{
  "id": 281952,
  "title": "UnionPay to plug Chinese payment apps into Brazil’s Pix after US tariffs over the system",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/unionpay-to-plug-chinese-payment-apps-into-brazils-pix-after-us-281952",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-08-07T19:59:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3363365/unionpay-plug-chinese-payment-apps-brazils-pix-after-us-tariffs-over-system"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "UnionPay International, a China-based payment company, plans to integrate its payment apps with Brazil's Pix system, a move that could benefit Chinese tourists visiting Brazil. Pix, the dominant payment method in Brazil since its launch in 2020, allows users to transfer funds between accounts instantly and without cost. Under the pilot program, UnionPay app users and those with Chinese bank apps linked to UnionPay's platform will be able to scan a merchant's code to pay from their home account. The expansion could potentially extend to other digital wallets in UnionPay's global network. Pix has become the go-to payment method in Brazil, with around 15 million merchants and a growing list of countries where it operates. The US Trade Representative imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods in July due to concerns over the system's favoritism towards Chinese payment apps. Brazil's central bank defended Pix, calling it an international benchmark and refusing to change the system despite the trade dispute. The dispute has led Brazil to take its case to the World Trade Organization, though the Appellate Body has been inactive since 2019. The UnionPay-Brazil partnership follows three years of financial cooperation between the two countries, including a $27 billion currency swap line and discussions on direct yuan-real trading. The rise in Chinese tourism to Brazil, with over 100,000 Chinese tourists visiting in 2025, has driven the need for expanded payment options.",
  "summary": "China’s UnionPay International plans to connect Chinese payment apps to Pix, the Brazilian payment system at the centre of Washington’s trade case against Brasilia, allowing Chinese tourists to pay by scanning a code. Under the pilot, users of the UnionPay app and of Chinese bank apps linked to its platform would scan a merchant’s code and pay from the account they use at home. Chinese state…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "UnionPay to plug Chinese payment apps into Brazil’s Pix after US tariffs over the system",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/unionpay-to-plug-chinese-payment-apps-into-brazils-pix-after-us",
        "published": "2026-08-07T19:59:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}