Published Tuesday, 27 October, 4:34 p.m. ET · Source: Banco Central do Brasil
Key Facts
—The number. Pix, Brazil’s instant-payment system, carried 55.2% of 79.7 billion payments in the first half of 2026.
—The pace. Pix transactions grew 19.4% from a year earlier. Credit-card transactions grew 9.2%, debit cards 0.5%.
—The money. Brazil’s payments moved R$71.9 trillion (about US$13.5 trillion); the average Pix payment was R$459 (about US$86).
—The US angle. In July, Washington’s trade office said Brazil favours Pix, one of six complaints behind new 25% tariffs.
At a farmers’ market stall in Brazil, a handwritten sign reading “Pix!!!!” now does the work a cash register once did. Brazil’s central bank said on Tuesday that this free-to-use instant payment system carried 55.2% of all payments in the first half of 2026.
Pix, launched by the central bank in November 2020, lets people send money between bank accounts in seconds by scanning a QR code or typing a short key such as a phone number. The bank, the Banco Central do Brasil, counted 79.7 billion payments in the half-year, worth R$71.9 trillion (about US$13.5 trillion at 5.34 reais per dollar).
For readers in the United States, the figure is a measure of how quickly a country can leave cash and cards behind. It also sits at the centre of a trade dispute with Washington, which we explain below. Our Brazil economy guide puts the numbers in wider context.
Pix Passes Every Rival on Volume
Pix handled nearly 44 billion transactions in the six months, 19.4% more than a year earlier. Its share of all payments rose from 54.7% in the second half of 2025.
The average Pix payment was R$459 (about US$86), up 7% from a year earlier. Pix accounted for 28.1% of the total value moved, so it wins on number of payments rather than on size.
Size still belongs to the TED, a bank wire that people use for large transfers. It carried 32.7% of all value, the biggest share of any instrument.
Think of Pix as a public road run by the central bank, rather than a private toll road run by one company. That design lets small shops and street vendors accept payments without renting a card terminal.
Cards Hold Second Place, Cheques Fade
Cards made up 30.8% of payments, or 24.5 billion transactions. The number of credit-card transactions grew 9.2%, while debit cards rose 0.5% and prepaid cards 1.0%.
Cheques kept shrinking. Their value fell 16.2%, and they now make up 0.4% of the money moved, with 57.2 million cheques issued in the half-year.
Why Washington Cares About Pix
In July, the Office of the US Trade Representative, the American government’s trade negotiator, found that Brazilian practices on electronic payments were unfair to US companies. It said the central bank’s rules favour Pix over competing payment services, The finding was one of six areas in a wider action that ended with a 25% tariff on most imports from Brazil from 22 July.
Card networks such as Visa and Mastercard compete with Pix for everyday payments. The central bank’s figures show cards holding 30.8% of transactions.
What It Means for US Readers
Investors who hold Nubank (NU, a Brazilian digital bank listed in New York), Itaú (ITUB, one of Brazil’s biggest banks) or the iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ), a fund that tracks Brazilian stocks are exposed to a payments market that is moving to Pix. Travellers will see Pix signs at stalls and shops, as our photo shows.
The tariff dispute is the larger risk to watch. Any change to Pix rules could feature in talks between the two governments, but none has been announced.
What Is Not Known
The central bank has not said how the figures compare for cross-border payments, which are small. It is also unclear whether Washington will change its tariffs in response to the continued growth of Pix.
Sources
Banco Central do Brasil, payment means statistics · Banco Central do Brasil · Office of the US Trade Representative · Exchange rate: RT market data, USD/BRL 5.34 on 27 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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Frequently Asked Questions
What share of Brazil’s payments does Pix handle?
Pix handled 55.2% of Brazil’s payments in the first half of 2026, according to the central bank. That is nearly 44 billion transactions.
Is Pix bigger than credit cards in Brazil?
Yes by number of payments. Cards together made up 30.8% of payments, against 55.2% for Pix.