The verdict
7.2 / 10 · CONSIDER
Mercado Bitcoin (São Paulo, founded 2013) is the largest crypto exchange in Latin America by user count (4M+ in BR). Bacen + CVM regulated. Issued tokenised real-estate debt (CCBs) on-chain — a regulated tokenisation pioneer. BRL fiat rails, 50+ tokens.
◆ BUY IT IF
- Brazilian regulated since 2013 — long track record
- PIX-instant on-ramp
- Tokenised real-estate debt — regulated on-chain product (rare)
- Strong product diversity (exchange + tokenisation + payments)
◇ SKIP IT IF
- Brazilian-Portuguese-only product (limited English)
- Higher fees than Binance Brazil
- Customer-support response slow
- BRL-only — no native cross-border
§ 01 SCORE BREAKDOWN
Eight axes, weighted.
DIMENSION WEIGHT RATING SCORE
Regulatory safety
Bacen-supervised exchange. CVM-licensed broker for tokenised securities. Brazilian Lei 14.478/2022 (Crypto Ass
Card & IBAN
No card, no IBAN
Yield
Up to 8% APY
Coin selection
50 coins supported
App UX
Transparency
Proof of Reserves, public filings, incident history
Fees & spreads
Support
§ 02 THE FIELD TEST
How we tested Mercado Bitcoin.
Drafted from public sources — regulatory licences verified against issuing-authority registers (NYDFS, FCA, MAS, VARA, FSCA, etc.); fees verified from current published rate cards. Not yet field-tested.
DATE STEP TIME NOTES
— Account opened — KYC completed end-to-end
— First deposit — Not yet field-tested — record drafted from public sources; first-hand testing scheduled for the next review cycle.
— First withdrawal — Not yet field-tested — record drafted from public sources; first-hand testing scheduled for the next review cycle.
— Card activated — Card not supported / not ordered
— Last hands-on check — Drafted from public sources — regulatory licences verified against issuing-authority registers (NYDFS, FCA, MAS, VARA, FSCA, etc.); fees verified from current published rate cards. Not yet field-tested.
§ 03 SPECIFICATIONS
Everything, in one table.
Regulation
- Regulatory status
- Bacen-supervised exchange. CVM-licensed broker for tokenised securities. Brazilian Lei 14.478/2022 (Crypto Asset Law) compliant.
- FDIC insurance
- No
- MiCA compliant
- No
- Founded
- 2013
- HQ
- São Paulo, Brazil
Fees
- Monthly account fee
- Free
- Trading fee
- —
- Withdrawal fee
- Variable
Yield & products
- Earn yield
- 3–8% on stablecoins + select tokens
- Max APY
- 8%
- Staking
- Yes
- Crypto-backed loans
- No
- Supported coins
- 50
Banking
- IBAN
- No
- Debit card
- No
- DeFi access
- No
- NFT support
- No
Regions
- Regions available
- LatAm, BR
- Markets served
- —
Support
- Trustpilot
- N/A
§ 04 FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mercado Bitcoin safe? +
Mercado Bitcoin has a regulatory status of: Bacen-supervised exchange. CVM-licensed broker for tokenised securities. Brazilian Lei 14.478/2022 (Crypto Asset Law) compliant.. Always verify current regulatory status directly with the platform before depositing.
What is the maximum APY on Mercado Bitcoin? +
Mercado Bitcoin currently offers up to 8% APY. Rate as of 2026-04-29. Rates change — always check the platform for current rates before depositing.
Where is Mercado Bitcoin available? +
Mercado Bitcoin is available in: LatAm, BR. Markets served: .
Does Mercado Bitcoin have a debit card? +
No, Mercado Bitcoin does not currently offer a debit card.