Entering the Brazilian market requires more than simply adding the Brazilian real to the platform. To provide a local experience, an exchange needs infrastructure that can receive and send BRL, process payments, handle conversions, and connect these flows to digital assets.
For users, the journey may seem simple: deposit BRL, buy a digital asset, sell that asset, and withdraw the funds in BRL. Behind the scenes, however, several components need to work together, including BRL accounts, Pix, liquidity, on-ramp and off-ramp, payments, settlement, APIs, monitoring, and compliance.
An exchange can build this infrastructure internally or work with a specialized partner to connect some of these resources to its existing operation. The right choice depends on the business model, but in either case, it is important to understand which services are needed, how they connect, and whether the infrastructure can support the exchange as it grows.
That is why several criteria should be considered before choosing a provider.
Financial Services Coverage
The first step is to understand how the partner connects the exchange to Brazil's financial system.
Check whether the infrastructure allows the exchange to receive and send BRL, use Pix, access BRL accounts, and make local payments. It is also important to understand which of these services can be integrated directly into the exchange's platform.
This coverage matters because different parts of the operation may require different financial services. An exchange may need a BRL account to move funds, Pix for deposits and withdrawals, and other mechanisms for payments or settlement.
The broader the infrastructure's coverage, the more options the exchange has to structure its local operation without having to manage each service separately.
On-Ramp and Off-Ramp: Connecting BRL and Digital Assets
In addition to local financial services, it is important to understand how the partner connects fiat currencies and digital assets.
On-ramp refers to bringing a fiat currency, such as the Brazilian real, into the digital asset ecosystem. Off-ramp works in the opposite direction, converting digital assets back into fiat currency.
For an exchange, these flows can be represented simply as:
BRL → digital asset → BRL
It is therefore important to check which currencies and assets can be converted, how these transactions are executed, and how the funds are settled.
A structure that supports both sides of the journey makes the user experience simpler and allows the exchange to connect deposits, trading, and withdrawals within a single flow.
Liquidity for BRL and Digital Assets
Access to available funds is another important factor. For an exchange, liquidity supports different parts of the operation, from moving BRL to converting between currencies and digital assets.
When evaluating a partner, consider:
which currencies and assets are available;
which liquidity sources are connected;
which transaction volumes can be processed;
how the infrastructure performs during periods of higher demand;
whether liquidity can support the expected growth of the operation.
For international exchanges, access to BRL liquidity is particularly important for connecting deposits, conversions, and withdrawals for Brazilian users.
It is also worth understanding how the infrastructure performs when demand increases suddenly. An exchange may have thousands of users carrying out transactions at the same time, and the infrastructure needs to be prepared to handle these periods.
The Technology Behind the Operation
Even when all the necessary financial services are available, they need to communicate with the exchange's platform. This is where API integration becomes important.
An API allows different systems to exchange information and perform actions automatically. For an exchange, it can connect the platform to the financial services provided by the partner.
Before choosing a provider, consider:
technical documentation;
available features;
webhooks and status updates;
testing or sandbox environment;
stability and availability;
request limits;
ability to process different transaction volumes;
technical support during integration.
A well-structured API makes it possible to automate processes such as deposits, withdrawals, queries, and transaction tracking, reducing the need for manual tasks.
Compliance and Division of Responsibilities
Digital asset operations involve customer identification, monitoring, and risk management processes. The exchange therefore needs to understand which controls are provided by the partner and which remain its own responsibility.
Some points to evaluate include:
KYC (Know Your Customer);
AML (Anti-Money Laundering);
transaction monitoring;
risk management;
security controls;
compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.
It is also important to clearly define which responsibilities belong to the partner and which remain under the exchange's management.
This division should be established before the operation begins. That way, each company knows which processes it needs to monitor and which activities are handled by the provider.
Knowledge of the Brazilian Market and Digital Assets
An exchange has different needs from a company that only works with traditional payments.
In addition to understanding Brazil's financial system, a partner should be able to connect fiat currencies, banking rails, liquidity, blockchain, and digital assets.
This experience can make it easier to structure operations involving deposits, withdrawals, conversions, and settlement across different environments.
It is also worth considering the partner's knowledge of the local market, including the payment systems used in Brazil and the requirements that apply to operations carried out in the country.
More than simply looking at which services a provider offers, it is important to understand whether it knows the environment where the exchange plans to operate and whether it can connect that market to the company's global operation.
Scalability
The infrastructure should be able to keep up with the exchange's growth.
Growth can mean more users, higher deposit and withdrawal volumes, increased trading activity, or the addition of new assets and services.
For this reason, it is not enough to evaluate current capacity. Check whether the partner can support more users, transactions, and financial volume without requiring the exchange to rebuild the entire integration.
Scalable infrastructure allows financial services to grow alongside the platform and reduces the need for structural changes as the operation expands.
How Does Transfero Support Exchanges?
Transfero connects exchanges to Brazil's financial infrastructure through a structure that combines banking rails, blockchain, liquidity, and financial services.
Through API integration, exchanges can access different components to structure their BRL operations, including:
BRL deposits and withdrawals;
Pix;
BRL accounts;
on-ramp and off-ramp;
liquidity in BRL and digital assets;
BRZ;
USDC;
integration with blockchain networks;
payments and settlement;
APIs for integration with the exchange's systems.
This structure allows an international operation to connect to Brazil's financial system without having to develop each component required to move BRL independently.
The exchange keeps its platform, brand, and user experience, while the infrastructure connects the different rails required to move funds between BRL, Brazil's financial system, and the global digital asset ecosystem.
Choose a Partner That Can Grow With Your Operation
Choosing a partner to operate in Brazil should start with the exchange's own needs. Before comparing providers, it is important to understand which flows need to be structured, which services are required, and how these components need to work together.
From there, criteria such as financial services coverage, on-ramp and off-ramp, liquidity, API integration, compliance, knowledge of the Brazilian market, and scalability can help identify the right infrastructure.
For international exchanges, working with an integrated financial infrastructure can reduce the complexity of entering the Brazilian market and make it easier to create a local experience for users.
Does your exchange want to offer BRL deposits and withdrawals in Brazil? Talk to the Transfero team and discover how our infrastructure can support your operation.
