The Office of the United States Trade Representative will hold a public hearing on July 6 at the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington to review proposed responsive action under Section 301 against Brazil. USTR issued its formal determination on June 1, concluding that Brazil's PIX-related policies are unreasonable and discriminatory against U.S. electronic payment service providers. The proposed action includes a 25% additional tariff on most Brazilian-origin goods. Over 1,600 product categories including beef, coffee, metals, and energy are exempted.
The investigation was initiated on July 15, 2025. USTR identifies PIX among six issue areas alongside unfair tariffs, anti-corruption enforcement, intellectual property protection, ethanol market access, and deforestation. USTR found that the Banco Central do Brasil's dual role as PIX regulator and operator creates structural conflicts of interest. The determination cited mandatory PIX participation for institutions with over 500,000 active customer accounts as unreasonable. Display-prominence rules requiring PIX to appear no less prominently than competing payment methods were separately identified as discriminatory.
The public comment period closed on July 1. Negotiations have been conducted through a USTR-overseen working group. Substantial differences remain between the two sides. USTR must adopt final responsive action by the statutory deadline of July 15.