Regulator profile · BR
BACEN — Banco Central do Brasil
Tracked byBrokerlist Editorial · Independent review teamUpdated
Banco Central do Brasil (BACEN) is Brazil's central bank, monetary authority and foreign-exchange regulator. BACEN supervises banking, manages foreign-exchange operations under Resolution 4,701/2018 (and subsequent updates), and operates the National Payments System (SPB) including the Pix instant-payments network. CVM regulates capital markets separately under the "twin peaks" model.
Brokers in Brazil accepting residents under BACEN- Jurisdiction
- Federative Republic of Brazil.
- Founded
- 1964
- Mandate
- Established by Law 4,595 of 31 December 1964 (revised under subsequent legislation). BACEN conducts monetary policy via the Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM), supervises commercial banks and payment institutions, and regulates BRL/foreign-currency conversions through licensed corretoras de câmbio and authorised institutions. Pix (instant-payments) launched November 2020 is operated end-to-end by BACEN.
- Consumer protection
- Fundo Garantidor de Créditos (FGC) covers bank deposits up to BRL 250,000 per depositor per institution. BACEN Ombudsman (Ouvidoria do Banco Central) handles disputes with regulated financial institutions; binding decisions within scope. Securities investor protection is CVM's domain (separate twin-peaks counterpart).
- Retail leverage caps
- Not directly applicable to retail OTC FX. BACEN regulates banking-side FX dealings, outbound capital flows under Resolution 4,701/2018 and authorised FX-operator activities. Brazilian retail FX with foreign brokers operates outside BACEN's authorised perimeter — currency-derivatives trading on B3 (CVM-supervised) follows different margin rules.
- Public register
- BACEN publishes lists of authorised banks, financial institutions, payment institutions and FX operators (corretoras de câmbio). Cross-reference CVM for capital-markets intermediaries and B3 for trading-venue members; CADE for competition-related authorisations. Open register ↗
- Dispute resolution
- BACEN Ombudsman handles banking-related complaints. Higher-value or cross-sector disputes go through the Conselho de Recursos do Sistema Financeiro Nacional (CRSFN) for appeals on financial-sector enforcement. Brazilian commercial courts handle court-stage litigation.
- Editor notes
- BACEN's Pix system processes over 5 billion transactions monthly — its near-instant settlement has indirectly facilitated USDT/crypto-rail funding to international FX brokers, despite that activity operating outside BACEN's authorised perimeter. Major BACEN-supervised banks include Itaú Unibanco, Banco do Brasil, Caixa Econômica Federal, Bradesco and Santander Brasil. Brazilian retail FX with foreign brokers (Exness, AvaTrade, FBS) remains in legal grey territory under BACEN's framework.
Brokers we track with a BACEN licence
No brokersNo tracked broker currently holds a BACEN licence in our database.