Overview
- The Central Bank on Monday, August 10, 2026 set a firm deadline requiring every virtual asset service provider to apply for authorization by October 30, 2026 or lose access to BCB‑supervised banking services.
- Applicants must include an independent 'reasonable assurance' audit that proves effective anti‑money‑laundering and sanctions controls and must meet minimum capital and operational standards.
- The licensing rules force custody segregation, cybersecurity measures, and capital floors ranging roughly from R$10.8 million to R$37.2 million, which will strain smaller operators and push consolidation.
- Separately the BCB published a precautionary measure to let VASPs hold selected outbound transfers above $10,000 for up to 24 hours starting Jan. 1, 2027 to give platforms time to detect fraud.
- Brazil’s market receives about $319 billion in on‑chain flows and is heavily stablecoin‑dependent, a fact the central bank cites as the reason it treats crypto as a monetary and foreign‑exchange policy issue rather than only consumer protection.