Sending money from the United States to Brazil: the payments stack
Sending USD 200 from the United States to Brazil cost 5.63% of the amount on average in Q3 2025, across 32 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 10 weekdays when banks in the United States are closed but Brazil keeps paying out, so the payout balance has to be funded before them.
| Average cost to send | 5.63% of USD 200 (Q3 2025, World Bank RPW) source |
| Money transfer operators | 5.78% across 30 services |
| Banks | 3.29% across 2 services |
| Collect in United States | FedNow Service, FedNow network limit, RTP network, Fedwire Funds Service, FedACH and Same Day ACH, Same Day ACH limit |
| Pay out in Brazil | Pix, STR (Sistema de Transferencia de Reservas) and TED |
| Corridor playbook | USD to BRL: funding and prefunding |
What it costs to send USD 200
The World Bank surveyed 32 services sending from the United States to Brazil from 1 August 2025 to 3 September 2025. The average total cost, fees plus the FX margin, was 5.63% of the amount sent; money transfer operators averaged 5.78% and banks 3.29%. source
Bank and operator averages are worked out from the survey's provider types.
The send side: the United States
- With few exceptions, each money services business must register with the US Treasury through FinCEN by filing FinCEN Form 107 within 180 days of being established, and must renew the registration every two years; a business that is an MSB only because it acts as agent of another MSB does not register. source
- Money transmission is also licensed state by state. As of September 2026, 31 states have enacted the CSBS Money Transmission Modernization Act in full or in part, and money transmitters licensed in at least one adopting state account for 99% of reported money transmission activity. source
- The Money Transmission Modernization Act sets a minimum tangible net worth of the greater of US$100,000 or 3% of total assets for the first US$100 million, 2% of assets from US$100 million to US$1 billion and 0.5% of assets above US$1 billion, and encourages states to run licensing, surety bonds and reporting through NMLS. source
Licences, sponsor banks, collections, ramps and KYC providers: sending from the United States.
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 10 dates when the United States is closed and Brazil is open, the payout balance has to already hold enough to cover them. On the 13 dates when Brazil is closed, instant rails may still pay out.
| Date | United States | Brazil | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Open | Dia de Finados (All Souls' Day) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 20 Nov 2026 | Open | Dia da Consciencia Negra | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 26 Nov 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | Natal (Christmas Day) | Both closed |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | Confraternizacao Universal (New Year's Day) | Both closed |
| Mon 18 Jan 2027 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, 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 |
| Mon 15 Feb 2027 | Washington's Birthday (Presidents Day) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Open | Sexta-feira da Paixao (Good Friday) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Wed 21 Apr 2027 | Open | Tiradentes | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 27 May 2027 | Open | Corpus Christi | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Memorial Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 5 Jul 2027 | Independence Day (observed) | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 6 Sep 2027 | Labor Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Tue 7 Sep 2027 | Open | Independencia do Brasil | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Mon 11 Oct 2027 | Columbus Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| 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 |
| Thu 11 Nov 2027 | Veterans Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Mon 15 Nov 2027 | Open | Proclamacao da Republica | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| Thu 25 Nov 2027 | Thanksgiving Day | Open | Prefund Brazil the day before: no funding from the United States, payouts continue |
| Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Open | Christmas Eve (shortened STR day) | Brazil banks closed: only always-on rails pay out |
| 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 States and Brazil. Size the buffer with the corridor runway calculator.
Funding the corridor
- Fedwire does not run on Saturdays, Sundays or Federal Reserve holidays; the Monday business day opens at 9:00 p.m. ET on Sunday and every business day closes at 7:00 p.m. ET, with customer transfers cut off at 6:45 p.m. ET. source
- Federal Reserve holidays in the rest of 2026 are Veterans Day (11 November), Thanksgiving (26 November) and Christmas (Friday 25 December); in 2027, Juneteenth (19 June) and Christmas (25 December) fall on Saturdays, so the Reserve Banks open on the Friday before. 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 States, 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 States to Brazil?
The World Bank's survey put the average total cost of sending USD 200 at 5.63% in Q3 2025, across 32 services. Money transfer operators averaged 5.78%.
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 10 weekdays when the United States is closed and Brazil is open, the first on Wed 11 Nov 2026. The payout balance has to cover those days before they start.
Related corridors
Sources
- World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide dataset · World Bank
- Holiday Schedules (Federal Reserve Banks, 2026 to 2030, plus FedACH holiday processing) · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- Fedwire Funds Service and National Settlement Service Operating Hours · Federal Reserve Financial Services
- 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.