What is PIX in Brazil? Pioneer in Instant Payments in Latin America

PIX is the instant payment ecosystem created by the Central Bank of Brazil that enables real-time fund transfers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year.

Its massive success has made it a global benchmark for real-time payments, alongside other payment methods such as SPEI in Mexico, becoming a pioneer and model for interbank transactions in Latin America, such as Bre-B in Colombia.

How has PIX transformed payment methods in Brazil?

Since its launch in 2020, PIX has established itself as one of the most widely used payment methods in Brazil, thanks to its speed, round-the-clock availability, and zero cost to the user.

In 2025, according to reports from the Central Bank of Brazil, PIX became the leading payment method for transfers, accounting for 45% of all payments in the country, second only to traditional electronic transfers (TED).

This transformation demonstrated that an efficient digital infrastructure can completely change the financial habits of an entire country.

How does PIX differ from other payment methods?

To understand its impact, it is essential to examine how it improves upon traditional options:

Benefits of Instant Payments

The implementation of infrastructures such as PIX brings profound structural advantages for the economy and businesses:

• Transaction volume: The ability to process millions of transactions daily without friction.
• Financial inclusion: Facilitates access to digital services for previously unbanked sectors.
• Centralized and interoperable infrastructure: Connects multiple financial institutions under a single technological standard.
• Universal adoption driven by regulation: Central bank backing ensures trust and mandates participation by financial actors.
• Simple and standardized user experience: Use of simple identifiers (such as keys, email addresses, or phone numbers) instead of long account numbers.
• Security and fraud mitigation: Real-time traceability and robust cryptographic protocols that protect every transaction.

Pix Brazil as the Precursor to Bre B Colombia

The resounding success of this model crossed borders, establishing Pix Brazil as the inspiration for Bre B in Colombia and other systems in the region.

While in Mexico the SPEI system had already set an important precedent in interbank settlement, the Brazilian experience accelerated the development of interoperable key-based models.

In Colombia, this reality is now a reality through Bre-B.

Launched by the Banco de la República in 2024, Bre-B is the new brand that will identify Colombia’s real-time payment system, with an initial reception that promises to revolutionize B2B and B2C operations in the country.

How does Bre-B work in Colombia?

Bre-B is Colombia’s real-time payment network, designed to enable instant and interoperable transfers between financial institutions.

Through this network, users can send and receive funds instantly using Bre-B keys (such as a cell phone number or email address) or QR codes, eliminating the need to share complex bank account numbers.

This is especially useful for payment processing for businesses in Colombia, where speed and certainty of settlement are critical.

What are the challenges in adopting Bre-B?

Despite its significant benefits, the adoption of BreB presents some initial challenges:

• Building technological architectures within financial institutions to support 24/7 real-time processing without interruptions.
• Building user and merchant confidence in the system’s interoperability.
• Adapting payment platform infrastructure to simplify connection to the new standard.

Make instant payments for businesses with Bre-B and centralize your operations

For organizations, managing high-volume treasury operations through new channels can be a technical challenge.

With Cobre, you can integrate Bre-B as a native payment channel, allowing you to send and receive funds instantly, with real-time transaction visibility and unified reconciliation. Whether you need to manage collections or use Bre-B keys for corporate disbursements, our infrastructure gives you the operational control you need.

Discover how to modernize your financial operations and centralize your instant payments with Bre-B for businesses.

FAQ´s About PIX

Is it possible to pay with PIX in Colombia?

Currently, it is not possible to pay with PIX in Colombia. Payment solution platforms like Cobre connect cross-border payments to a local payment system, such as PIX in Brazil, to enable instant transactions.

If you are looking for a way to make instant payments in Colombia, you can use the Bre-B system.