How people pay in Brazil in 2026
Brazil has the most advanced instant payment market in Latin America. Pix, launched by the Banco Central do Brasil in November 2020, became the most used payment method in only four years. The central bank's 2024 survey on cash found that 76.4% of Brazilians use Pix and 46% name it as their most frequent method, against 22% for cash. In its Pix management report published in August 2026, the Banco Central counted almost 80 billion Pix transactions in 2025, up 25.7%, for more than R$ 35 trillion. In December 2025, about 148 million individuals and 12.8 million businesses sent or received a Pix.
Cards are still the largest source of value at checkout, because Brazilians pay big purchases in installments. Card payments reached R$ 4.5 trillion in 2025, up 10.1%, according to the card industry association Abecs, and credit cards made up R$ 3.1 trillion of that. Online, the Global Payments Report 2026 puts cards at 45% and Pix at 42% of e-commerce value in 2025. Boleto, wallets such as Mercado Pago and PicPay, and Pix-based BNPL complete the picture. A checkout for Brazil needs Pix, local and international cards with parcelado, and boleto.
- ~80 billion Pix transactions in 2025 (Banco Central do Brasil)
- R$ 4.5 trillion card payments in 2025 (Abecs via Mercado&Consumo)
- 42% Pix share of e-commerce value in 2025 (Global Payments Report 2026 via Safra)
- ~148 million individuals used Pix in December 2025 (Banco Central do Brasil)
Payment by card in Brazil
Brazil is a credit card country. Abecs counted 48.1 billion card transactions worth R$ 4.5 trillion in 2025. Credit cards grew 14.5% to R$ 3.1 trillion, debit cards were flat at R$ 1 trillion, and prepaid cards rose 4.4% to R$ 397 billion. Debit lost ground to Pix, while credit kept growing because it carries installments, known as parcelado.
Visa and Mastercard issue most cards, but two domestic brands matter. Elo, owned by Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Caixa, is a Brazilian scheme accepted across the country. Hipercard, owned by Itaú, is a regional brand strong in the Northeast. Local acquirers process all of them, and each payment carries interchange fees set by the card schemes. In stores, the Global Payments Report 2026 gives cards 42% of point-of-sale payments in 2025, ahead of Pix at 34%. Read our guide to how card networks work for the basics.
Card schemes in Brazil
Visa
International scheme
The leading global brand on Brazilian credit and debit cards, accepted at almost every terminal and online checkout, including for parcelado purchases.
Mastercard
International scheme
The second global scheme in Brazil, issued by large banks and by digital banks such as Nubank on credit and debit cards.
Elo
Domestic card scheme
Brazil's own card brand, created by Banco do Brasil, Bradesco and Caixa, issued as credit, debit and prepaid cards. Merchants need an acquirer that routes Elo, since some international PSPs do not.
Hipercard
Domestic card brand
A Brazilian credit card brand owned by Itaú, widely held in the Northeast and accepted by the main local acquirers.
Credit cards
Credit card
The main way to pay for larger purchases in Brazil, because they unlock parcelado installments at the merchant's checkout.
R$ 3.1 trillion credit card payments in 2025, up 14.5%, Abecs via Mercado&Consumo
Payment by cash in Brazil
Cash is declining fast. In the Banco Central survey "O brasileiro e sua relação com o dinheiro", 68.9% of Brazilians still used cash in 2024, but only 22% named it as their most frequent method, down from 42% in 2021. Pix took that place. Cash survives for small purchases, street commerce and people without a bank app, and the Global Payments Report 2026 says Brazil's cash use is now close to levels seen in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Online, the cash-like method is boleto bancário. The shopper receives a barcode slip and pays it at a bank, a lottery outlet, a supermarket or in a banking app. Payment clears in one to three business days, which slows delivery. Boleto remains common for bills, B2B invoices and buyers without a credit card. Febraban counted 4.2 billion boletos worth R$ 5.8 trillion in 2023. Online, it is fading: the Koin 2026 e-commerce study found boleto at only 27% of checkouts in 2026, down from more than 85%. Our article on the transition from cash to digital payments shows how other markets made the shift.
Cash payment methods in Brazil
Cash
Banknotes and coins
Real banknotes and coins are still used for small purchases at markets, street vendors and transport, mostly by older and unbanked people.
68.9% of Brazilians used cash in 2024, 22% as their most frequent method, Banco Central survey via Convergência Digital
Boleto bancário
Payment slip
A bank-issued slip with a barcode, paid in a banking app, at bank branches, lottery outlets or retail counters. Online stores use it for buyers without cards, though fewer checkouts offer it each year.
4.2 billion boletos worth R$ 5.8 trillion in 2023, Febraban via Monitor Mercantil
Payment by bank transfer in Brazil
Pix is Brazil's instant payment system, run by the Banco Central do Brasil and available 24/7 to people and businesses for free. It settles in seconds through a key such as a phone number, tax ID or email, or a QR code. The Banco Central reports that Pix handled almost 80 billion transactions in 2025, and 43% of them were payments from people to businesses. The number of Pix keys passed 920 million at the end of 2025. Read our #PayDecoding on instant payment for the basics.
The central bank keeps adding features. Pix por aproximação lets Android users pay by tapping their phone since February 28, 2025, through Google Pay and Open Finance, though the central bank saw no clear growth in its use in 2025. Pix Automático, launched on June 16, 2025, brings recurring debits for subscriptions and bills: in December 2025 it carried almost 600,000 transactions worth R$ 133.2 million. TED remains for large transfers, while DOC, the old next-day transfer, ended on January 15, 2024, replaced by Pix. Read more on account-to-account payments.
Bank transfer methods in Brazil
Pix
Instant payment
The Banco Central's real-time payment scheme, used for transfers, QR code payments in stores and online checkout, with dynamic QR codes that confirm each order in seconds.
~80 billion Pix transactions in 2025, up 25.7%, Banco Central do Brasil
Pix Automático
Recurring Pix
Recurring debits authorized once by the payer in a banking app, launched on June 16, 2025 and used for subscriptions, utilities, schools and gyms, with more than 1,000 receiving companies in December 2025.
~600,000 transactions worth R$ 133.2 million in December 2025, Banco Central do Brasil
Pix por aproximação
Contactless Pix
Tap-to-pay Pix on NFC terminals, launched on February 28, 2025 through Google Pay on Android, with an account linked through Open Finance and a default limit of R$ 500.
TED
Bank transfer
Same-day interbank transfer still used for high-value and B2B payments during banking hours, now far behind Pix in volume.
Payment by installment and BNPL in Brazil
Brazil invented its own form of buy now, pay later decades ago: parcelado sem juros. Credit card holders split a purchase into monthly installment payments, often with no interest, and the merchant receives the money over time or sells its receivables to the acquirer. Abecs data for the first quarter of 2026 show R$ 243.6 billion in purchases split into 2 to 6 installments and R$ 138.3 billion into 7 to 12, with the longer plans growing faster.
Shoppers without a credit card now use Pix-based installments. Banks such as Itaú, Santander and Banco do Brasil offer credit lines to pay a Pix, and fintechs such as Koin and Pagaleve sell interest-free installments paid by Pix at partner stores. The Banco Central planned a standardized Pix Parcelado, but on December 4, 2025 it dropped specific rules and barred banks from using that name. Banks keep their own products under names such as Pix no crédito.
Installment and BNPL providers in Brazil
Parcelado sem juros
Card installments
Interest-free monthly installments on credit cards, usually from 2 to 12 months, offered at checkout by almost every Brazilian merchant and acquirer.
R$ 381.9 billion card purchases split into 2 to 12 installments in Q1 2026, Abecs via Diário do Comércio
Pix no crédito
Pix installments
Installment credit to pay a Pix, offered by banks and fintechs as their own product. The Banco Central dropped a standard Pix Parcelado in December 2025 and banned that name.
Pagaleve
BNPL
Brazilian BNPL that splits purchases into four interest-free Pix installments every two weeks, or up to 12 monthly installments with interest, at partner stores.
10,000+ retailers and 5 million+ consumers, October 2025, Finsiders Brasil
Koin
BNPL
Brazilian BNPL offering installments paid by Pix at partner online stores, for shoppers without a credit card, with Koin absorbing fraud and default risk.
66% of Brazilian e-commerce checkouts offered BNPL in 2026, Estudo Koin 2026 via BPMoney
Payment by digital wallet and X-Pay in Brazil
Wallets in Brazil are mostly local fintech and digital bank apps that combine an account, Pix, cards and credit. Nubank, the largest, had 118 million customers in Brazil at the end of June 2026, and its NuPay option lets customers pay online from the app. PicPay reached 70.4 million customers in Q2 2026, up 10% year on year. Mercado Pago, the fintech arm of Mercado Libre, grew its Brazilian monthly active users 38% year on year in Q2 2026 and offers Pix discounts to buyers on its marketplace.
Global X-Pay wallets carry tokenized cards. Apple Pay and Google Pay are used for contactless payments in large cities, and Google Pay also runs Pix por aproximação. Samsung Pay and Apple Pay were not part of contactless Pix at launch. Most wallets pay through Pix or cards underneath, so merchants accept them through their usual acquirer or gateway.
Digital wallets and X-Pay in Brazil
Mercado Pago
Super-app wallet
Mercado Libre's fintech arm offers a wallet, Pix and QR payments, a credit card, installment credit and merchant acquiring, inside and outside the marketplace.
+38% year-on-year growth in Brazilian monthly active users, Q2 2026, MercadoLibre
PicPay
Digital wallet
Brazilian payment app and digital bank used for Pix, bill payments, cards and online checkout at partner stores.
70.4 million customers in Q2 2026, up 10%, NeoFeed
NuPay
Bank wallet
Nubank's online payment option, which lets customers pay from the Nubank app with their account balance or credit limit, including installments.
118 million Nubank customers in Brazil, end of June 2026, Mercado&Consumo
Google Pay
Mobile wallet
The Android wallet for tokenized cards and, since February 2025, the first wallet to support Pix por aproximação.
Apple Pay
Mobile wallet
Apple's wallet for tokenized cards from major Brazilian banks and digital banks, used for contactless payments in stores and in-app checkout.
Payments in Brazil: FAQ
What is the most popular payment method in Brazil?
Pix. The Banco Central's 2024 survey found that 76.4% of Brazilians use Pix and 46% name it as their most frequent method. Pix handled almost 80 billion transactions in 2025, while cards keep the larger share of e-commerce value thanks to installments.
How do merchants accept Pix at checkout?
Through an acquirer, bank or PSP that generates a dynamic QR code or a copy-and-paste code for each order. The buyer pays in a banking app and the merchant gets confirmation in seconds. Pix Automático, with almost 600,000 transactions in December 2025, now covers recurring payments too.
What is parcelado sem juros?
It lets credit card holders split a purchase into monthly installments with no interest, while the merchant bears the cost. Brazilians split R$ 381.9 billion of card purchases into 2 to 12 installments in the first quarter of 2026, so a checkout without installments loses sales.
Is boleto still used in Brazil?
Yes, for bills, B2B invoices and shoppers without a credit card, though Pix has replaced it for many online purchases. Febraban counted 4.2 billion boletos worth R$ 5.8 trillion in 2023, but a 2026 Koin study found boleto offered at only 27% of e-commerce checkouts, down from more than 85%.
Accept local payments in Brazil with NORBr
In Brazil, Cielo, Rede, Getnet, Stone and PagBank compete on cards, Pix and boletos, and EBANX serves cross-border sellers. A PSP, PayFac, ISO or ISV should check Elo and Hipercard routing, parcelado, Pix Automático, boletos and settlement in reais.
With NORBr, you can connect any acquirer, PSP or local provider that offers Pix, cards paid in parcelado, boleto and wallets such as Mercado Pago and PicPay. Some are already in our connector catalog; Mapper™ gets the others live in days, and Smart Checkout shows each shopper the right methods. Explore the other #PayWorldTour guides.
Local payment providers in Brazil
Cielo
Acquirer
Brazil's historic card acquirer, controlled by Banco do Brasil and Bradesco, offering terminals, an e-commerce gateway, Pix and receivables anticipation to merchants of all sizes.
Covers: Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Hipercard, Amex, Parcelado, Pix, Boleto
Stone
Acquirer
Brazilian acquirer and digital bank focused on small and mid-sized merchants, with card terminals, a business account, Pix collection and the Pagar.me online gateway.
Covers: Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Hipercard, Parcelado, Pix, Boleto
PagBank
Aggregator
PagSeguro's payment and banking brand, a pioneer of card terminals for micro merchants and of online checkout for small sellers.
Covers: Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Hipercard, Parcelado, Pix, Boleto, PagBank wallet
Rede
Acquirer
Itaú Unibanco's card acquirer, one of the largest in Brazil, with terminals, online payments, Pix and installment sales for merchants of all sizes.
Covers: Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Hipercard, Amex, Parcelado, Pix
Getnet
Acquirer
Santander group acquirer serving physical and online merchants in Brazil with terminals, an e-commerce gateway and Pix.
Covers: Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Hipercard, Amex, Parcelado, Pix, Boleto
EBANX
Cross-border PSP
Curitiba-founded payment company that lets international merchants accept Brazilian methods and settle abroad, with local installments for foreign sellers.
Covers: Pix, Boleto, Visa, Mastercard, Elo, Hipercard, Parcelado, Mercado Pago, PicPay
