Payment Processing in Brazil

Pix accounted for 42% of Brazilian e-commerce spending by value in 2025, ahead of credit cards at 40%, according to the Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026. Pix is instant, works around the clock and is used by about 148 million people, some 86% of Brazilian adults, so a Brazilian checkout without it loses a large share of buyers.

Cards remain essential for higher amounts, because Brazilian shoppers are used to splitting a card purchase into monthly instalments, often without interest. Domestic card brands such as Elo and Hipercard sit next to Visa and Mastercard. Boleto, the bank payment slip, is still offered but is losing ground to Pix.

A foreign company does not need a Brazilian entity to accept Brazilian payments. It works through a Brazilian payment institution that collects in reais, through Pix, local cards and other methods, and settles to the merchant abroad. From 1 October 2026, under Central Bank of Brazil Resolution 561, providers of these international payment services, known as eFX, must be authorised by the Central Bank. Providers already offering these services without authorisation must apply by 31 May 2027 and must stop if they miss that deadline or are refused, so check your provider's status.

Charging a Brazilian card directly from abroad is simpler to set up but costs more in practice. Brazilian cardholders pay IOF tax of 3.5% on international card purchases, approval rates on cross-border transactions are lower, and instalments and domestic card brands are often not available. Local collection usually converts better.

Fixed-odds betting, covering sports bets and online casino games, is regulated by Law 14,790 of 2023, which amended Law 13,756 of 2018. The regulated market opened on 1 January 2025. The Secretariat of Prizes and Bets of the Ministry of Finance authorises operators to offer bets nationwide. State lotteries, such as Rio de Janeiro's, also license operators to take bets within their own state.

An authorisation costs R$30 million, lasts five years and covers up to three brands. The operator must be a Brazilian company whose main business is fixed-odds betting, with at least 20% of its capital held by a Brazilian shareholder, and federally authorised sites operate on the .bet.br domain. About 85 companies, with some 190 brands, held federal authorisations as of September 2026. The tax on gross gaming revenue rose from 12% to 13% for 2026 and is scheduled to rise to 14% in 2027 and 15% in 2028.

Ministry of Finance Ordinance 615 of 2024 sets out how money may move between players and operators. It is strict, and an acquirer or payment institution will check your setup against it.

• Allowed: Pix, TED bank transfers, debit cards and prepaid cards.
• Not allowed: credit cards, boleto, cash, cheques, crypto and payments from third parties.
• Deposits must come from an account in the player's own name, registered with the operator.
• Winnings may only be paid to the player's own pre-registered account at an institution in Brazil.
• Prizes must be paid within 120 minutes of the end of the event or game session.
• Player money must be held at institutions authorised by the Central Bank, separate from the operator's own funds.

Brazil enforces its betting rules through the payment system. Since March 2025, banks and payment institutions must not open or keep accounts for unlicensed operators, must block their transactions and must report suspicious cases within 24 hours. Since 1 January 2026, under Complementary Law 224/2025, a financial or payment institution that keeps processing for an unlicensed operator after formal notice can be held jointly liable for the taxes due. More than 25,000 illegal betting sites had been blocked by the end of 2025.

In practice, there is no longer a grey route into Brazilian betting through payments. Operators without a Brazilian authorisation should block Brazilian players, and any acquirer will expect to see that.

• For betting: your Ministry of Finance authorisation, the Brazilian operating company and its shareholders, and your .bet.br domains.
• For other merchants: your company documents, what you sell, your website and where you deliver.
• Which Brazilian methods you need: Pix, local cards, instalments, boleto.
• Expected volume in Brazil, average transaction size and how refunds are handled.
• Recent processing statements and dispute figures, if you already process.

Ecompayer is not a payment provider. You add your business, markets, volumes and the payment methods you need once, and your profile is matched with a payment provider that can collect from Brazilian customers for your business type. Your account is then prepared with that provider so you can start taking payments.

• Law 14,790/2023 and Law 13,756/2018; Ministry of Finance, SPA/MF Ordinances 615/2024, 827/2024 and 566/2025.
• Complementary Law 224/2025, published 26 December 2025.
• Central Bank of Brazil, Resolution BCB 561/2026 on eFX services.
• Decrees 12,466 and 12,467 of 2025 on IOF.
• Worldpay, Global Payments Report 2026, as reported by Poder360.
• Teletime, January 2026, on blocked betting sites; Metrópoles list of authorised betting companies, September 2026; Mattos Filho, Demarest and Lefosse client notes.