Brazil Will Force a 24-Hour Wait on Large Crypto Transfers Starting 2027

Brazil's central bank published a rule on August 7 that will require crypto firms to hold certain outbound transfers for up to 24 hours before releasing them, aiming the delay squarely at the two exit points regulators say are hardest to police: self-custody wallets and foreign virtual asset platforms.

Resolution BCB No. 584/2026 amends an existing 2021 fraud-prevention framework for payment providers to explicitly cover crypto and stablecoins. The trigger is a single transaction, or a customer's combined daily transfers, exceeding $10,000 heading to a self-custody wallet or a platform based outside Brazil. Transfers that stay within a regulated domestic exchange, or move between accounts on the same platform, fall outside the rule entirely. Smaller transfers can still be held if an exchange's own risk controls flag them as suspicious, and firms must document any early release decision and notify the customer. Institutions that fail to comply face the central bank extending the hold period, applying it to smaller transfers, or restricting their ability to release funds early. The rule takes effect January 1, 2027.

The central bank was explicit that the measure is a review window, not a freeze: transfers still go through, just not instantly. The logic targets a specific failure pattern in crypto fraud, where victims typically discover a scam only after funds have already left the country or moved beyond recovery, through a wallet the sender or a scammer alone controls.