Politics · Brazil · 19 hrs ago
Brazil tests faster court-ordered bank account freezes at five banks
Brazil’s National Council of Justice and courts are testing faster account freezes at five banks: Nubank, Itaú, Caixa, Banco do Brasil and XP Investimentos.
The change is being made through SisbaJud, the system courts use to send financial-asset search and freeze orders to banks.
Only a judge can order a freeze as part of a court case to collect a debt; banks cannot freeze accounts just because a customer missed a payment.
Under the new procedure, orders can be sent to banks twice a day, allowing some searches and freezes to be completed on the same business day.
A separate feature being tested can keep checking an account for new funds for up to 365 days, within the amount set by the judge.
Legal protections for essential funds remain, including safeguards for wages, pensions and qualifying savings, although the law provides exceptions.
If protected money is frozen, the account holder can challenge the freeze in court; the reports say the test banks are part of a gradual expansion plan, but do not give a specific next date.
Brazil’s judicial system is testing faster bank-account freeze procedures at five financial institutions.
The changes concern court orders sent through the Sisbajud system, which links courts with financial institutions.
The pilot institutions are Nubank, Itaú Unibanco, Caixa Econômica Federal, Banco do Brasil and XP Investimentos.
One report says orders may be processed within two hours, while another says banks may receive orders twice daily and respond the same business day.
A freeze still requires a formal court order, and legal protections for certain funds remain in place.
- Who
- Brazil’s judiciary and the five pilot institutions: Nubank, Itaú Unibanco, Caixa Econômica Federal, Banco do Brasil and XP Investimentos.
- What
- They are testing faster processing of court-ordered freezes of debtors’ financial assets through Sisbajud.
- When
- The reports were published on November 1 and 2, 2026; the five institutions are testing the changes.
- Where
- Brazil.
- Why
- The changes are intended to make asset searches and debt enforcement more efficient.
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- Pilot institutions
- Nubank, Itaú Unibanco, Caixa Econômica Federal, Banco do Brasil and XP Investimentos
- Reported processing time
- Up to two hours, according to ND Mais
- Order transmission
- Twice daily, according to A TARDE
- Continuous monitoring
- Up to 365 days, according to A TARDE
- System
- Sisbajud, managed by Brazil’s National Council of Justice (CNJ)
- Expansion period
- Up to 18 months for the rest of the financial market, according to A TARDE
3 sources
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