Singapore-based Ant International has received a payment institution licence from Brazil’s central bank, expanding its regulated presence as the financial technology company strengthens its local and cross-border payment capabilities in Latin America’s largest economy.
The licence from Banco Central do Brasil builds on services Ant International already offers in the country through Antom, its merchant payment and digitalisation platform, the company said on Friday.
Antom enables merchants to accept Brazil’s Pix instant-payment system, credit cards and a range of alternative payment methods.
The new licence will allow Ant International to provide more comprehensive payment and account services to enterprises, platforms and small and medium-sized businesses.
“With the Central Bank’s invaluable support, we are ready to step up more reliable and comprehensive global payment and account services to enterprises, platforms and SMEs,” Rodrigo Reif, general manager of Ant International Brazil, said.
The licence will also strengthen Ant International’s local and cross-border payment capabilities in Brazil, the company said.
The regulatory approval comes as Brazil tightens oversight of its payments industry, including companies providing international payment and transfer services.
In April, the central bank approved new rules governing international payment or transfer services, known as eFX, restricting their provision to institutions authorised by the regulator.
Companies that currently provide such services without authorisation must apply to become authorised payment institutions by May 31, 2027. The rules take effect on Oct. 1, 2026.
Brazil has also tightened requirements for payment institutions more broadly.
Rules introduced in September 2025 require payment institutions to obtain central bank authorisation to begin providing payment services, replacing previous arrangements under which some providers could operate without prior authorisation until reaching regulatory thresholds.
Ant International provides cross-border payments and account services, embedded credit and treasury services, as well as blockchain and artificial intelligence-based tools to clients across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The company processes more than 20 million transactions daily and connects about 2 billion consumer accounts with 150 million merchants through its digital payment ecosystem, according to Ant International.