Welcome to Latam Insights, a compilation of the most relevant crypto news from Latin America over the past week. In this edition, the Central Bank of Brazil mulls taking Pix global, Mercado Libre ends mercado coin, and Pix gets political before Brazil’s presidential elections.
Key Takeaways:
- Brazil’s Central Bank plans International Pix, letting its 175M users make global payments soon.
- Mercado Libre ends mercado coin; the unused ERC-20 token will auto-convert to local fiat on April 17.
- USTR warns Pix threatens giants like Visa; the 175M-user network might drive upcoming Brazilian elections.
Defying US Criticism, Brazil Mulls Pix’s Globalization
The Central Bank of Brazil has revealed its next steps to keep improving and growing Pix, the ubiquitous instant payment system used by almost all adults in the country.
According to local media, the Central Bank plans to launch International Pix, a standard feature that would allow individuals and companies to complete cross-border payments and remittances using the Pix network.
While Pix is already available internationally in Argentina, the U.S., and Portugal, this new initiative would make it permanent, interconnecting instant national payment systems and streamlining settlements. Pix already serves over 175 million users in Brazil and has intermediated nearly 200 billion transactions since its launch in November 2020.
Read more.
Mercado Libre Ends Mercado Coin Program, Cites No Official Reason
The company notified users through the Mercado Pago digital wallet app and email. No public statement was issued. Mercado Libre introduced mercado coin in August 2022, starting in Brazil. The token was built as an ERC-20 asset on the Ethereum blockchain in partnership with crypto exchange Ripio and initially priced at roughly $0.10 per token.
Users earned it as cashback on purchases through Mercado Libre’s marketplace and could either spend mercado coin on the platform or cash it out. The intent was to bring everyday shoppers into the crypto space through a low-friction loyalty mechanism, no need to trade bitcoin or manage volatile assets. In practice, the token stayed inside the Mercado Libre ecosystem and never built meaningful traction elsewhere.
Starting April 17, users can no longer buy, sell, or earn mercado coin through the platform. Holders have three options before the deadline: sell tokens through the Mercado Pago app, spend the balance on Mercado Libre purchases, or do nothing. Any remaining balance after April 17 will be automatically converted to local fiat currency, Brazilian reais for most users, and deposited into their Mercado Pago account.
Read more.
How Brazil’s Instant Payment Network Pix Might Influence the Presidential Election
Pix, one of the largest instant payment networks in the world, has become a meaningful issue in Brazil as the upcoming presidential elections loom.
The system, which has over 175 million users, is now in the political spotlight, as a recent report from the United States Trade Representative Office (USTR) has raised concerns about the increased use of this network and its impact on private alternatives.
The report states that “industry representatives in the United States have expressed concern that the Central Bank favors Pix, which would disadvantage US providers of electronic payment services. Furthermore, the Central Bank requires financial institutions with more than 500,000 accounts to adopt the use of Pix.” Big credit giants, like Visa and Mastercard, would be pushing for measures to bring them to parity with Pix.
