Circular No. 3970 — Establishes general criteria for electronic data communication within the National Financial System (SFN), sets requirements and prohibitions applicable to Information Technology Service Providers (PSTI)

The Collegiate Board of the Central Bank of Brazil, in a session held on November 28, 2019, based on arts. 9, 10, item IX, and 11, item VII, of Law No. 4,595, of December 31, 1964, art. 10 of Law No. 10,214, of March 27, 2001, and arts. 4, 10, and 11 of Resolution No. 2,882, of August 30, 2001,

R E S O L V E:

Art. 1º This Circular establishes the general criteria for electronic data communication within the National Financial System (SFN) and sets forth the requirements and prohibitions applicable to the Information Technology Service Provider (PSTI).

Art. 2º For the purposes of this Circular, the following are considered:

I - electronic data communication: process of transferring information between computer systems;

II - National Financial System Network (RSFN): data communication structure intended to support traffic of information within the SFN for authorized services;

III - PSTI: entity authorized to provide data processing services, for access to the RSFN, to financial institutions and other institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil;

IV - file: structured set of information arranged in a format defined by mutual agreement between the parties, related to a service of batch processing nature;

V - message: structured and standardized set of information, which allows the exchange of electronic data between participants in the request for an operation or in the sending of information, with the objective of enabling end-to-end automation (Straight-Through Processing – STP).

Art. 3º Subject to the provisions of this Circular:

I - financial institutions and other institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil;

II - clearinghouses and providers of clearing and settlement services;

III - government entities of any federative sphere that exchange data within the SFN;

IV - communication service operators contracted for the operation of the RSFN;

V - service providers contracted for the management and monitoring of the RSFN; and

VI - PSTI.

Art. 4º Electronic data communication within the SFN is based on the following principles:

I - security;

II - efficiency;

III - flexibility;

IV - availability;

V - privacy protection; and

VI - neutrality.

Art. 5º The following documents are established to set technical standards regarding electronic data communication within the SFN:

I - SFN Services Catalog: sets forth technical standards for messages and files for electronic communication;

II - SFN Networks Manual: sets forth technical standards for networks and the PSTI that support data traffic for electronic communication, as well as the necessary requirements for RSFN participants;

III - SFN Security Manual: sets forth technical security standards for services, networks, and the PSTI in the electronic communication process.

Art. 6º The following may not act as PSTI:

I - communication service operators contracted for the operation of the RSFN;

II - service providers contracted for the management and monitoring of the RSFN;

III - financial institutions and other institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil.

Sole Paragraph. The institutions mentioned in item III of the main text may act as PSTI for other institutions belonging to their own financial conglomerate.

Art. 7º It is the responsibility of the Department of Information Technology (Deinf) of the Central Bank of Brazil:

I - to establish technical standards regarding electronic data communication within the SFN, in consonance with the policy established by the units of the Central Bank of Brazil;

II - to publish the documents referred to in Art. 5º;

III - to authorize, supervise, and revoke the operation of the PSTI;

IV - to adopt other measures aimed at compliance with this Circular.

Art. 8º Circular No. 3,629, of February 19, 2013, is hereby revoked.

Art. 9º This Circular enters into force on the date of its publication.

Carolina de Assis Barros
Director of Administration