Brazil has taken another step in tightening regulation of cryptocurrencies by incorporating independent audit requirements for companies seeking approval to operate or renew licenses from June 1, 2026.
The measure targets companies that provide virtual asset services, known as SPSAV. Must submit a reasonable assurance report Prepared by independent auditors registered with the Securities Commission (CVM), the Brazilian securities market regulator.
According to this provision, The central bank seeks to ensure that applicants have a strong compliance regime. You need to have control and management before you get the green light. In fact, the country is moving from a more basic registration system to tighter oversight of the cryptocurrency ecosystem that increasingly resembles the model governing traditional financial systems.
The new external review will require a third party to evaluate a company’s internal mechanisms. Points to consider include anti-money laundering controls, prevention of terrorist financing, know-your-customer, governance, segregation of user assets, risk management, employee compliance programs, and escrow arrangements. In other words, it is no longer enough for a company to declare that it is compliant; it will now need to prove it with audited evidence.
The scope of the requirements can directly impact authorization. Both initial approval and license renewal can be complicated if a company cannot pass the controls. This increases the weight of compliance teams, custodians, and other providers in this space within exchanges. Additionally, the report must be issued by a CVM-registered professional. This reduces the group of qualified auditors and ties the encryption process to standards similar to capital market standards.
Regulation regarding virtual assets in Brazil began to take shape in 2022 with Law No. 14,478. A year later, the central bank was appointed as the lead authority overseeing crypto service providers. In 2025, The country went further down this path with a resolution creating a specific category for these companies. It has incorporated rules regarding custody, corporate governance, anti-money laundering, and stablecoin oversight. Add to this travel rules and self-custodial wallet monitoring to review management strategies at several layers within your business.
Companies already operating in the market have until October 2026 to adapt to the new requirements. This margin provides transition, but also requires a review of internal processes, storage agreements, customer documentation, risk systems, and management procedures. The cost of this adaptation is not uniform. While this may be acceptable for large international platforms, it can be a significant hurdle for startups and small exchanges.
Market hardening is occurring in a market that is by no means small. From mid-2024 to mid-2025, Brazil would have received nearly $318.8 billion in crypto value, representing about a third, or 33%, of all crypto flows in Latin America, Chainalysis said. This size explains why the country remains a priority for large exchanges. Its size, level of digital adoption and financial relevance make this industry a strategic location.
The central bank claims that the new requirements aim to strengthen the safety and efficiency of Brazil’s financial system.in addition to supporting the development of the virtual asset market with better standards of governance, transparency and prevention of financial crime. This logic is similar to bank supervision. Before trusting an entity to manage third-party assets, authorities want to ensure that processes, managers, and controls exist that can detect failures in a timely manner.
new requirements Brazil confirms intention to move towards more intensive supervision A rigorous approach to the virtual asset sector. In recent years, the country has developed a regulatory framework that incorporates additional requirements in terms of compliance, transparency and risk management, and gives the central bank an increasingly important role in licensing and supervising these companies.
The move does not mean shutting down the industry, but it will raise the conditions for operating in one of Latin America’s most important crypto markets. If this model successfully combines growth in the sector with increased protection for users and investors, it could serve as a reference for future regulations in other countries in the region.
(Tag translation) Bitcoin (BTC)
