Sending money from the United Kingdom to Brazil: the payments stack
Sending GBP 120 from the United Kingdom to Brazil cost 3.86% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 29 services in the World Bank's Remittance Prices Worldwide survey. Payouts in Brazil typically run over Pix, STR (Sistema de Transferencia de Reservas) and TED; between now and the end of 2027 there are 13 weekdays when banks in the United Kingdom are closed but Brazil keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 3.86% of GBP 120 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 3.71% across 25 services |
| Collect in United Kingdom | Faster Payments, CHAPS, Bacs (Direct Credit and Direct Debit) |
| Pay out in Brazil | Pix, STR (Sistema de Transferencia de Reservas) and TED |
What it costs to send GBP 120
The World Bank surveyed 29 services sending from the United Kingdom to Brazil from 8 August 2025 to 29 August 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 3.86% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 3.71%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United Kingdom
- Money remittance and the execution of credit transfers and direct debits are payment services under the Payment Services Regulations 2017; a firm providing them must be an authorised payment institution or a small payment institution unless it is already another type of payment service provider or is exempt. Issuing e-money requires authorisation or registration under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011. source
- Initial capital for an authorised payment institution is 20,000 euros for money remittance only, 50,000 euros for payment initiation and 125,000 euros for the services in paragraphs 1(a) to (e) of Schedule 1, such as executing payment transactions (PSRs 2017, Schedule 3). source
- An authorised e-money institution needs initial capital of at least 350,000 euros; a small e-money institution with average outstanding e-money of 500,000 euros or more holds at least 2% of that amount (EMRs 2011, Schedule 2). source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United Kingdom.
The payout side: Brazil
| Payout partner | What it does in Brazil | Source |
|---|---|---|
| dLocal · our guide | Supports payouts in Brazil in BRL via bank transfers and Pix transfers, with B2B parameters and full CPF validation of beneficiaries. | source |
| EBANX | Pays out in Brazil by Pix (published SLA under 2 minutes), Mercado Pago (under 2 minutes) and TED bank transfer (up to 3 days), to bank details or a Pix key. | source |
| Nium · our guide | Pays BRL to bank accounts at all banks in Brazil and by proxy payout, listed as instant with real-time, 24x7 availability. | source |
| Thunes · our guide | Connects businesses to Pix, bank accounts and mobile wallets in Brazil through its Direct Global Network, to send and collect funds in real time. | source |
Licensing, local banks, stablecoin ramps, FX and KYC in Brazil: launching payments in Brazil.
Payout rails in Brazil
| Rail | Operator | What matters for payouts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pix | Banco Central do Brasil | Instant payment system created by the BCB that moves money between current, savings and prepaid accounts in seconds, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; free for individuals and low cost for companies. | source |
| STR (Sistema de Transferencia de Reservas) and TED | Banco Central do Brasil | Business days only, Brasilia time: STR interbank transfers 06:30 to 18:30 and customer transfers (TED) 06:30 to 17:30. On 24 December (when a business day) STR interbank closes at 13:00 and TED at 12:30; on the last business day of the year they close at 13:00 and 12:00. Not available on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays. | source |
Holiday gaps to plan for, to December 2027
Weekdays when one side of the corridor is closed. On the 13 dates when the United Kingdom is closed and Brazil is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 12 dates when Brazil is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United Kingdom | Brazil | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Open | Dia de Finados (All Souls' Day) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Fri 20 Nov 2026 | Open | Dia da Consciencia Negra | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Natal (Christmas Day) | Both closed |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Confraternizacao Universal (New Year's Day) | Both closed |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 8 Feb 2027 | Open | Carnaval (Monday) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 9 Feb 2027 | Open | Carnaval (Tuesday) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | Sexta-feira da Paixao (Good Friday) | Both closed |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Wed 21 Apr 2027 | Open | Tiradentes | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Thu 27 May 2027 | Open | Corpus Christi | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 7 Sep 2027 | Open | Independencia do Brasil | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 12 Oct 2027 | Open | Nossa Senhora Aparecida | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 2 Nov 2027 | Open | Dia de Finados (All Souls' Day) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 15 Nov 2027 | Open | Proclamacao da Republica | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Open | Christmas Eve (shortened STR day) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United Kingdom, payouts continue |
| Fri 31 Dec 2027 | Open | Ultimo dia util do ano (last business day of the year) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
Full calendars: United Kingdom and Brazil. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Faster Payments is available to customers 24/7, but net settlement between participants takes place in the Bank of England RTGS system three times each business day. source
- CHAPS does not run on weekends or England and Wales bank holidays, and the customer payment deadline is 17:40, so any same-day sterling funding of an overseas account must be instructed before then. source
- Pix pays out on weekends and holidays, but STR and TED run only on business days (STR interbank 06:30 to 18:30 Brasilia time), so reais moved through STR for weekend payouts have to arrive before Friday's close. source
- STR closes early at year end: on 24 December (when a business day) interbank transfers close at 13:00 and TED at 12:30, and on the last business day of the year at 13:00 and 12:00. source
- An eFX provider without a BCB reserve or settlement account must receive reais from senders and deliver reais to recipients only through a single-purpose account at an FX-authorised institution, and it cannot net reais received against reais delivered. source
Running the corridor
Polynopsis shows every balance on both sides of this corridor in one live position: the collection accounts in United Kingdom, the payout partners and banks in Brazil and any stablecoin in between. It warns before the Brazil balance runs dry, holidays included. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to send money from the United Kingdom to Brazil?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending GBP 120 at 3.86% in Q3 2025, across 29 services. Money transfer operators averaged 3.71%.
Which rails pay out in Brazil?
Local payouts run over Pix, STR (Sistema de Transferencia de Reservas) and TED.
When do I need to prefund Brazil payouts ahead of holidays?
Between now and December 2027 there are 13 weekdays when the United Kingdom is closed and Brazil is open, the first on Mon 30 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- UK bank holidays (JSON feed) · GOV.UK
- UK bank holidays · GOV.UK
- Feriados bancarios e expediente especial ao publico · FEBRABAN
- Pix · Banco Central do Brasil
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.