Central Bank of Brazil's crypto rules take effect: what applies since February 2, 2026 and what is still coming

São Paulo, February 3, 2026 — The three resolutions through which the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB) regulated the crypto-asset market took effect on Monday (Feb. 2). BCB Resolutions 519, 520 and 521 were published on November 10, 2025 and give shape to the legal framework created by Law 14,478/2022. From now on, companies that provide virtual asset services are subject to BCB supervision, and the clock starts on their deadline to apply for authorization. The domestic market splits in two: those already operating, who have a transition window, and those planning to start, who can only operate once authorized.

BCB Resolutions 519 and 520 and most of 521 take effect

02/02/2026

Deadline for companies already operating to apply for authorization, until 10/30/2026

270 days

Limit per international transaction by an SPSAV when the counterparty is not authorized to operate in foreign exchange

US$100,000

Start of purpose collection and of reporting to the BCB of foreign exchange operations with virtual assets

05/04/2026

What applies since February 2

Each resolution covers one part of the problem. The full analysis of the three rules is in an earlier article; here the focus is what changed in practice now that they are in force.

In practice, three rules apply without delay. A company that was not operating on February 2 cannot provide any virtual asset service without prior BCB authorization. A company already operating enters an adjustment period, with transition duties set out in Article 88 of Resolution 520; full compliance with the rule comes when the BCB completes the first phase of reviewing the application. And international operations with virtual assets are treated as foreign exchange, with a per-transaction limit and, from May, collection of the purpose and the beneficiary's data. The foreign exchange details are in Resolution 521: stablecoins become foreign exchange.

For those who pay suppliers abroad, foreign exchange is what changes the routine. Swapo, which converts reais received via Pix into USDT on the TRON network (TRC-20) and sends the amount to the wallet the client specifies, was operating on February 2, 2026, the date the rules took effect.

How the 270 days are counted

Article 88 of Resolution 520 gives an adjustment period to companies that were already providing the service when the rules took effect. A company that applies for authorization within the 270 days may keep operating until the process ends, but cannot take on another category in the meantime. A company that misses the deadline must end its services within 30 days after it. Counted from February 2, the 270 days end on October 30, 2026.

1. 11/10/2025The Central Bank publishes Resolutions 519, 520 and 521.
2. 02/02/2026Resolutions 519 and 520 and most of 521 take effect. The 270-day count begins.
3. 05/04/2026Collection of the purpose and of the payer's or recipient's data abroad begins, along with monthly reporting to the BCB on foreign exchange operations with virtual assets.
4. 10/30/2026End of the 270 days for companies already operating to apply for authorization from the Central Bank.

In the application, the company must already prove a risk management structure, a cybersecurity policy, anti-money laundering controls and accounting to the standard of financial institutions. Lawyer Fernando Canutto, interviewed by Istoé Dinheiro, said that companies that fail to comply “may have to cease providing services.” In the view of lawyer Juliana Sene Ikeda, the regulation gives “greater legal certainty to everyone,” but brings costs and complexity, especially for smaller startups.

What only applies later: reporting on May 4

Resolution 521 took effect on February 2, except for a few points that apply from May 4, 2026: collecting the purpose of the payment and the data of the payer or recipient abroad (Article 76-C of BCB Resolution 277), sending monthly information to the BCB (Article 82-A), and changes to the rules on external credit and foreign direct investment. InfoMoney describes the reporting as the duty to inform the BCB of the amounts, purposes, counterparties and countries of international operations with virtual assets.

What the market is still waiting for

• Taxation: the resolutions do not address IOF (Brazil's tax on financial transactions) or income tax on these operations. That depends on tax legislation, which the legal framework also left out.
• Authorization decisions: Resolution 519 leaves the documents and deadlines of each process to complementary BCB acts and sets no date for the decision on each application.
• Reporting: BCB Normative Instruction 693, of December 19, 2025, defined the monthly file that providers will send to the BCB on foreign exchange operations with virtual assets.
• Self-custody: it remains allowed, but providers must identify the wallet holder and verify the origin and destination of the assets.

• Central Bank
• Regulation
• SPSAV
• BCB Resolution 520
• BCB Resolution 521
• Foreign exchange