ROAD TOWN, Tortola, British Virgin Islands – January 8, 2026 Bitfinex, the state-of-the-art cryptocurrency exchange, today announced a reduction in conversion fees between the Brazilian real and Tether USDt on SWAPX, facilitated through SmartPay. The fee has been lowered from one percent to 0.75 percent and is effective immediately.
SmartPay is the Brazilian on-ramp used by Bitfinex to support local currency access and settlement. The reduced fee structure is designed to improve cost efficiency and execution for Brazilian customers converting between their local currency and USDt, the most widely used stablecoin globally.
The reduction in fees reinforces Bitfinex’s commitment to expanding access to digital assets in Brazil, one of Latin America’s largest crypto markets. Crypto adoption in the country is driven primarily by payments, fintech integration and regulatory clarity rather than short-term speculation. Retail customers commonly use crypto for trading and savings diversification, while stablecoins such as USDt play a critical role in cross-border payments, hedging against currency volatility and informal dollarisation in business transactions.
According to Chainalysis, Brazil dominates the LATAM region with $318.8 billion in crypto value received, accounting for nearly one-third of all LATAM crypto activity, mainly dominated by USDt transactions.
USDt has become a core component of everyday crypto usage, being widely used by retail and small business customers for cross-border payments, remittances and treasury management, offering faster settlement and lower costs than traditional banking rails. USDt also plays an important role as a hedge against currency volatility, enabling informal dollarisation for savings and commercial transactions without requiring direct access to US dollar accounts.
This utility-led adoption, supported by Brazil’s advanced fintech infrastructure and increasingly clear regulatory framework, has positioned USDt as the dominant stablecoin in the country’s digital asset economy and explains the importance of a fees reduction in the Brazilian real to USDt rates.
Brazil’s crypto ecosystem is characterised by high customer penetration, growing institutional participation and a regulatory framework that prioritises integration into the broader financial system.
About Bitfinex
Founded in 2012, Bitfinex is a digital token trading platform offering state-of-the-art services for traders and global liquidity providers. In addition to a suite of advanced trading features and charting tools, Bitfinex provides access to peer-to-peer financing, an OTC market and margin trading for a wide selection of digital tokens. Bitfinex’s strategy focuses on providing unparalleled support, tools, and innovation for experienced traders and liquidity providers around the world. Visit www.bitfinex.com to learn more.
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