Pagamentos digitais e projeção internacional: um estudo de caso do Pix do Brasil

Abstract

This study examines the case of Pix, Brazil’s official digital payment method, which represented a major innovation in the Brazilian financial system and garnered global attention. Through the lens of International Political Economy (IPE), the study aims to understand the significance of this Brazilian innovation for the International Monetary System (IMS), particularly in relation to the US dollar, a currency that has held a consolidated global position for over eight decades following the Bretton Woods agreement. To this end, the work provides a historical analysis of the dollar's rise and consolidation within the International System (IS) through theoretical research based on secondary sources, discussing the interplay between currency, the State, and power. Furthermore, it outlines the digitalization process of payment methods and examines experiences from Global South countries. Finally, the discussion focuses on the Brazilian tool, analyzing its international impact and empirically assessing Pix's significance for the International Monetary System from political and symbolic perspectives by mapping reactions in editorials and official media outlets. The research is qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive in nature, relying on interpretive content analysis and the study of both primary and secondary sources. The findings indicate that Pix emerges within a global context of rising digital payment methods; alongside other existing arrangements, it may pose relative threats to the prevailing global monetary structure by offering alternatives to historically established mechanisms, thereby functioning as a symbolic political instrument.