BRD Stablecoin Ties Brazil’s Sovereign Debt to On-Chain Yield

• BRD stablecoin tokenizes Brazilian sovereign bonds and shares the yield with holders.
• Structure targets foreign investors seeking Brazil’s 15% Selic rate exposure digitally.
• New rules classify stablecoins as FX, shaping rollout of yield-bearing tokens in Brazil.

Brazilian sovereign debt moved onto blockchain rails after former Central Bank director Tony Volpon announced BRD stablecoin on CNN Brasil’s “Cripto na Real.” The real-pegged stablecoin is backed by Brazilian Treasury bonds and distributes their interest yield to holders. The structure targets foreign investors seeking exposure to Brazil’s 15% policy rate through a digital token.

BRD’s Structure Links Stablecoins to Sovereign Yield

Volpon said BRD will be backed by Brazilian National Treasury bonds. Unlike transactional stablecoins, BRD links its value to government debt reserves. Notably, the design allows interest earned on those bonds to flow directly to token holders.

Brazil’s benchmark Selic rate currently stands at 15%, the highest level since July 2006. By comparison, the U.S. Federal Reserve targets 3.5 to 3.75%. However, foreign investors often face regulatory barriers, currency conversion costs, and domestic infrastructure limits.

Volpon said BRD seeks to package those yields into a digital format. He explained that blockchain delivery could bypass frictions tied to custody and settlement. As a result, BRD positions itself as a yield-bearing representation of Brazilian sovereign debt.

CF Inovação, founded by Volpon and José Carneiro in 2023, will issue the token. The firm previously focused on real estate tokenization. However, official product documentation for BRD has not yet been released.

Competition Shows Change Beyond Payment

BRD enters a market already served by several real-pegged stablecoins. Transfero’s BRZ leads with a reported $185 million market capitalization. BBRL follows with about $51 million, while BRL1 and cREAL hold smaller positions. Most existing tokens function primarily as payment instruments. 

They maintain a peg but do not distribute yield from backing assets. BRD seeks differentiation by embedding interest distribution into the token structure. However, BRD is not alone in this approach. Brazilian startup Crown launched BRLV roughly 18 months ago. That token also shares yield from government bond reserves with holders.

Crown raised $13.5 million in a Series A round led by Paradigm in December 2025. The company reported a $90 million valuation. According to its website, BRLV has around $19 million in reals circulating, though on-chain data shows two holders.

RWA.xyz data places Brazil’s total real stablecoin circulation near $20 million. However, Transfero’s BRZ shows only $13.6 million currently on-chain. These figures highlight how early the market remains.

Related: Brazil Tightens Crypto Rules With New Central Bank Framework

Regulation Frames the Tokenization Experiment

BRD’s announcement comes as Brazil tightens crypto oversight. In November 2025, the Central Bank published resolutions covering stablecoin operations. The rules classify stablecoin transactions as foreign-exchange activities.

As a result, issuers will face the same supervision applied to currency exchange businesses. The regulations take effect Feb. 2, 2026. However, BRD has not announced a deployment timeline. Brazil’s crypto market recorded 227 billion reais in transactions during the first half of 2025. 

Stablecoins accounted for roughly 90% of that volume. Notably, policymakers now view stablecoins as systemic financial infrastructure. Volpon served as Deputy Governor for International Affairs from 2015 to 2016. During that period, he participated in COPOM, which sets the Selic rate. He previously held senior roles at UBS and Nomura Securities.

By tying stablecoin issuance to sovereign bonds, BRD shows a broader move toward real-world asset tokenization. However, its structure places it closer to a digital debt instrument than a payments tool. The approach directly links decentralized tokens with national fiscal instruments.

BRD’s debut places sovereign debt, blockchain rails, and regulation into one structure. The model combines Brazilian Treasury bonds, stablecoin mechanics, and yield distribution. Together, these elements frame BRD as a financial instrument rooted in existing market facts, not projections.