The leading Brazilian crypto firm shifts from trading to tokenized finance, using blockchain quietly behind the scenes to attract mainstream users.
Twelve years after launching as a crypto trading platform, Mercado Bitcoin (MB) is redefining its identity. The São Paulo-based firm is moving beyond charts and trading pairs to become a comprehensive financial hub, integrating payments, digital fixed income, and remittances into one seamless platform.
The company’s vision is clear — to become Brazil’s first “financial super app”, where users can manage spending, saving, and investing without ever realizing they are interacting with blockchain technology.
MB’s new strategy revolves around what executives call “invisible blockchain” — a model where blockchain operates quietly in the background while user-facing services resemble traditional finance.
“The revolution happens when the protocol disappears,” said Daniel Cunha, Mercado Bitcoin’s head of corporate development. “Customers don’t want to hear about blockchains or tokens. They want to know the rate, the risk, and the maturity date.”
By avoiding crypto-native terminology, MB found its audience. The company even removed the word “tokenization” from its marketing materials, replacing it with the more familiar phrase “digital fixed income.” Cunha noted that this change significantly boosted user adoption and engagement.
The approach underscores MB’s belief that the next wave of blockchain innovation will be “invisible” — with millions using decentralized infrastructure without realizing it.
Tokenized Credit and Financial Expansion
At the core of MB’s new model lies tokenized private credit, a sector the company believes is ripe for disruption in Brazil’s underbanked economy. MB expects to surpass 3 billion reais ($563 million) in tokenized credit issuance by the end of 2025, marking a milestone in its transformation.
Today, about 20% of MB’s assets under custody are represented by tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) — a figure that was nearly zero just a few years ago.
Beyond domestic expansion, MB is also building a footprint in Portugal and developing institutional channels in the U.S., connecting capital between Latin America and global markets.
While trading remains a major part of MB’s operations, its share of revenue is shrinking — down from 95% at its peak to around 60% today. The remainder now comes from payments, custody, and asset management, signaling a deliberate pivot toward sustainable financial services.
As MB continues to evolve, its “invisible blockchain” strategy could become a model for the mass adoption of digital finance, where blockchain quietly powers the next generation of financial ecosystems — secure, efficient, and accessible to everyone.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.