Itaú Unibanco files first crypto notification under Brazil's new central bank rules
Regulation & Gov ·
Brazil's largest private bank told the central bank it would offer crypto trading and custody, becoming the first major lender to formalize such operations under the country's new digital-asset framework.
Itaú Unibanco notified Brazil's central bank of the crypto operations on Tuesday, according to wublockchain.xyz, ahead of an Oct. 30 deadline set by regulators for institutions to declare their intentions under the new rules. The move positions Itaú as the first bank to go through this formal notification process since the framework took effect, a step other large Brazilian banks have not yet taken public.
The filing matters because it marks a shift from informal or third-party crypto exposure toward direct, regulator-sanctioned participation by a traditional bank in trading and custody of digital assets. Under the new central bank regime, institutions must notify authorities before the Oct. 30 cutoff if they intend to run such operations, giving the deadline weight as a marker of which banks are moving first and which are holding back.
The development is corroborated by other coverage describing Itaú as the first institution to notify the central bank under the digital-asset framework, aligning with the account that the bank acted ahead of the deadline rather than waiting until the last moment. Two distinct sources have reported on the filing, pointing to Itaú's move as an early test case for how Brazil's banking sector will engage with the new crypto rules.
What remains unclear is the scope of the trading and custody services Itaú plans to offer, including which digital assets will be covered and when the services might launch for customers. It is also not yet known how many other Brazilian banks will file similar notifications before the Oct. 30 deadline, or whether the central bank will disclose aggregate data on industry-wide participation once the window closes. Those details should become clearer as the deadline approaches and as other large lenders decide whether to follow Itaú's lead.