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Central Bank’s Change in Strategy on Drex Could Change the Game in Business. Early Partial Adoption of the System Prioritizes Data Centralization and Leaves Blockchain for the Second Phase
The Central Bank’s change in strategy for implementing Drex, the Brazilian digital currency, promises to accelerate the arrival of the first version to the public as early as next year. Instead of starting with blockchain, the CB opted to first launch a centralized platform to simplify and expedite transactions related to asset guarantees.
Experts consulted by the sector view the decision as pragmatic but recognize that the full impact of Drex will only come in the second phase, when blockchain technology is incorporated, allowing for more complex and automated operations, with the potential to alter business flows and even international transactions.
What Changes in the First Phase
The initial priority will be data centralization, especially in managing encumbrances – the registration of the transfer of assets used as collateral, such as real estate and vehicles. With the new structure, it will be possible to quickly remove an encumbrance and release the asset for sale or use as collateral for new loans.
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This initial application directly impacts sectors such as real estate and automotive, enabling faster and less bureaucratic negotiations. International trade is not the focus for now, although the model could eventually be adapted for collateral that fosters exports and imports.
Why Blockchain Was Postponed
According to Wagner Martim, the Vice President of Institutional Relations at Veritran, the decision to delay blockchain is related to security. The Central Bank’s digital currency requires even stricter protection protocols than those applied to private cryptocurrencies, and the current pilot aims to validate this robustness before large-scale adoption.
With blockchain, Drex could automate smart contracts, digitize deeds, and expedite financing, leasing, and complex commercial operations, eliminating the need for intermediaries and long settlement periods.
Integration with Pix and New Uses
Drex will not replace Pix, but it could use its infrastructure as a trigger for transfers in more structured operations. While Pix will continue as a means of instant payment, Drex will operate in larger transactions, such as buying and selling real estate and vehicles, automated collateral leases, and corporate credit and investment contracts.
In the future, when integrated with blockchain, Drex could also facilitate international settlements without going through the Swift system, opening up opportunities for faster transactions that are less dependent on foreign banks.
Brazil in the Global Race of Digital Currencies
According to Martim, Brazil is among the most advanced countries in the western hemisphere in developing an official digital currency, standing alongside India and China and ahead of developed economies such as the United States and the European Union.
The combination of Open Finance, Pix, and Drex forms, according to him, a robust ecosystem capable of positioning the country as a global reference in financial modernization as long as the implementation maintains security and stability.
Do you think the Central Bank’s change in strategy is a smart move to ensure Drex’s security, or will it delay the more transformative benefits of the technology? Leave your opinion in the comments and join the debate.
DREX É CONTROLE TOTAL DA POPULAÇÃO. OS AUTÔNOMOS COMO VE DEDOR DE MORANGO NO SINAL ESTAO NO SAL.