Developer(s) | Central Bank of Brazil |
---|---|
Initial release | 5 October 2020 |
Repository | github |
Available in | Brazilian Portuguese |
Type | E-commerce payment system |
License | Apache License |
Website | Pix Webpage |
Pix is an instant payment platform created and managed by the monetary authority of Brazil, the Central Bank of Brazil (BCB), [1] which enables the quick execution of payments and transfers. [2] Pix was announced in the summer of 2019, [3] and was fully operational on November 16, 2020. [1] The "Pix" brand name and logo were created in-house by the Central Bank of Brazil in 2020.
Brazil's central bank launched Pix in part to spur competition in the country's banking industry. [4] Bloomberg referred to the app as "ubiquitous" in Brazil in October 2021, a year after Pix's release. [5] As of November 2021, it has been reported that the system has already made more than 6 billion transactions totaling to an amount of 3.75 trillion BRL or about US$682 billion.
As of February 2024, Italy is considering a biliteral agreement with Brazil to implement the mechanism. [6]
The Brazilian instant payment ecosystem (Pix) was created with the aim of reducing cash transactions and offering an alternative to existing payment instruments, such as bank slip or boleto and ATM, as well as being faster and more affordable. The main advantages of Pix are its full-time availability, the speed of transactions using the system, low-cost functionality, convenience, versatility, open environment, and safety. [1]
Pix is a structured ecosystem that allows carrying out financial payments and transfers instantly. The BCB is responsible for the management and operation of Pix's operational frameworks: the instant payment System (SPI), [1] which is the only infrastructure for instant payments settlement; as well as the "Transaction Accounts Identifier Directory" (DICT), the database linking Pix keys/aliases and the users' transactional account information. [1]
Pix allows instant payment between individuals and among individuals, companies, and government (P2P, P2B, B2B, P2G, and B2G). To perform an instant transfer or payment, the payer will need the receiver's Pix alias or key (the "nickname" used to identify the payee's/receiver's transactional account). For individuals, the keys/aliases can be personal data - such as their CPF number, e-mail address, cell phone number, random keys (a randomly generated UUID), and a QR code (static or dynamic). Companies can use their CNPJ number. Importantly, individuals can create up to five keys for each account they own, while companies can create up to twenty keys; each Pix alias must be associated with only one transactional account; and to pay with Pix it is not necessary to register a Pix alias/key, using the same information that is required to transfer money through other systems of the Brazilian Payment System (TED and DOC). [7]
A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card, is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The card usually consists of the bank's name, a card number, the cardholder's name, and an expiration date, on either the front or the back. Many of the new cards now have a chip on them, which allows people to use their card by touch (contactless), or by inserting the card and keying in a PIN as with swiping the magnetic stripe. These are similar to a credit card, but unlike a credit card, the money for the purchase must be in the cardholder's bank account at the time of the purchase and is immediately transferred directly from that account to the merchant's account to pay for the purchase.
A commercial bank is a financial institution which accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make profit.
A micropayment is a financial transaction involving a very small sum of money and usually one that occurs online. A number of micropayment systems were proposed and developed in the mid-to-late 1990s, all of which were ultimately unsuccessful. A second generation of micropayment systems emerged in the 2010s.
Banco do Brasil S.A. is a Brazilian financial services company headquartered in Brasília, Brazil. The oldest bank in Brazil, and among the oldest banks in continuous operation in the world, it was founded by John VI, King of Portugal, on Wednesday, 12 October 1808. It is the second largest banking institution in Brazil, as well as the second largest in Latin America,. Banco do Brasil is controlled by the Brazilian government and is listed at the B3 stock exchange in São Paulo.
The Central Bank of Brazil is Brazil's central bank, the bank is autonomous in exercising its functions, and its main objective is to achieve stability in the purchasing power of the national currency. It was established on Thursday, 31 December 1964.
A giro transfer, often shortened to giro, is a payment transfer from one current bank account to another bank account and initiated by the payer, not the payee. The debit card has a similar model. Giros are primarily used in Europe; although electronic payment systems exist in the United States, it is not possible to perform third-party transfers with them. In the European Union, the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) allows electronic giro or debit card payments in euros to be executed to any euro bank account in the area.
A payment system is any system used to settle financial transactions through the transfer of monetary value. This includes the institutions, payment instruments such as payment cards, people, rules, procedures, standards, and technologies that make its exchange possible. A payment system is an operational network which links bank accounts and provides for monetary exchange using bank deposits. Some payment systems also include credit mechanisms, which are essentially a different aspect of payment.
The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) is a payment integration initiative of the European Union for simplification of bank transfers denominated in euro. As of 2020, there were 36 members in SEPA, consisting of the 27 member states of the European Union, the four member states of the European Free Trade Association, and the United Kingdom. Some microstates participate in the technical schemes: Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City.
Payment and Settlement Systems are used for financial transactions in India. Covered by the Payment and Settlement Systems Act of 2007, legislated in December 2007, they are regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems.
A banking agent is a retail or postal outlet contracted by a financial institution or a mobile network operator to process clients’ transactions. Rather than a branch teller, it is the owner or an employee of the retail outlet who conducts the transaction and lets clients deposit, withdraw, transfer funds, pay their bills, inquire about an account balance, or receive government benefits or a direct deposit from their employer. Banking agents can be pharmacies, supermarkets, convenience stores, lottery outlets, post offices, and more.
The National Payments Corporation of India is an organization that operates retail payments and settlement systems in India. The organization is an initiative of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, for creating a robust Payment & Settlement Infrastructure in India.
Bitcoin is the first decentralized cryptocurrency. Nodes in the peer-to-peer bitcoin network verify transactions through cryptography and record them in a public distributed ledger, called a blockchain, without central oversight. Consensus between nodes is achieved using a computationally intensive process based on proof of work, called mining, that requires increasing quantities of electricity and guarantees the security of the bitcoin blockchain.
Mobile payments is a mode of payment using mobile phones. Instead of using methods like cash, cheque, and credit card, a customer can use a mobile phone to transfer money or to pay for goods and services. A customer can transfer money or pay for goods and services by sending an SMS, using a Java application over GPRS, a WAP service, over IVR or other mobile communication technologies. In India, this service is bank-led. Customers wishing to avail themselves of this service will have to register with banks which provide this service. Currently, this service is being offered by several major banks and is expected to grow further. Mobile Payment Forum of India (MPFI) is the umbrella organisation which is responsible for deploying mobile payments in India.
Venmo is an American mobile payment service founded in 2009 and owned by PayPal since 2013. Venmo is aimed at users who wish to split their bills. Account holders can transfer funds to others via a mobile phone app; both the sender and receiver must live in the United States. Venmo also operates as a small social network, as users can observe other users’ public transactions with posts and emoticons. In 2021, the company handled $230 billion in transactions and generated $850 million in revenue. Users can view transactions on the Venmo website but users cannot complete transactions on the website and you will need to complete transactions on a mobile phone using iOS or Android.
Unified Payments Interface, commonly referred as UPI, is an Indian instant payment system developed by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016. The interface facilitates inter-bank peer-to-peer (P2P) and person-to-merchant (P2M) transactions. It is used on mobile devices to instantly transfer funds between two bank accounts. The mobile number of the device is required to be registered with the bank. The UPI ID of the recipient can be used to transfer money. It runs as an open source application programming interface (API) on top of the Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), and is regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Indian Banks started making their UPI-enabled apps available on the Google Play on 25 August 2016.
The Lightning Network (LN) is a "layer 2" payment protocol built on the Bitcoin blockchain and those of other cryptocurrencies. It is intended to enable fast transactions among participating nodes and has been proposed as a solution to the bitcoin scalability problem. It is a peer-to-peer system for making micropayments of cryptocurrency through a network of bidirectional payment channels, without delegating custody of funds.
A central bank digital currency is a digital currency issued by a central bank, rather than by a commercial bank. It is also a liability of the central bank and denominated in the sovereign currency, as is the case with physical banknotes and coins.
Instant payment is a method of electronic funds transfer, allowing for almost immediate transfer of money between bank accounts. This was in contrast of the previous transfer times of one to three business days that had been in place until the mid 2010s.
An automated clearing house (ACH) is a computer-based electronic network for processing transactions, usually domestic low value payments, between participating financial institutions. It may support both credit transfers and direct debits. The ACH system is designed to process batches of payments containing numerous transactions, and it charges fees low enough to encourage its use for low value payments.
The Digital Rupee (e₹) or eINR or E-Rupee is a tokenised digital version of the Indian Rupee, issued by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as a central bank digital currency (CBDC). The Digital Rupee was proposed in January 2017 and launched on 1 December 2022. Digital Rupee is using blockchain distributed-ledger technology.