Share this article
Latin American E-Commerce Giant Mercado Libre to Enable Crypto Investments in Brazil
Mercado Libre users will be able to access crypto buying, selling and custodial services starting this week.
Updated May 11, 2023, 5:47 p.m. Published Nov 22, 2021, 8:45 p.m.
Mercado Libre, the largest e-commerce company in Latin America by market value, will enable users in Brazil to buy, sell and hold cryptocurrencies, the company confirmed to CoinDesk on Monday.
- Bloomberg Law first reported the news in a story earlier in the day that Mercado Libre co-founder and CEO Marcos Galperin retweeted.
- In a written statement, Mercado Libre said that it was entering the cryptocurrency environment in Brazil together with “a world-class custodian,” although it didn’t specify with whom it would partner for this service. The company added that it is “analyzing all financial and regulatory aspects surrounding this technology.”
- Mercado Libre has been hinting for months about bolstering its crypto services. In August, Osvaldo Gimenez, Mercado Pago president, said in an interview with Bloomberg Linea that bitcoin and ethereum “could be a revolution in finance.”
- Galperin said on Twitter that users of both Mercado Livre, the Brazilian branch of the company, as well as Mercado Pago, its fintech arm, will be able to “buy, store and sell crypto” starting this week.
- The company made the feature available to a small group of Brazilian users in November and plans to launch it more widely in the coming weeks, according to Tulio Oliveira, vice president of Mercado Pago, Bloomberg Law reported on Monday.
- In May, the company, which trades on Nasdaq as MELI, disclosed a $7.8 million bitcoin purchase that was part of its treasury strategy. One month earlier, its Argentine real estate platform launched a special section for the sale and purchase of properties with bitcoin.
- Mercado Pago’s digital wallet has 16.8 million unique users, according to information provided by Mercado Libre in its third-quarter report of 2021.
More For You
KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
More For You
Tom Lee urges BitMine shareholders to approve share increase ahead of January 14 vote
The chairman of the former bitcoin miner-turned-ether treasury firm reiterated his view that Ethereum is the future of finance.
What to know:
- Tom Lee, chairman of Bitmine Immersion (BMNR), urged shareholders to approve an increase in the company's authorized share count from 500 million to 50 billion.
- Lee assured shareholders that the increase is not intended to dilute shares, but instead to enable capital raising, dealmaking, and future share splits.
- Shareholders have until January 14 to vote on the proposal, with the annual meeting scheduled for January 15 in Las Vegas.
Top Stories
