Brazilian Legislation Would Permit Partial Crypto Wage Payments

A Brazilian federal deputy has put forward legislation that would allow employers to pay portions of salaries in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. The bill, filed on March 12, would require at least 50% of wages to remain in Brazilian real while permitting the remainder in digital assets.

Federal Deputy Luiz Philippe de Orleans e Bragança introduced the legislation known as PL 957/2025. The bill would make cryptocurrency salary payments legal on a voluntary basis. Orleans-Bragança, a descendant of Brazil's former royal family, is currently serving his second term representing São Paulo.

The proposed law explicitly forbids paying full salaries in cryptocurrencies for most workers. "The payment of salaries exclusively in virtual assets is prohibited," states the bill, with exceptions only for expatriate employees or foreign workers under Central Bank regulations. The legislation does permit full crypto payments for independent contractors.

For standard employment arrangements, the bill mandates that at least half of any salary must be paid in the national currency. The legislation also requires that crypto payments use exchange rates established by institutions authorized by Brazil's Central Bank.

Orleans-Bragança believes the measure could benefit Brazil's economy in several ways:

• Boost the financial technology sector
• Attract cryptocurrency investment
• Provide greater contractual freedom between employers and employees

The lawmaker points to several countries that have successfully implemented similar regulations. "In Japan, legislation requires individual agreement between employer and employee, as well as specific guidelines for the conversion of the amounts paid," he noted. He also cited Switzerland and Portugal as positive examples.

While Brazil considers this approach, other nations maintain different stances on cryptocurrency usage. El Salvador, which adopted Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, allows voluntary payments in crypto but recently stopped accepting it for tax payments following an agreement with the International Monetary Fund. Countries like Turkey and Russia forbid citizens from using cryptocurrency as payment entirely.