Pix
Pix is Brazil's instant payment system, created and run by the Banco Central do Brasil, which moves money between accounts in seconds, 24 hours a day, every day. It launched on 16 November 2020.
Jurisdiction: Brazil: operated by the Banco Central do Brasil. Usage figures for September 2026 as published by the central bank.
How it works
More than 150 million individuals used Pix in September 2026. That month it carried more than 7.8 billion transactions worth more than R$3.8 trillion, over three times Brazil's monthly GDP. The single-day record is 318,116,744 transactions, set on 4 September 2026.
The central bank owns and operates Pix, and the BIS notes that it mandates participation by large banks. Features added since launch include Pix Saque and Pix Troco for cash withdrawals, precautionary blocking and the Special Return Mechanism (MED). The central bank publishes the list of participating institutions, most recently on 27 October 2026.
Pix pays out on weekends and holidays. A remittance firm whose conversions into reais settle only on business days must therefore fund weekend Pix payouts before the weekend starts. Corridor runway into Brazil depends on Friday funding, not on Pix itself.
Example
A firm pays out R$2,000,000 a day in Brazil through Pix, seven days a week. Its dollar to real conversions settle only on business days. By Friday it needs R$2,000,000 for Friday plus R$4,000,000 for Saturday and Sunday, so its Brazilian account must hold R$6,000,000 once the last conversion of the week settles on Friday.
Frequently asked questions
Does Pix work at weekends?
Yes. Pix runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The constraint at weekends is funding, because foreign exchange into reais settles on business days.
Who runs Pix?
The Banco Central do Brasil, which created the system, owns it and operates it.
Where Polynopsis fits
Polynopsis shows the real balance at each partner that pays out over Pix, next to the payouts expected against it, with a warning before it runs short.
Compared with
Related terms
Sources
- Pix · Banco Central do Brasil
- Fast payments: design and adoption, BIS Quarterly Review, March 2024 · Bank for International Settlements
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.
About Polynopsis
Polynopsis is liquidity management software for cross-border payment companies. The name joins poly, many, and synopsis, a seeing together: one live view of money spread across many banks, payout partners, exchanges and stablecoin wallets, including money in flight, with a warning before any corridor runs dry.
Why it is called Polynopsis · About Polynopsis · Glossary · Corridor runway calculator