PayPal has added Pix to its checkout offering in response to rising demand for local payment methods in high-growth markets.
The company, announced on 13 April, has integrated Brazil’s instant payment system Pix into its PayPal Complete Payments platform, enabling small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) to offer the country’s widely used payment method at checkout.
Launched in Brazil in 2025, PayPal Complete Payments is a platform which combines cards, local payment methods and business tools.
“By bringing Pix into PayPal Complete Payments, we’re giving entrepreneurs a high-conversion way to get paid that combines a payment method Brazilians know with the trust, security, and global reach that PayPal is known for,” said Brunno Saura, General Manager of PayPal Brazil.
The announcement is part of a larger strategy from PayPal to support SMBs with locally relevant payment options.
Is Pix essential for doing business in Brazil?
“Pix is how Brazil pays today,” Saura said, highlighting the adoption the system has achieved since launching in 2020.
Developed by Brazil’s central bank, Pix has become the dominant payment method in the country. More than 170 million people, over 90% of the adult population, have used the system, which has processed around 196 billion transactions worth approximately $16 trillion through September 2025, according to Brazil Central Bank.
The system now accounts for a significant share of online commerce and is expected to reach around 40% of online payment value in Brazil by 2026.
As a result, offering Pix is increasingly seen as a requirement rather than an option for merchants operating in the market. Global providers have looked to integrate the system, with companies such as Stripe partnering with EBANX in 2025 to enable Pix acceptance for international merchants.
Its success can be put down to a mix of regulatory backing, infrastructure investment and consumer demand. This perfect ecosystem is something other markets, where efforts to move away from cards have been slower, are struggling to replicate.
However, there are still opportunities for card networks to pose a challenge. Fraud linked to Pix transactions has increased, with losses in Brazil reaching $4.65bn across 1.6 million cases in 2025.
PayPal emphasises localisation
PayPal’s addition of Pix sits is part of a larger strategy to offer a more flexible and localised payments infrastructure.
This goal is being achieved via PayPal Complete Payments, which is designed to bring a range of options, including cards, wallets and local payment systems, into a single integration for merchants.
Last year Arnon Borensztajn, Head of Enterprise Platform and Product Enablement at PayU, wrote for Payment Expert about the importance of localisation.
“You wouldn’t send an e-newsletter written in French to your customers in Brazil. There’s no arguing with that statement: it’s obvious to the point of absurdity,” Borensztajn wrote. “So why isn’t this logic being applied throughout customers’ e-commerce journeys?”
He explained that failing to offer preferred payment methods can directly affect conversion and revenue, and that localisation should be treated as a core commercial lever.
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