The Central Bank of Brazil announced new measures to strengthen operational security and the management of the Instant Payments Account (Conta PI), which direct participants in the Instant Payments System (SPI) use for settlement. The enhancements form part of the central bank’s Agenda BC and the second phase of a toolset aimed at reinforcing the robustness of the payments ecosystem. The new capabilities let institutions set a minimum operational balance, below which the Conta PI will stop accepting the issuance of new instant payment orders, functioning as a new “operational zero”. Participants can also opt in to automatic blocking so that, once the configured minimum is reached, settlement access in the SPI is temporarily interrupted until the institution manually unblocks it. In addition, an alternative channel will allow institutions to consult Conta PI statements even if access to the National Financial System Network (RSFN) is unavailable due to internal outages or suspected fraud attempts. The release also notes that, since 2025, auxiliary tools have been available for balance monitoring, automated risk notifications and manual blocking and unblocking.
Central Bank of Brazil 2026-03-24
Central Bank of Brazil strengthens Conta PI security with minimum balance thresholds automatic blocking and an alternative statement channel
The Central Bank of Brazil has introduced measures to enhance operational security and management of the Instant Payments Account (Conta PI) within the Instant Payments System (SPI). These measures include setting a minimum operational balance, automatic blocking options, and an alternative channel for accessing Conta PI statements during network outages. These enhancements are part of the central bank's Agenda BC and the second phase of a toolset to strengthen the payments ecosystem.