By Marcela Ayres
BRASILIA, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Brazil’s central bank and the European Central Bank (ECB) are studying a potential link between their instant payment systems, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said, in a move that could mark the first cross-border expansion of Brazil’s hugely successful Pix platform.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the discussions reflect a willingness by technical teams on both sides to assess whether such an interconnection is feasible. One source said a pilot project could be launched in 2028 if the initiative advances as planned.
The newspaper Folha de S. Paulo first reported the discussions earlier on Thursday.
The ECB said in a statement to Reuters that there was an ongoing preliminary investigation exploring a potential interlinking between its TARGET Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) platform and Pix. The ECB identified Pix in June as a “currency corridor under exploration” for TIPS.
Brazil’s central bank declined to comment.
Pix has become a flashpoint between Brasília and Washington as the Trump administration aims to protect U.S. firms from the model’s growing appeal in dozens of countries.
Pix dominates payments in Latin America’s largest economy, enabling real-time transfers through banking apps. The system offers free person-to-person payments and significantly lower transaction costs for merchants, bypassing much of the traditional card-payment chain.
Since its launch in late 2020, Pix has transformed Brazil’s payments landscape, bringing tens of millions of people into the financial system while eroding the share of debit and credit cards, affecting global card networks such as Mastercard and Visa.
The platform was cited among the “unfair practices” the U.S. used to justify new 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods in July.
Last month, Brazil’s central bank said it was assessing links between Pix and similar payment systems abroad, signaling a more concrete push toward cross-border integration. It has signed Pix information-sharing accords with 65 foreign counterparts.
That has added to unease in Washington, amid talk in major emerging economies of reducing dependence on the U.S. dollar.
(Reporting by Marcela Ayres, editing by Manuela Andreoni, Aidan Lewis)
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