USD to BRL: funding and paying out in Brazil
Dollars sent from the US are converted into reais through an institution authorised by the Banco Central do Brasil to operate in the FX market, then paid to bank accounts and wallets over Pix, which runs 24/7. The main prefunding constraint is that the reais behind Pix payouts can only be topped up through STR on Brazilian business days, and from 1 October 2026 eFX providers must settle with foreign partners through an FX operation or a non-resident real account, with virtual assets prohibited.
| Origin | United States (USD) |
| Destination | Brazil (BRL) |
| Instant rails in Brazil | Pix |
| Holiday calendar | Brazil bank holidays 2026 and 2027 |
The market
- Brazil received US$4,227 million in personal transfers in 2025, against US$4,247 million in 2024 (Banco Central do Brasil balance of payments series). source
- Personal transfers from Brazilians in the United States reached US$2,252 million in 2025, up 3.21%, the highest in five years according to Banco Central do Brasil data. source
- December 2025 was the strongest month of the year for personal transfers received, at US$437.2 million, against a monthly range of US$304.4 million to US$393.9 million from January to November. source
How recipients get paid
| Method | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| bank account | dLocal supports payouts in Brazil via bank transfers and Pix; Pix payouts use a Pix key such as an email or the beneficiary's CPF. | source |
| bank account | Nium pays BRL to bank accounts at all banks in Brazil in real time, 24x7, and also offers proxy (Pix key) payouts. | source |
| mobile wallet | Thunes sends funds in real time via Pix to bank accounts and mobile wallets in Brazil. | source |
Payout rails in Brazil
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pix | Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) | 24 hours a day, every day, including weekends and holidays. | yes | source |
| STR (Sistema de Transferencia de Reservas) and TED | Banco Central do Brasil (BCB) | Business days, Brasilia time: interbank transfers 06:30 to 18:30; customer transfers (TED) 06:30 to 17:30. Shorter hours on 24 December and the last business day of the year. Closed Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. | no | source |
Funding from United States
| Rail | Operator | Hours and cut-offs | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fedwire Funds Service | Federal Reserve Banks | Business day opens 9:00 p.m. ET on the previous calendar day and closes 7:00 p.m. ET. Customer transfer cut-off is 6:45 p.m. ET (banks set earlier cut-offs for their own customers). Closed Saturdays, Sundays and Fed holidays. | source |
| FedACH (including Same Day ACH) | Federal Reserve Banks | Business days only. Same Day ACH transmission deadlines 10:30 a.m., 2:45 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. ET, settling at 1:00, 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. ET. Future-dated items settle 8:30 a.m. ET on the next business day. | source |
| FedNow Service | Federal Reserve Banks | 24 hours a day, every day, including Fed holidays; only between US institutions that have joined the service. | source |
| RTP network | The Clearing House | 24 hours a day, every day, including holidays; only between US institutions that have joined the network. | source |
FX and conversion
- Under Law 14,286 of 2021, operations in the Brazilian FX market can only be carried out through institutions authorised by the Banco Central do Brasil, and the exchange rate is freely agreed between them and their clients. source
- The PTAX reference rate is the average of four BCB polls of FX dealers, taken at random times within 10:00 to 10:10, 11:00 to 11:10, 12:00 to 12:10 and 13:00 to 13:10 Brasilia time. source
- Since 2 February 2026 (Resolution BCB 521), international payments or transfers made with virtual assets are treated as FX market operations. source
- Resolution BCB 561, in force from 1 October 2026, requires payments between an eFX provider and its foreign counterparty to be made only through an FX operation or a non-resident real account held in Brazil, and prohibits the use of virtual assets for that leg. source
Who pays out in Brazil
| Provider | What they offer here | Source |
|---|---|---|
| dLocal | Supports payouts in Brazil via bank transfers and Pix transfers, for B2C, B2B and P2P flows. | source |
| Nium | Pays BRL to bank accounts and by Pix proxy at all banks in Brazil, real time and 24x7. | source |
| Thunes | Connects to Pix, bank accounts and mobile wallets in Brazil through its Direct Global Network, sending funds in real time. | source |
| Bitso | Runs its Brazilian real operations through Nvio Brasil Instituicao de Pagamento Ltda., a payment institution regulated by the Banco Central do Brasil. | source |
Stablecoin routes
| Provider | Route | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Bitso Business | Runs Latin American mass payouts from a single balance to bank accounts in major LatAm countries, with currency conversion handled automatically; its guide lists Pix to a Pix key (tax ID, email, phone or random key) as Brazil's local rail. Stablecoin legs into Brazil fall under Resolution BCB 521, and eFX settlement with a foreign counterparty cannot use virtual assets from 1 October 2026 (Resolution BCB 561). | source |
Prefunding this corridor
- Fedwire and FedACH do not run on Saturdays, Sundays or Federal Reserve holidays, so USD funding of a foreign payout partner by wire stops on those days. source
- Pix pays out on weekends and holidays, but STR and TED run only on business days (STR interbank transfers 06:30 to 18:30 Brasilia time), so reais moved through STR for weekend payouts have to arrive before Friday's close. source
- Personal transfers into Brazil peaked in December in 2025 (US$437.2 million) and were lowest in February (US$304.4 million). source
Size the balance you hold in Brazil for payouts during your top-up lead time plus local closures. Check this corridor's runway and the Brazil holiday calendar.
Regulators
- Banco Central do Brasil (BCB): Authorises institutions to operate in the FX market and regulates eFX (cross-border payment or transfer services). Under Resolution BCB 561, authorised institutions providing eFX had to register the service in Unicad by 30 October 2026, and other eFX providers must apply by 31 May 2027 for authorisation as a payment institution (e-money issuer, post-paid instrument issuer or acquirer) to continue, or stop the service within 30 days. source
- Banco Central do Brasil (BCB), virtual assets: Authorises and supervises virtual asset service providers (SPSAVs) under Resolutions BCB 519 and 520, in force since 2 February 2026. source
- US state money transmission regulators (origin side): Sending money from the US needs a money transmitter licence in each state that requires one. At the end of 2024, 49 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico managed money services licences through NMLS. source
Seeing this corridor in Polynopsis
Polynopsis shows the balance at each Brazil payout partner, bank and wallet next to your USD funding accounts and the transfers in flight between them, and warns before the USD to BRL corridor runs dry.
Frequently asked questions
Can BRL payouts run on weekends?
Yes. Pix runs 24 hours a day including weekends and holidays. STR and TED only run on business days (STR interbank 06:30 to 18:30 Brasilia time), so the reais for weekend payouts have to be in the Pix settlement account before STR closes on Friday.
Can virtual assets such as stablecoins settle this corridor?
Not on the eFX settlement leg from 1 October 2026: Resolution BCB 561 requires eFX providers to settle with their foreign counterparty only through an FX operation or a non-resident real account in Brazil, and prohibits virtual assets for that leg. Since 2 February 2026, international payments made with virtual assets count as FX market operations.
Which reference rate applies to USD/BRL?
PTAX, the BCB average of four dealer polls taken between 10:00 and 13:10 Brasilia time on business days.
How large is the US to Brazil remittance flow?
Brazil received US$4,227 million in personal transfers in 2025, of which US$2,252 million came from the United States, according to Banco Central do Brasil data.
Other corridors
Sources
- Renda secundaria: transferencias pessoais, mensal, receita (SGS 22846) · Banco Central do Brasil
- Com deportacoes em alta, imigrantes ampliam envio de dinheiro ao Brasil · Poder360
- Brazil payouts · dLocal
- Payouts to Brazil · Nium Atlas
- The race to own digital payments in Brazil · Thunes
- Pix · Banco Central do Brasil
- Grades de horarios do SPB · Banco Central do Brasil
- Fedwire Funds Service and National Settlement Service Operating Hours · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- FedACH Processing Schedule · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- About the FedNow Service · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- RTP network · The Clearing House
- Lei no 14.286, de 29 de dezembro de 2021 (FX market law) · Presidencia da Republica, Planalto
- A taxa de cambio de referencia Ptax (Estudo Especial 42/2019) · Banco Central do Brasil
- Banco Central detalha regras sobre ativos virtuais · Banco Central do Brasil
- Resolucao BCB no 561, de 30 de abril de 2026 (eFX) · Diario Oficial da Uniao, Imprensa Nacional
- 2024 NMLS Money Services Businesses Report · Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS)
- Compliance and governance · Bitso
- Stablecoins for business payments: seller payouts · Bitso Business
- Holiday Schedules · Federal Reserve Financial Services
Know where all your money is.
Polynopsis gives cross-border payment teams one live position across every bank, payout partner, exchange and wallet, including money in flight, and warns before a corridor runs dry.