Brazil's central bank orders exchanges to delay large crypto transfers abroad
Get the Finance newsletter
Daily finance — markets, central banks, M&A, the prints that move money. Free.
- Brazil's central bank will require crypto exchanges to delay some customer transfers to foreign platforms and self-custody wallets for up to 24 hours as part of new anti-fraud rules.
- The requirement takes effect January 1, 2027, under Resolution BCB No. 584/2026, published August 7.
- The rule applies to transfers exceeding $10,000 — whether a single transaction or several aggregated on the same day — and to smaller transfers an exchange flags as risky.
- The central bank said cryptocurrencies, including stablecoins, are being used to move funds obtained through financial fraud before victims or institutions can recover them.
- Exchanges can release a transfer before 24 hours if their risk review finds no wrongdoing, but must document that decision and notify customers when a transaction is placed on hold.
- Regina Pedroso, president of Brazilian tokenization group Abtoken, told Portal do Bitcoin the policy could impose costs on legitimate users and weaken the competitiveness of domestic exchanges.
Why it matters: The new $10,000 threshold and 24-hour hold shift real compliance and documentation burden onto Brazilian exchanges, including for transfers to user-controlled wallets — not just offshore platforms. Abtoken's public critique signals industry concern that domestic venues could bleed users to foreign competitors operating under fewer restrictions.
Ask SkimNews
