Status
PILOT
Brazil
Brazil Drex (Digital Real)
According to Banco Central do Brasil disclosures and linked sources, this profile records status, architecture, and capability fields for Brazil Drex (Digital Real).
Program Snapshot
Current status fields and timeline data from the profile record.
Type
WHOLESALE
Program classification
Wallets
Not listed
As of 2025-02-26
Annual Volume
Not listed
high confidence
Status and Timeline
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Announced | 2022-08-01 |
| Pilot start | 2024-08-01 |
| Launch | Not listed |
| Last verified | 2026-04-18 |
Availability
- Retail
- none
- Wholesale
- pilot
Central Bank
Banco Central do Brasil
Technical Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Wholesale |
| Architecture | two-tier |
| Access model | token based |
| Technology base | hybrid |
| Legal tender | pilot only |
Capabilities
offline payments: No
programmability: Yes
cross border: No
interest bearing: No
transaction limits: Yes
Cross-Border Projects
No cross-border project entries are listed for this profile.
Recent Updates
According to Banco Central do Brasil (BCB), the first phase of the Drex pilot ran from July 2023 to October 2024 and its technical report was published on February 26, 2025. The official report says the phase tested a DLT-based platform focused on privacy, programmability, and compliance requirements. BCB reported 16 selected proposals in phase 1, more than 100 participating institutions across consortia, and 26 deployed network nodes. The report also recorded over 420 wholesale token transactions, over 1,900 retail token transactions, and 1,263 tokenised federal bond transactions in the test environment. The official Drex pilot page shows the second phase has been completed, with a phase 2 report still under preparation. Public end-user wallet and transaction-volume metrics are not published because retail-user operations are simulated inside the pilot environment rather than launched to the public.
Updated: Apr 18, 2026
Reference Answers
Is Drex already a live retail CBDC?
high confidenceAs of 2026-04-22No. Drex remains a pilot-stage programme in the registry, with the central bank still describing phase-based testing and technical development rather than a live retail launch.
The profile should answer this directly because Drex is one of the most watched next-stage CBDCs. Banco Central do Brasil's current materials still support a pilot classification: the first phase report and the second-phase launch note show a structured testing programme, not a finished public retail rollout. The registry therefore treats Drex as an active pilot rather than a live CBDC.
- The BCB published a first-phase report and launched a second phase.
- The current profile treats Drex as pilot, not live.
- The strongest public evidence remains pilot-development evidence rather than consumer rollout evidence.
Citations
- Drex - Banco Central do Brasilcentral bank · T1
Caveats
- Pilot-phase progress should not be read as proof of a public retail launch date.
Related CBDCs
Sources
Sources
Last verified: 2026-04-18
Drex - Banco Central do Brasil
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BCB launches Drex Pilot's second phase
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Drex Pilot Phase 1 Report - Main Developments
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Drex FAQ - Banco Central do Brasil
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BIS Review: Drex and the Future of Financial Intermediation
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Brazil is building on the success of Pix with Drex pilot - OMFIF (by BCB Deputy Governor Renato Gomes)
news