Largest Stock Exchange in Latin America Bets on Digital Assets
São Paulo’s stock exchange plans to launch its own stablecoin infrastructure and an asset tokenization platform in 2026, viewing digital assets and blockchain technologies as key growth drivers.
Brazil’s B3 stock exchange unveiled an updated vision of its strategy for 2026, centered on the development of digital assets, blockchain adoption, and the launch of its own stablecoin. These initiatives are designed to complement the exchange’s core business, boosting trading volumes and revenue stability amid a shifting macroeconomic environment.
São Paulo’s stock exchange, also known as Bovespa and officially called B3 S.A. (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão, or simply B3), is the largest exchange infrastructure in Latin America by market cap and trading volume, and one of the largest globally.
In 2026, B3 intends to roll out its own tokenization platform for traditional financial instruments, starting with equities. The model envisions full interchangeability between conventional securities and their tokenized counterparts, with trading taking place within a single liquidity pool. This approach aims to reduce technological barriers, ensure continuous trading, and pave the way for a gradual transition to a fully digital capital market infrastructure.
Another key element of B3’s digital strategy is the issuance of its own stablecoin. The asset will serve as a payment and auxiliary instrument for transactions involving tokenized assets, enabling fast settlement and providing a technological bridge between the traditional trading infrastructure and the blockchain environment.
The exchange emphasizes that the stablecoin is conceived specifically as an infrastructure product, a platform for further innovation. FinTech companies and other market participants will be able to build their own solutions on top of B3’s infrastructure.
In parallel, B3 is actively implementing distributed ledger technologies (DLT) and artificial intelligence, viewing blockchain solutions not as a replacement for traditional finance but as an extension of it.
B3’s digital initiatives are unfolding against expectations of a decline in Brazil’s benchmark Selic interest rate, which stood at 15% annually in 2025. Despite high rates, the Ibovespa index repeatedly hit record highs in 2025, underscoring the maturity of Brazil’s capital market.
According to B3 estimates, under a more favorable macroeconomic scenario, average daily trading volume (ADTV) in equities, currently around 24.6 billion reais, could increase severalfold to 50–70 billion reais. Both traditional investors and new participants attracted by digital trading formats and tokenized instruments could play a significant role in this growth.
Beyond tokenization, the exchange is accelerating the launch of digital asset products. Plans for 2026–2027 include options and derivatives on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, as well as event contracts linked to crypto-asset closing prices. These instruments are expected to broaden investor access to digital assets in a regulated environment and enhance liquidity across both traditional and digital market segments.
B3’s management stresses that the goal is not merely to launch individual blockchain products but to build a full-fledged ecosystem. The tokenization platform, stablecoin, traditional exchange infrastructure, and partnerships with FinTech companies are intended to operate as a single integrated system, creating new sources of recurring revenue and reducing the exchange’s dependence on cyclical shifts in central bank monetary policy.
In November 2025, Banco Central do Brasil introduced rules for the systemic regulation of the digital asset market, establishing licensing procedures for service providers, operational requirements, and classifying certain cryptocurrency transactions as foreign exchange operations.
