The bill will be voted on by the Chamber of Deputies and, if approved, can be vetoed by the executive branch.
The Brazilian Senate plenary approved Tuesday night a bill regulating crypto transactions.
The bill, introduced by Senator Flávio Arns, moves next to the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, which will vote on the bill. If approved, the executive branch then has the power to veto it.
The text creates the label “virtual service providers” for crypto companies, which will be subject to the same responsibilities as other financial institutions for crimes against the Brazilian financial system.
If approved, the bill will prevent the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission from overseeing the crypto market, except for initial coin offerings (ICO). In counterpart, it determines that the Brazilian executive branch will designate an agency to supervise the crypto sector.
The Brazilian Senate’s economic affairs committee had approved Arns’ bill in February, shelving two other crypto bills presented by senators Styvenson Valentim and Soraya Thronicke.
The bill also creates a new crime carried out with virtual assets, punishable by a penalty of between two and six years in prison. The original text proposed a penalty of between four and eight years, but it was reduced after a request made by the Senate President, Rodrigo Pacheco.