Brazil sets 24-hour hold on $10,000 crypto transfers 
Brazil’s central bank has ordered virtual asset service providers to hold certain crypto transfers for up to 24 hours from Jan. 1, 2027, adding a new anti-fraud layer to the country’s expanding digital asset rulebook. The threshold applies either to one transaction or a customer’s combined transactions during the same day. Smaller transfers can also face additional review when a provider’s risk policies identify reasons for closer scrutiny. The central bank said the measure responds to growing use of virtual assets, including stablecoins, to move proceeds from financial fraud quickly, sometimes beyond Brazil or into wallets controlled directly by users.
Under the central bank’s new anti fraud rules, a covered provider must retain the assets for 24 hours before proceeding with qualifying transfers. However, the measure is precautionary rather than a permanent freeze. A provider can complete its risk review and release the transfer before the full period ends when the conditions established by the regulator are met. 
Providers must also tell customers when a transfer is being held. In addition, institutions must maintain records of fraud incidents, attempted fraud and the corrective measures taken. These requirements extend Brazil’s existing payment fraud controls to virtual asset services and give providers more time to review transactions that could otherwise settle rapidly.
