Chamber committee approves guidelines for creation of the Drex and advances regulation of digital financial infrastructure

The development of Drex, the digital currency project of the Central Bank of Brazil, reached a new chapter this week. The Chamber of Deputies’ Economic Development Committee (CDE) approved a favorable opinion on Bill No. 4,212/2025, which establishes guidelines for the implementation of digital currencies in Brazil, including Drex.

Drex is the digital version of the Brazilian real and belongs to the group known as Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs), digital currencies issued and supervised by central banks. Unlike private cryptocurrencies, Drex aims to modernize the national financial infrastructure by enabling safer, more efficient and automated operations through asset tokenization and the use of smart contracts. In practice, the technology could enable the digital representation of assets such as real estate, vehicles, receivables and credit instruments, facilitating their trading and use in financial transactions.

The proposed legislation seeks to create parameters for the development and use of these technologies, reconciling financial innovation, legal certainty and the protection of fundamental rights.

The opinion, prepared by Representative Lafayette de Andrada, recognizes the potential of digital currencies to increase the efficiency of payment methods, reduce operational costs and foster innovation in the financial system. At the same time, it highlights the need to establish safeguards related to privacy, personal data protection and users’ financial secrecy, given that the traceability inherent to digital transactions may pose significant challenges from the perspective of individual rights.

In this context, Bill No. 4,212/2025 aims to ensure that the evolution of digital currencies in Brazil proceeds in accordance with principles of transparency, security, data protection, anti‑money laundering and respect for citizens’ constitutional guarantees. The proposal also emphasizes the importance of governance mechanisms capable of balancing technological innovation and rights protection.

The committee’s approval of the opinion represents another step toward building greater legal certainty to accompany the digital transformation of Brazil’s financial system. The progress of these discussions shows that topics such as digital currencies, asset tokenization, privacy and technological governance are likely to occupy an increasingly prominent place on the regulatory agenda in the coming years, and companies should closely monitor these legislative developments.

Given the recent regulatory updates, Peck Advogados has a multidisciplinary team specialized in Digital Law, Data Protection, Innovation and Financial Regulation, ready to assist organizations in risk assessment, regulatory compliance and the implementation of strategies aligned with market transformations, promoting stronger governance in innovation projects.

For more information or to schedule a conversation with our specialists, contact us at contato@peckadv.com.br.

Prepared by: Dr. Gita Pereira Gontijo, Attorney, Digital Advisory, and Dr. Graziella Rosa, Manager, Digital Advisory.

Sources: Link and Link

AUTHOR

• Gita Gontijo
• Graziella Rosa