Ant International Secures Payment Institution License to Expand Capabilities in Brazil

Ant International, a global provider of digital payment, digitization and financial artificial intelligence (FinAI) solutions, has received a Payment Institution (PI) license from the Central Bank of Brazil, the company said in a Thursday (Sept. 3) press release.

The PI license will strengthen Ant International’s local and cross-border payment capabilities in Brazil and expand the company’s ability to support local partners, according to the release.

The license builds on the services Ant International already offers in Brazil through its merchant payment and digitalization platform Antom, which enables merchants to accept Pix, credit cards and a variety of alternative payment methods, per the release.

“With the Central Bank’s invaluable support, we are ready to step up more reliable and comprehensive global payment and account services to enterprises, platforms and [small- to medium-sized businesses] in the country’s dynamic digital economy, in ever deeper collaboration with its highly developed payments ecosystem and financial services industry,” Rodrigo Reif, general manager, Ant International Brazil, said in the release.

Ant International provides services to clients across the Americas, Asia and Europe, according to the release.

The PYMNTS Intelligence report “Global Digital Shopping Index: Brazil Playbook: The New Brazilian Shopper“ found that payment choice can decide where the country’s consumers shop. Sixty-five percent of Brazilian consumers said merchants’ acceptance of their preferred payment method influence their choice of where to shop.

“This trend has held steady since 2023, making Brazil one of the most acceptance-driven markets,” the report said. “For merchants, acceptance of Pix, now used for one-quarter of purchases, and cards is essential.”

Ant International announced in July that it raised $1.2 billion in Series A equity financing to allow the company to improve its cross-border payments and agentic commerce offerings. The company said the proceeds will help boost its merchant payment, account management and other financial services for SMBs and enterprises around the world.

In August, Ant International said several of the world’s biggest banks are using its new artificial intelligence model, Falcon Time-Series Transformer (FalconTST), which is designed to provide more accurate forecasting in real-world foreign exchange risk management of cross-border payments. AI prediction also helps businesses recognize when they need funds, how much they need and in which currencies, the company said.