Brazil Central Bank To Roll Out PIX, A Non-Crypto, QR-Based ‘Near Instant’ Payment System

Brazil’s Central Bank is set to launch a new payment system which it claims will offer near instant fund transfers. The new payment system is set to be released in November, Cointelegraph reports.

The new system will be referred to as PIX, a short form for Brazil’s Instant Payment Scheme. The platform will allow for peer-to-peer as well as business-to-business (B2B) transfers within 10 seconds through mobile phones, selected ATMs and internet banking.

In a press statement released on Feb. 20, all payment and financial institutions that are regulated by Brazil’s Central Bank are mandated to give out the requisite functionalities to their active clients for smooth facilitation of the PIX transfers. The press statement also indicates that QR Codes will be used for execution of transactions. Users can also use identification details like taxpayer identification number, phone number or email.

An Answer To Cryptos

Cointelegraph reports that the head of the central bank Roberto Campos explained that the new platform is set to directly compete with payment systems that are based on distributed ledger. He stated that the idea behind the creation of PIX was necessitated by the desire to have a payment platform that is secure, transparent, cheap and fast. He added that the new system is set to have characteristics as those of Bitcoin and other cryptos.

Campos also stated that the PIX platform will be the central bank’s top priority this year. He went ahead to state that the platform will be instrumental in eliminating the need for individuals to always have physical currencies which leads to a high cost for the society.

The statement also states that the central bank and Brazil’s Treasury Secretariat have already inked a deal which will allow Brazilians to remit their federal taxes through PIX starting from November this year. In addition, the Brazilian government is set to provide various payments like income tax refunds, grants, social benefits via PIX in the near future. The aim is to enhance mass adoption of the platform.