About 120 crypto asset service providers in Brazil must submit licensing applications before 30/10, along with an independence assurance report and minimum capital of 2.6-7 million USD.
Brazil, one of the world’s largest crypto asset markets, is entering a final stretch to bring all activities in this sector under official regulatory oversight before 30/10/2026.
According to a recent report from blockchain security company CertiK, based on Chainalysis data, Brazil currently ranks fifth globally in terms of real-world crypto asset adoption, with $318.8 billion in on-chain transaction value recorded over the 12 months up to June 2025.
Notably, nearly one-third of total crypto asset activity in Latin America takes place through Brazil’s wallets and platforms, with a scale nearly twice the combined totals of the next two markets, Argentina and Mexico.
The regulatory framework was built on Law No. 14,478/2022 and was further specified on 10/11/2025, when the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) issued three resolutions at the same time to define the entities that must be licensed, set minimum capital levels, and bring crypto asset activities within the scope of foreign exchange regulations.
Accordingly, all virtual asset service providers (VASPs) must submit licensing applications by the deadline, together with a reasonable assurance report prepared by an audit firm registered with the securities regulator, confirming that anti–money laundering control mechanisms work effectively in practice rather than merely being compliance statements.
Minimum capital requirements range from about 10.8 million to 37.2 million reais, equivalent to 2–6.7 million USD depending on the license type; at the same time, the BCB also bans the use of shared workspaces as the registered headquarters.
A report estimates that around 120 providers are serving the market today, most of which do not yet have official licenses, while foreign companies that previously operated through foreign legal entities are required to bring activities into the country within 270 days.
Why is the central bank acting at this time
The main driving force behind this regulatory effort lies in Brazil’s special position as a “stablecoin country,” where about 80% of crypto asset transaction volume is reportedly carried out through USD-pegged tokens; USDT alone accounts for as much as 88.7% of this transaction flow, and total stablecoin activity reached 1,130 billion reais in the 2019–2025 period.
CertiK believes that when most capital flows into crypto assets go through instruments pegged to foreign currencies, the issue is no longer simply about protecting consumers but has become a matter of monetary policy—explaining why it is the Central Bank itself, not the capital markets regulator, that is driving this entire legal framework.
Risk security context also contributes to the urgency of the regulation. Under CertiK’s Hack3d system, the global crypto asset sector has suffered $1.32 billion in losses due to 344 attack and vulnerability exploitation incidents in the first half of 2026, including wallet breaches causing $444.5 million in damage and online phishing fraud attacks causing $366.3 million.
Marcos Rocha, from the law firm Veirano Advogados, warned that the market has underestimated the amount of work needed to prepare licensing applications, while Antônio Neto of the Solana Foundation noted a trend of projects shifting operations to licensed entities rather than applying for their own permits, indicating that Brazil’s market structure is moving toward more tightly managed infrastructure.