1. Federal Government Guarantees Free Pix and Equates It to Cash with New MP
The Federal Government published, on Thursday (16), Provisional Measure No. 1,288/2025 (MP), which ensures the free use of Pix, preventing the incidence of taxes, fees, or contributions on this type of payment. The MP, which took effect immediately (although subject to review by the National Congress within up to 60 days, extendable for another 60), also strengthens the secrecy of transactions made through Pix. This initiative seeks to mitigate the effects of a now-repealed Federal Revenue regulation that increased surveillance on transfers over R$ 5,000 made by individuals. The MP also equates Pix payments to those made in cash, ensuring equal treatment as per Law No. 13,455/2017.
2. B3 Modernizes Depository with New Platform B3 completed, on Thursday (16), the first phase of the modernization of its variable income depository, responsible for managing assets traded on the stock exchange. In partnership with a Swedish company and with support for cloud technology, the new platform adopts an event-driven architecture, artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technology (DLT), and data streaming. This structure will increase B3's capacity for processing activities, availability, and flexibility to offer products and services to the market. Already available to central depository participants, the platform includes personalized self-services, APIs for near real-time access, and tests with DLT solutions for reconciliation. With scalability, the initiative prepares the central to support the growth of the capital market, which went from 600 thousand individual investors in 2016 to 6 million in 2024.
3. Federal Government Launches Capital Entry Simplification Program in Brazil
The Federal Government is developing a simplification and deregulation program to facilitate the entry of direct investments in the country. Named Janela Única de Investimentos, the platform is expected to start operating next year, will centralize information, and unify processes required by different bodies, such as regulatory agencies and environmental entities, at federal and state levels. Inspired by the model of the Single Foreign Trade Portal, the Janela Única de Investimentos aims to mitigate the difficulties faced by foreign investors in meeting requirements such as environmental licenses and other permissions. The initiative emerges in a context of uncertainties in global capital flows and is supported by positive data from the Central Bank, which recorded US$ 68.3 billion in net inflows of direct investments in Brazil from January to November, an increase of 6% compared to the same period last year.
4. US Senator Announces Priority for Crypto Asset Regulation in Congress
In a statement issued on Wednesday (15), Republican Senator Tim Scott, newly elected chairman of the US Senate Banking Committee, announced that developing a regulatory framework for digital assets will be one of the priorities in the 119th Congress. Scott criticized the lack of regulatory clarity by the SEC under the chairmanship of Gary Gensler in the field of crypto asset regulation, stating that this led crypto projects to migrate to other countries. Thus, the committee intends to create a favorable environment for stablecoins and digital products. In addition to the regulation of crypto assets, the senator emphasized that the committee will also focus on other policies for financial inclusion, access to capital, innovation in financial technologies, national economic security, and supervision.
5. International Organizations Publish Reports to Improve Margins in Markets
On Wednesday (15), the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) published final reports on initial and variation margins in markets with or without central counterparty settlement. The documents address policy issues identified in the 2022 review of margin practices, conducted by the Financial Stability Board (FSB). The proposals aim to improve transparency, simplify margin processes, and increase the predictability of requirements in these markets.
