In the second of two articles , Jeff Alvares analyzes the competing arguments around Pix under World Trade Organization rules—a debate involving broader questions about how international trade rules need to reflect the complexity of public services in the digital economy. By Jeff Alvares As examined in Part I , Brazil’s public instant-payment system Pix, rolled out to expand banking services to those whom private financial services had previously excluded, has achieved remark

In the first of two articles , Jeff Alvares explores how Brazil’s public digital payments system achieved transformative financial inclusion through vertically integrated infrastructure, creating a model now facing scrutiny under international trade law and raising questions about the boundaries of legitimate public infrastructure provision. By Jeff Alvares In July, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) initiated a Section 301 investigation into Brazil’

A comunidade internacional precisa ter clareza sobre os limites do poder público na persecução de objetivos legítimos como estabilidade,...

A smartphone screen in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on July 16, 2025, shows a banking app with options for PIX, which is an instant electronic...

Brazi's Pix instant payments system enables real-time transfers 24/7 across all financial institutions at no cost to individuals and small businesses.   My thinking has evolved. A more up-to-date view on the topic is available here: https://www.jeffalvares.com/post/what-brazil-s-pix-reveals-about-wto-rules-for-the-platform-economy https://www.jeffalvares.com/post/the-political-economy-of-brazil-s-pix-payment-system https://www.jeffalvares.com/post/brazil-s-pix-and-the-geopoli