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How to Process Local Payouts to Brazil (BRL) via Pix Using Stablecoins

Cross-Border Payments
Pix payouts to Brazil in BRL funded by USDC: 79.8 billion Pix transactions in 2025, 148 million people using Pix in December 2025, and Pix credits in seconds 24/7

Your developer in São Paulo sent her invoice with one line of payment details: a Pix key. Your bank has no idea what to do with it.

In Brazil, Pix is how money moves. Brazilians made 79.8 billion Pix transactions in 2025, worth R$35.3 trillion, according to the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB). With Pix payouts to Brazil using stablecoin settlement, you can pay that key from abroad.

You fund in USDC or USD, and your recipient gets Brazilian reais (BRL) in their own account. Brazil exported US$348.7 billion and imported US$280.4 billion in 2025, so suppliers, agencies and contractors there expect fast local payments.

This guide covers why Brazil payouts get stuck, how the stablecoin-funded flow works, and which details you need. It then walks through your first Pix payout by dashboard and by API.

Why Paying Out in Brazil Is Harder Than It Should Be

Brazil’s domestic rails are among the fastest anywhere. The problem is that a foreign sender cannot plug into them directly.

Pix is a domestic system. It moves money between accounts at Brazilian banks and payment institutions. A business abroad needs a local partner to send a Pix on its behalf.

Small cross-border transfers are expensive. Sending small amounts abroad costs an average of 6.36% of the amount sent, according to the World Bank. On a US$50,000 monthly payroll, that average would cost you US$3,180 every month.

Rules for stablecoin payments have tightened. Since February 2, 2026, international payments with virtual assets fall under Brazil’s foreign exchange rules, per the BCB. Your payout partner has to operate inside that framework.

The details have to match. A Pix key is linked to one account and one holder. Paying the wrong key sends money to the wrong person. We cover more of these failure points in the hidden costs of international payments.

Pix Payouts to Brazil with a Stablecoin Layer: How It Works

Yativo is payment infrastructure, not a bank. We use stablecoins as the settlement layer between your balance and Brazil. A licensed local payout partner then sends the Pix on the ground.

  1. You fund your Yativo float balance with a fiat or stablecoin deposit, such as USDC.
  2. Yativo converts the payout value to USDC and settles it on-chain.
  3. A licensed local payout partner in Brazil receives the stablecoin settlement.
  4. The partner converts USDC to BRL and sends a Pix to the recipient’s key.
  5. Your recipient receives reais in their normal bank or payment account.

Your recipient does not need a crypto wallet. They never see or touch stablecoins. On their side, the payment looks like any Pix from a local sender.

Delivery runs on Pix itself. The BCB says Pix moves money between accounts in seconds, at any hour and on any day. In December 2025, 148 million people and 12.8 million companies made or received at least one Pix.

Stablecoins are already part of Brazilian payments. Chainalysis reports US$318.8 billion in crypto value received in Brazil from July 2024 to June 2025, with over 90% of flows tied to stablecoins. To see the conversion side, read how funds move from USD to BRL.

Supported Payout Rails for Brazil

This guide covers Pix, Yativo’s active BRL payout method for paying a recipient’s Pix key. Your payout methods list can include other BRL options, so check it before you build.

Pix

Pix pays any account linked to a Pix key. The BCB recognizes five key types: mobile phone, email, CPF, CNPJ and a random key. Individuals can link up to five keys per account, and companies up to twenty.

Required details: the fields the Pix form returns. Our documentation’s saved-method example for gateway 494 uses two: the recipient’s tax ID (CPF or CNPJ) and their Pix key.

Settlement time: your quote shows the expected delivery time before you confirm. Locally, Pix credits in seconds.

Best for: contractors, freelancers, suppliers and payroll recipients with any Brazilian account.

Other BRL rails

Need to pay an account number instead of a Pix key? See our guide to Brazil payouts via local bank transfer. To pay a recipient’s Pix QR code, read our guide to Brazil payouts via Pix QR code.

USD alternatives

Pix delivers reais only. Our Brazil methods list also includes SWIFT, which pays USD. Check the live list before you build, since availability depends on your account.

Recipient Details to Collect Before Your First Pix Payout

The Pix form in our API is the authoritative field list. Collect these details once, during onboarding.

  • Holder type: individual or company.
  • Legal name: full name, or the registered company name.
  • CPF or CNPJ: 11 digits for individuals, 14 characters for companies.
  • Pix key: the exact key registered to the account to be paid.
  • Key type: phone, email, CPF, CNPJ or random key, so you can check its format.
  • Email: for the beneficiary record and payment notices.
  • Payment purpose: for example supplier payment, services or payroll.

Check the key format before you save it. The BCB’s DICT manual says phone keys use the international E.164 format, and email keys can run to 77 characters. A random key is a system-generated UUID.

How to Send a Pix Payout via Yativo

Option 1: Dashboard (for manual payouts)

  1. Fund your Yativo float balance with either a fiat or a stablecoin deposit.
  2. Go to Transfer in your Yativo dashboard.
  3. Select the float wallet you are paying with, for example USD, EUR, MXN or whichever balance you funded.
  4. Choose the customer you are paying on behalf of. This step is necessary for fintechs that run payouts on behalf of their customers.
  5. Choose Brazil as the destination country and the Pix payout method.
  6. Enter the recipient details the Pix form asks for, such as the recipient’s CPF or CNPJ and their Pix key.
  7. Enter the amount in USD or BRL.
  8. Review the quote: exchange rate, fees, delivery time and the exact BRL amount your recipient receives.
  9. Confirm with your PIN and 2FA.
  10. Track the payout in real time and download the receipt for your records.

Option 2: API (for automated and bulk payouts)

Every endpoint below is in the Yativo API documentation. Production calls go to https://api.yativo.com/api/v1, and the sandbox runs at https://smtp.yativo.com/api/v1.

Authenticate every request with the X-Api-Key and X-Api-Secret headers. Each key only works from the server IPs listed on it. Login tokens stop working from servers on October 15, 2026, as covered in our October update. Every POST request also needs a unique Idempotency-Key header.

Step 1. Generate a USDC funding address on Solana to top up your USD balance:

POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/crypto/create-wallet
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: 5d2e8f1a-7b3c-4e9d-a1f2-3b4c5d6e7f80
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "currency": "USDC_SOL"
}

Step 2. List the payout methods available for Brazil:

curl "https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/payment-methods/payout?country=BRA" \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY" \
  -H "X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET" \
  -H "Accept: application/json"

Our documentation shows Pix as gateway ID 494. Read the ID from the live response instead of hardcoding it.

Step 3. Fetch the required fields for that gateway:

GET https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/beneficiary/form/show/494
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET

The response lists every required field. If it asks for more than the two fields below, add them to payment_data. For field details, see API documentation.

Step 4. Create the beneficiary. This example pays a company by its email Pix key:

POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/beneficiaries/payment-methods/
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: 4d5e6f7a-8b9c-4d0e-9f1a-2b3c4d5e6f7a
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "gateway_id": 494,
  "nickname": "Estudio Paulista Ltda",
  "currency": "BRL",
  "customer_id": "e8caa491-57b6-4c39-9e3a-d2c97e47fbf0",
  "payment_data": {
    "taxId": "12345678000190",
    "pixKey": "fi********@*****************om.br"
  }
}

Step 5. Optionally, lock your rate. Quotes hold for 5 minutes:

POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/exchange-rate
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: 6f7a8b9c-0d1e-4f2a-8b3c-4d5e6f7a8b9c
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "from_currency": "USD",
  "to_currency": "BRL",
  "method_id": 494,
  "method_type": "payout",
  "amount": 5000
}

Step 6. Initiate the payout from your USD balance:

POST https://api.yativo.com/api/v1/wallet/payout
X-Api-Key: $YATIVO_API_KEY
X-Api-Secret: $YATIVO_API_SECRET
Idempotency-Key: 8b9c0d1e-2f3a-4b4c-9d5e-6f7a8b9c0d1e
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "debit_wallet": "USD",
  "amount": 5000,
  "payment_method_id": 4824,
  "customer_id": "e8caa491-57b6-4c39-9e3a-d2c97e47fbf0",
  "quote_id": "4a72ecf8-6c8a-4e38-9971-8aabe9f785ed"
}

Use the id from the beneficiary response as payment_method_id. Leave out quote_id if you did not lock a rate. For bulk runs, repeat the call per beneficiary, as described on our payouts page.

Which Brazil Payout Option Should You Use?

 Pix (BRL) via YativoSWIFT (USD)
Delivery speedShown in your quote; Pix credits in secondsDepends on correspondent banks
Required detailsCPF or CNPJ + Pix keySWIFT code, account number, bank address
Gateway ID494See API documentation
Exchange rateLocked in your quoteDepends on the banks that convert it
Currency receivedBRLUSD
Best forContractors, suppliers, payrollRecipients who want USD

Best Practices for Brazil Pix Payouts

Prefer CPF or CNPJ keys for long-term payees. They are tied to the holder’s tax ID, which makes mismatches easier to catch than with an email or phone key.

Confirm the key belongs to the right holder. Match the Pix key to the CPF or CNPJ in the same beneficiary record before the first payout.

Store tax IDs without punctuation. Save CPF and CNPJ values as plain characters, with no dots or slashes. Clean data avoids failed lookups.

Lock the rate on large payouts. Exchange-rate quotes hold for 5 minutes. Use them for payroll runs and large invoices, so the BRL amount matches what you promised.

Read gateway IDs at runtime. Yativo retired several rails on September 2, 2026, including some Brazil collection methods. Pull IDs from the payout methods endpoint so your integration keeps working.

Run one playbook across LATAM. The same flow covers Argentina and Bolivia. Our breakdown of LATAM payout rails compares more markets.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my recipient in Brazil need a crypto wallet?

No. Your recipient gets Brazilian reais in their normal bank or payment account, through their Pix key. They never interact with stablecoins.

Is it legal and compliant to pay Brazilian recipients this way?

Yes, when the payout runs through regulated infrastructure. Yativo is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business, registration number 31000270723339. A licensed local payout partner makes the Pix transfer, so your recipient sees a normal local payment. Your own tax and reporting duties still apply, so confirm them with your compliance advisor.

How long does a Pix payout take?

Your quote shows the expected delivery time before you confirm. On the local side, Pix moves money between accounts in seconds, at any hour and on any day, per the Banco Central do Brasil.

Which Pix keys can I pay?

Any of the five key types: CPF, CNPJ, email, mobile phone or random key. Ask your recipient which key is registered to the account they want paid.

Can I pay a Brazilian company and an individual the same way?

Yes. Companies use their CNPJ as the tax ID, and individuals use their CPF. The Pix key can be any key registered to that holder’s account.

Can my recipient receive US dollars instead of reais?

Not through Pix, which delivers BRL. Our Brazil methods list also includes SWIFT, which pays USD. Check GET /payment-methods/payout?country=BRA for the methods enabled on your account.

Start Paying Out in Brazil by Pix

Pix handled 79.8 billion transactions in 2025, so your Brazilian recipients already expect it. Yativo lets you fund in USDC or USD and deliver BRL to any Pix key through a licensed local payout partner. Your recipients get a domestic Pix, and you get one API for every payout. Book a demo to set up your first Brazil payout.

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