Brazil's central bank reported crypto asset demand of $14.68 billion in the first half of 2026, a 135% jump from a year earlier. Dollar-pegged stablecoins now drive over 90% of that demand. A new securities-style oversight regime for virtual asset providers takes effect in January 2027.
Brazilians bought $14.68 billion in cryptocurrency assets during the first half of 2026, the Central Bank of Brazil said in an external sector statistics report released Tuesday. That figure marks a 135% increase over the $6.24 billion Brazilians bought in H1 2025.
Stablecoins now account for most demand
Stablecoins drive that growth. Fernando Rocha, head of the central bank's statistics department, said demand for stablecoins reached over 90% of total crypto purchases, up from a market once concentrated in bitcoin and other volatile cryptocurrencies. He told Valor Econômico the shift reflects a market moving past its early phase: "The crypto asset market is relatively new, not so new anymore."
Even so, Rocha said the central bank's view of the ecosystem stays limited by current data, and the institution expects a fuller picture once next year's reporting begins.
Monthly figures show the pace accelerating
The acceleration shows up in the monthly numbers. Brazilians bought $2.54 billion in crypto in June 2026, compared with $1.48 billion in June 2025. The prior month brought a similar surge, as Brazilians purchased nearly $2.632 billion in stablecoins in May 2026, a 158% increase from May 2025. The central bank cautioned that its statistics only capture volumes transacted by registered virtual asset service providers, so the true scale of adoption could differ.
New rules take effect in 2027
Regulators have already moved to tighten oversight. Brazil's government had considered a 3.5% levy on stablecoin transactions, but that plan was delayed as the administration shifted into election mode.
Separately, the central bank placed virtual asset service providers under a new Class 3 category, requiring them to meet the same rules as securities brokerage, securities distribution, and foreign exchange brokerage firms. That regime becomes effective in January 2027 and will let the central bank track where these assets end up.
Source: Bitcoin.com
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