2026-04-30 | Resolução BCB 561

Central Bank Resolution No. 561 of April 30, 2026, Amending Resolution BCB No. 277 to Enhance Regulations on the International Payment or Transfer Service (eFX)

The Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Brazil issued Resolution BCB No. 561 to amend Resolution BCB No. 277, establishing comprehensive regulatory frameworks for the international payment and transfer service known as eFX. The resolution defines eligible eFX providers, imposes strict capital flow and anti-money laundering requirements, and mandates specific reporting obligations through the Foreign Exchange System. It also sets transitional deadlines for institutions to register their eFX activities and obtain necessary authorizations as payment institutions by 2026 and 2027.

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Resolution No. 561

BCB RESOLUTION NO. 561, OF APRIL 30, 2026

Amends BCB Resolution No. 277, of December 31, 2022, which regulates Law No. 14.286, of December 29, 2021, to improve the provisions relating to the international payment or transfer service – eFX.

The Collegiate Board of the Central Bank of Brazil, in a session held on April 30, 2026, based on art. 9 of Law No. 4.595, of December 31, 1964, in arts. 2, 3, 5, main text , item I, and 18 of Law No. 14.286, of December 29, 2021, and having in view Resolution CMN No. 5,042, of November 25, 2022,

R E S O L V E:

Art. 1 BCB Resolution No. 277, of December 31, 2022, published in the Official Gazette of the Union on December 31, 2022, shall enter into force with the following alterations: “ Art. 49. For the purposes of regulation by the Central Bank of Brazil, eFX is considered the international payment or transfer service provided for in this Title that enables the following operations: I

............................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................................. b) through a digital payment solution offered by the eFX provider, provided that, in the case of no integration with an e-commerce platform, purchases are limited to US$10,000.00 (ten thousand United States dollars) or its equivalent in other currencies; ................................................................................................................................................. IV - withdrawal in the country or abroad; and V

  • transfer of resources related to investment in the financial market and in the securities market, in the country or abroad, limited to US$10,000.00 (ten thousand United States dollars) or its equivalent in other currencies. ................................................................................................................................................. § 2º Entities that may act as eFX providers are banks, Caixa Econômica Federal, development agencies, credit, financing and investment companies, securities brokerage firms, securities distribution firms, currency brokerage firms, and payment institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil that provide services as electronic money issuers, post-paid payment instrument issuers, or acquirers, regardless of authorization to operate in the foreign exchange market. § 3º An institution interested in providing eFX may only begin providing this service five business days after including the respective modality in the Information System on Entities of Interest of the Central Bank – Unicad. § 4º The provision of eFX does not dispense with compliance with other regulations of the Central Bank of Brazil, including regarding the need for authorization to carry out other activities.” (NR) “Art.
  1. Payment or receipt between eFX provider and its counterparty abroad must be carried out exclusively: I
  • through a foreign exchange operation or movement in a real account of a non-resident maintained in Brazil, with the use of virtual assets prohibited; and II - for operations provided for in art. 49, as well as any adjustment, reversal, return, reimbursement, or remuneration of the eFX service provision. § 1º Offsetting involving the payments and receipts referred to in the main text is prohibited, without prejudice to the provisions of art. 25. ................................................................................................................................................. § 4º The payment or receipt referred to in this article may occur individually or consolidated.”

(NR) “Art. 50-A. For the purposes of this Resolution, consider: I

  • sender user: natural or legal person initiating the international payment or transfer; II - recipient user: natural or legal person identified by the sender user as the final recipient of the international payment or transfer; and III - counterparty abroad: non-resident natural or legal person that is the immediate origin or destination of the resources.” (NR) “Art. 50-B. For the course of the operations referred to in this Title: I
  • the sender user in the country must be a client of the eFX provider; II - the eFX provider must have a contractual relationship with the counterparty abroad and adopt the due diligence procedures provided for in Circular No. 3,978, of January 23, 2020, for the counterparty abroad; and III - the institution authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market and the institution maintaining the deposit or prepaid payment account of the eFX provider must monitor the compatibility of the information collected from its client eFX provider with the operations and movements resulting from the provision of eFX.” (NR) “Art. 50-C. The institution authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil that provides eFX must maintain information relating to the provision of this service in the manner established by the Central Bank of Brazil, for a period of ten years, counted from the end of the fiscal year in which the operation referred to in art. 49 occurs.” (NR) “Art. 51. The eFX provider must ensure that its client has been informed in a clear and timely manner about: ....................................................................................................................................... ” (NR)

“TITLE V

.................................................................................................................................................

CHAPTER II

DELIVERY AND RECEIPT OF REALS” (NR)

“Art. 54-A. The value in reals referred to in art. 54, main text , may only be delivered: I - by the sender user to the eFX provider, through: a) a deposit or payment account owned by the sender user, maintained at an institution authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil or at a payment institution that, due to its adherence to Pix, integrates the SPB; b) a bank slip, with the sender user as the payer and the eFX provider as the beneficiary; or c) a payment instrument limited to R$1,000.00 (one thousand reais) without the possibility of reloading or withdrawal, requiring the eFX provider to establish a contractual relationship with the issuer not subject to authorization to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil and adopt the due diligence procedures provided for in Circular No. 3,978, of January 23, 2020; and II - by the eFX provider to the recipient user, through credit to a deposit or prepaid payment account owned by that user, maintained at an institution authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil or at a payment institution that, due to its adherence to Pix, integrates the SPB. § 1º The provision in item II of the main text is excepted for the withdrawal of resources carried out in the country using a card or other electronic payment means for international use issued abroad. § 2º If the eFX provider does not have a reserve or settlement account at the Central Bank of Brazil, the receipt of reals from the sender user and the delivery of reals to the recipient user may only occur through a deposit or prepaid payment account held by the eFX provider, provided that such account must be maintained at an institution authorized to operate in foreign exchange and have the sole purpose of enabling the provision of the eFX service. § 3º Offsetting by the eFX provider between the reals received from the user and the reals delivered to the user is prohibited. ” (NR)

“CHAPTER III

TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Art. 56-A. The institution authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil that provides eFX must include this modality in Unicad by October 30, 2026. ” (NR) “Art. 56-B. The eFX provider not listed in art. 49, § 2º, may only continue providing eFX if it requests authorization from the Central Bank of Brazil by May 31, 2027, to operate as a payment institution in the modality of electronic money issuer, post-paid payment instrument issuer, or acquirer. § 1º Until the Central Bank of Brazil grants authorization to operate, the legal entity referred to in the main text may only enable: I

  • in the case of a payment institution not authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil in the modality of electronic money issuer, post-paid payment instrument issuer, or acquirer: a) the activities provided for in art. 49, main text , items I, letter “a”, and IV, without value limitation, carried out within a payment arrangement authorized by the Central Bank of Brazil; and b) the purchase of goods and services provided for in art. 49, main text , item I, letter “b”, limited to US$10,000.00 (ten thousand United States dollars) or its equivalent in other currencies, provided there is no legal, regulatory, or internal impediment for the legal entity to provide this service; and II
  • in the case of a legal entity in general: the purchase of goods and services provided for in art. 49, main text , item I, letter “b”, limited to US$10,000.00 (ten thousand United States dollars) or its equivalent in other currencies, provided there is no legal, regulatory, or internal impediment for the legal entity to provide this service. § 2º For the legal entity referred to in the main text , the payment or receipt referred to in art. 50 may only be carried out through a foreign exchange operation or movement of third-party interest in a real account of a non-resident maintained in Brazil, with the use of virtual assets prohibited. § 3º The legal entity mentioned in the main text must cease the provision of eFX within thirty days after: I
  • the expiration of the deadline referred to in the main text , if it has not submitted an authorization request; or II - the notification of the denial or archiving of the authorization request for operation from which no further appeal is possible, if it has submitted such request. ” (NR) “Art. 56-C. The institution authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market and the institution maintaining the deposit or prepaid payment account of the eFX provider, in its relationship with the eFX provider referred to in art. 56-B, must: I
  • maintain the registration data of the eFX provider; and II - be able to prove to the Central Bank of Brazil that it has certified that the eFX provider adopts policies, procedures, and internal controls to comply with the duties and obligations provided for in this Resolution and compatible with Circular No. 3,978, of January 23, 2020. Sole Paragraph. The information and documents necessary to comply with the provisions of this article must be maintained, by the authorized institution, at the disposal of the Central Bank of Brazil for a period of ten years, counted from the end of the fiscal year in which the operation referred to in art. 49 occurs.” (NR) “Art. 81. The institutions authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market must provide the Central Bank of Brazil with information, in the manner established by it, regarding the unilateral transfers referred to in art. 26, through the Foreign Exchange System, by the tenth day of the following month. ......................................................................................................................................” (NR) “Art. 81-A. The following institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil must provide the Central Bank of Brazil, in the manner established by it, information on eFX, through the Foreign Exchange System, by the tenth day of the following month, in the following manner: I - issuer of the international use card issued in the country and acquirer that enables receivers for the acceptance in the country of international use cards issued abroad, in cases of use of international use cards; II - institution authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market that carries out the foreign exchange operation, in eFX transactions with corresponding foreign exchange operation; III - institution authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market maintaining a real account of a non-resident that carries out third-party interest movement, in eFX transactions with corresponding movement; IV - provider of the eFX service, in other eFX transactions with corresponding sending of resources from the eFX provider to a real account of a non-resident or receipt of resources by the eFX provider from a real account of a non-resident; and V - institution authorized to operate in the foreign exchange market maintaining the account referred to in art. 54-A, § 2º, on the total amounts moved in said account.” (NR) Art. 2 The Annex V to Resolution BCB No. 277, of December 31, 2022, published in the Official Gazette of the Union on December 31, 2022, shall enter into force with the following alterations:

“ Classification codes for the purpose of operation of authorized institutions, for operation between authorized institutions, for operation of authorized institution with eFX provider, for operation of authorized institution with the Central Bank of Brazil or for special operation. Includes movement of non-resident account, when required.

Purpose

Code

..............................................................................................................................................

International payment or transfer service – eFX

Purchase of goods and services

  • international use card

34014

  • other digital payment solutions

  • virtual assets

34038

  • games and betting

34045

  • other goods

34069

  • other services

34076

Unilateral transfers

34155

Transfer between account in the country and account abroad of the same ownership

34124

Withdrawals

34131

Financial and securities market

34162

....................................................................​................................................................” (NR)

Art. 3 The following provisions of Resolution BCB No. 277, of December 31, 2022, published in the Official Gazette of the Union on December 31, 2022 , are repealed: I - items I, II and III of § 2 of art. 49; II - §§ 2 and 3 of art. 50; III - arts. 55 and 56; and IV - items I and II of the main text of art. 81. Art. 4 This Resolution enters into force on October 1, 2026.

GILNEU FRANCISCO ASTOLFI VIVAN

Director of Regulation