**Ripple Teams Up with Mercado Bitcoin for Cross-Border Payments in Brazil**

Ripple has announced a partnership with Brazilian crypto exchange Mercado Bitcoin to launch a new cross-border payment solution. This tool aims to provide faster, cheaper, and more efficient international transactions for businesses in Brazil, available 24/7 and settling payments in minutes.

Initially, the service will target institutional clients, facilitating transactions between Mercado Bitcoin in Brazil and its counterpart in Portugal. The solution leverages Ripple’s end-to-end payment management, introduced in 2023, to streamline internal treasury operations.

Mercado Bitcoin, a major player in Latin America's crypto scene with 4 million users, has previously collaborated with Mastercard on various projects. This new partnership with Ripple is seen as a step towards internationalizing Mercado Bitcoin’s services and enhancing its product portfolio.

The exchange plans to extend the service to corporate and retail customers in the future, offering a seamless experience by allowing payments directly in Brazilian Reais. Ripple has yet to comment on the upcoming tool.