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South America / Verified 2026-07-14

Is crypto legal in Brazil?

Legal

Brazil regulates crypto under a dedicated law — the Marco Legal dos Criptoativos (Lei 14.478/2022) — with the Central Bank (BCB) as primary regulator. As of February 2, 2026, detailed BCB licensing rules (Resolutions 519, 520, and 521, published Nov 10, 2025) took effect, formally licensing exchanges and custodians rather than leaving the sector unregulated.

Tax treatment

Ativo virtual / bem e direito (capital asset) — not currency or a security

Receita Federal treats crypto as a taxable capital asset. Profit from disposal is capital gains tax on the same progressive schedule as other assets (15%-22.5% under Lei 7.713/88), with monthly sales under R$35,000 exempt. Crypto held on foreign exchanges is taxed under a separate 'offshore' regime since Lei 14.754/2023.

Monthly capital-gains DARF payment required whenever sales exceed R$35,000/month, calculated via the Receita Federal GCAP program and declared annually in the IRPF under 'Bens e Direitos' Group 08. All transactions over R$30,000/month must be reported (Instrução Normativa 1888/2019); from 2026, Brazilian-exchange activity is pre-filled on the annual return.

Can banks handle crypto here?

Brazil's largest banks now offer crypto directly rather than restricting it: Itaú (via its Íon platform and a new digital-assets hub), Nubank (Nubank Cripto, including USDC), Banco do Brasil (fund exposure, exploring custody), and BTG Pactual (Mynt, 30+ assets) all provide in-house trading/custody. The new BCB licensing regime is expected to deepen bank-fintech integration further.

Buying and selling crypto in Brazil

Bank-integrated options (Nubank Cripto, Itaú Íon, BTG Mynt) plus dedicated exchanges (Mercado Bitcoin, Foxbit, Binance Brasil, NovaDAX) via Pix/TED are the standard on-ramps. All providers must obtain BCB authorization as a Sociedade Prestadora de Serviços de Ativos Virtuais (SPSAV) or exit the market — foreign institutions have 270 days from Feb 2, 2026 (~October 2026) to transition clients to an authorized entity.

Worth knowing

The Nov 2025 BCB resolutions are the biggest implementation milestone since the 2022 law. Most provisions took effect Feb 2, 2026; minimum net-worth requirements for licensed providers range R$10.8M-R$37.2M depending on activity scope; some Resolution 521 provisions (foreign-capital/investment operations) phase in May 4, 2026.

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FAQ

Is crypto legal in Brazil?

Yes. Brazil has a dedicated crypto law (Marco Legal dos Criptoativos, 2022) with the Central Bank as primary regulator, and detailed licensing rules for exchanges and custodians took effect February 2, 2026.

Do Brazilian banks offer crypto directly?

Yes, increasingly. Itaú, Nubank, Banco do Brasil, and BTG Pactual all now offer in-house crypto trading or custody, a notably more integrated approach than most Latin American markets.