Mar
Pix in Brazil: What to Expect in 2025 and beyond
In recent years, there has been a lot of buzz around Pix in Brazil. The instant payment system by the Central Bank of Brazil, also referred to in the industry parlance as Brazil’s RTP (real-time payment) system or Brazil’s A2A (account-to-account) scheme, was a milestone in the Brazilian market. Several countries have already expressed an interest in knowing more about the case of Pix in Brazil and how this payment system model could be replicated.
It was in November 2020 the launch of Pix in Brazil. Since then, the number of transactions and the volume handled by the system have continued to grow in the various use cases it made possible. The RTP operates 24/7 and relies on a sophisticated technological infrastructure developed and managed by the Central Bank of Brazil, which in addition to being the operator of the scheme connecting all Pix participants, is also the regulator that establishes Pix’s operating rules.
According to the Central Bank’s director of Financial System Organization and Resolution, Renato Dias Gomes, a variety of factors have helped to boost the use of Pix in Brazil, including the standardization of the user experience, the mandatory participation of the country’s largest banks, the fact that it is free of charge, the variety of use cases it allows, and also the timing of its launch, during the Covid-19 pandemic.1
Since day one of Pix in Brazil, P2P transactions have been the great driving force of the payment system growth, meeting the needs of person-to-person transactions, instantly, quickly, and free of charge – just as envisioned by the Central Bank of Brazil. Over time, other use cases gained momentum, especially payments to retailers, both offline and online. Adoption in e-commerce, which took some time with platforms having to adapt their hardware and payment systems to accept the new method, is now ubiquitous — from the country’s large retailers to informal merchants, the majority accept Pix.
Pix in Brazil: Updated Statistics
Most of the data related to Pix can be accessed on a page on the Central Bank of Brazil website.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Transactions | 9.4 billions | 24.0 billions | 42.0 billions | 63.4 billions |
| Volume BRL | 5.2 trillions | 10.9 trillions | 17.2 trillions | 26.4 trillions |
| Volume USD$ | 962 billions | 2.1 trillions | 3.3 trillions | 4.6 trillions |
There are nine use cases for Pix in Brazil involving three types of users, people, companies and Government, and through Pix’s statistics in Brazil it is possible to evaluate the participation of each of these use cases, both in terms of the number of transactions and the volume transacted.
In the first full operational quarter of Pix in Brazil (Q1 2021), the biggest share of transactions was P2P (79%), followed by people-to-business or P2B (10%), and business-to-people or B2P (9%). In volume transacted, P2P accounted for 44%, B2B for 35% and B2P for 12%.
In the first quarter of 2025 (the latest data available), most transactions continued to be P2P, but now accounting for 46% of the total, followed by P2B (41%) and B2P (9%) operations. As for the total volume transacted, an important change took place: the largest amount now belongs to the B2B transactions, which represent 46% of the total, followed by P2P operations (28%). B2P transactions still represent 12% of the total.
These changes in the participation of use cases in the system reflect a learning curve for the population with Pix. It is typical of RTP systems like Pix that its adoption begins with P2P transactions and gradually expands to other usage situations.
On April 6, 2024, Pix broke its new transaction record in a single day, with 250.5 million transactions processed and BRL 124.4 billion handled. When comparing this volume with the size of the country’s adult population (162.9 million), it becomes clear how much Pix is already part of Brazilians’ daily lives.
Individuals
| Signed up for Pix | 165.04 millions |
| Received a Pix payment | 160 millions |
| Made a Pix payment | 156.6 millions |
Businesses
| Signed up for Pix | 19.2 millions |
| Received a Pix payment | 17.8 millions |
| Made a Pix payment | 18.2 millions |
PCMI has been following Brazil’s RTP’s evolution since before its launch and is exceptionally well-placed to answer any questions about Pix in Brazil, from consumer behavior aspects to the system’s gradual acceptance and the impact it has had on cash and other payment methods.
Pix developments: What to Expect in 2025 and beyond
Pix’s latest advances in Brazil have enabled the development of a series of applications by different players. In conjunction with the implementation of Open Finance and other regulations, it continues to attract market attention and be a global example of the success of an RTP or A2A system.
Pix Agendado
Definition: a transfer initiated and managed by the payer.
Pix agendado was launched in October/2014, but the Central Bank granted a deadline until April 2025 so that institutions that did not yet offer the tool could adapt.
Pix Agendado
The “Scheduled Pix” is a transfer scheduled by the payer (who can be a person or a business) to take place on a certain date.
Pix Agendado Recorrente
The “Recurring Scheduled Pix” is a transfer scheduled by the payer to be made at certain intervals with a fixed amount, such as, for example, the payment of rent or of pocket money for children.
Pix por aproximação (contactless Pix)
Definition: a transaction method that allows payments using Pix through contactless technology.
Launched on February 28, 2025.
Pix por Aproximação (Contactless Pix) is a new feature that allows users to make instant payments by simply tapping their smartphone on a compatible terminal. This innovation brings the convenience of contactless payments to Brazil’s widely used Pix system.
Unlike traditional Pix transactions, which require scanning a QR code or manually entering payment details, Pix por Aproximação leverages NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, making the process faster and more seamless. To activate this functionality, users must register their Pix key in their smartphone’s operating system wallet and enable the feature within their bank or digital wallet app. The payment experience is similar to contactless card transactions, allowing users to complete purchases with just a tap.
Currently, Pix por Aproximação is only available for Android users through Google Wallet and can be used on payment terminals from Azulzinha, Bin, Cielo, Fiserv, Getnet, Mercado Pago, PagBank, Rede (Itaú), Safra Pay, Sicredi, Stone, and SumUp.
Pix Automático
Definition: a collection transaction initiated and managed by the recipient (exclusively for companies).
Pix Automático or “Automatic Pix” is a new feature set to be officially launched at June of 2025. It is designed to democratize the population’s access to recurring payments, which today can be executed through two methods: automatic direct debit or credit cards.
In Brazil, automatic debit requires that both the payee and the payer have a bank account at the same institution, which also makes it difficult for small companies to offer it as a form of payment. Credit cards, in turn, are a method still restricted to a smaller part of the population.
With Pix Automático, the payee (business) will set up a recurring billing instruction that must be authorized by the payer so that recurring transactions can be made directly from the payer’s account, with a fixed or variable amount. Some examples of using Pix Automático are paying school fees (fixed amounts) or paying electricity and water bills (variable amounts).
Pix Internacional
Definition: a connection between Pix and other RTP or A2A cross-border schemes.
The success of Pix in Brazil has attracted the attention of several countries, with companies trying to innovate with the use of the system for international payments.
In June 2023, US-based payment processor Fiserv launched a solution to enable Pix payments in Argentina, targeting Brazilian tourists. This solution is enabled at Fiserv POS via QR Code but remains an international transaction, with Brazilians having to pay the tax on international transactions (IOF). Its most significant advantage is that it is concluded instantly. Available in Uruguay as well, Fiserv wants to launch the solution in the US in 2025.2,3
However, solutions like Fiserv still rely on intermediary infrastructures to settle payments to merchants offering them as a payment method. Pix does not yet have international integration with other payment systems, although this is already being studied.
In November 2023, in an article published by the BIS on the entity’s relationship with the Brazilian monetary authority, the Chairman of the Central Bank of Brazil, Roberto Campos Neto, said that “the next step will be the integration of Pix and the internationalization of the currency, allowing customers to make instant international payments”.4 In the following month, during the G20 meeting, Campos Neto reiterated saying the Central Bank.5 With a possible integration between central banks through the BIS, it will be possible in the future to establish an international instant payment system, and since Pix is a benchmark when it comes to RTP, it will most likely be used as a foundation.
Next Steps
If you want to know more about Pix and how to use the system to leverage your business in Brazil and beyond, contact us!
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Sources:
- InfoMoney. Depósito de “bem-estar”, Abr 2024. ↩︎
- Marek, L. (April 4, 2024). “Fiserv to let Brazilians use Pix in US“. PaymentsDive ↩︎
- Ribeiro, M. (June 13, 2024). “Fiserv permitirá pagamentos com Pix na Argentina“. Valor-Globo ↩︎
- Roberto de Oliveira Campos Neto, 2023. “The BIS and Banco Central do Brasil relationship: lessons learned and challenges ahead,” BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Central banking in the Americas: Lessons from two decades, volume 127, pages 41-54, Bank for International Settlements. ↩︎
- Verdélio, A. (December 7, 2023). “No G20, Banco Central quer criar regras para pagamentos internacionais“. Agência Brasil para pagamentos internacionais ↩︎
MRC. The evolution of Pix in Brazil, Jan 2024.
Consumidor Moderno. O futuro do dinheiro é o Pix, Fev 2024.
Valor. Pix automático “passa por uma fase difícil”, Abr 2024.
Valor. Entenda o que são Pix automático, Pix no open finance, transferência inteligente e agendamento recorrente, Abr 2024.
