What Pix and the BR Code are
Pix is Brazil’s instant payment system, created and operated by the Banco Central do Brasil and launched in November 2020. Payments settle in seconds at any hour between accounts at participating banks and payment institutions. The BR Code is the QR code standard that Pix uses, and it follows the EMVCo Merchant-Presented Mode layout.
The same payload can also be shared as text, which Brazilians call Pix copia e cola (copy and paste). The payer pastes the string into their banking app instead of scanning, which is useful when the code is on the same phone.
Pix keys and the payload
A Pix payment is addressed to a Pix key registered to an account. Inside the BR Code, the merchant account information sits in ID 26, which starts with the identifier br.gov.bcb.pix followed by the key. The currency is 986 (Brazilian real) and the country code is BR, and the code ends with the usual EMV CRC checksum.
- CPF or CNPJ (individual or company tax number)
- Email address
- Mobile phone number
- Random key (EVP), a generated identifier that hides personal details
Static and dynamic Pix codes
A static Pix code carries the key and can be reused, with or without a fixed amount. A dynamic Pix code carries a URL that points to a payload hosted by the receiver’s payment provider, which lets the amount, due date and other details be set for one charge. Dynamic codes are typical for online checkouts and invoices.