibit the stable circulation of currency, but is restricting its access to the regulated cross-border payment settlement system. According to Central Bank of Brazil Resolution 561, virtual assets may not be used for payment settlements in regulated electronic foreign exchange channels.
This provision does not amount to a general prohibition of currency stabilization or encrypted transfers. At its core is the requirement that regulated electronic foreign exchange service providers, when dealing with related cross-border payments, must remain in officially recognized foreign exchange channels and cannot settle with digital assets.
This means that the stable currency can still circulate through exchanges, wallets, etc., but the regulated paying agencies still have to comply with Central Bank of Brazil foreign exchange rules in their international settlement operations.
Additional information:This measure by the United States placed the issue of electronic payments in a broader trade dispute with Brazil, without Pix being singled out for tax increases.