São Paulo’s city government is preparing to roll out a blockchain-powered microloan system aimed at supporting small rural producers, with the pilot scheduled to go live in December 2025.
The initiative is designed to simplify access to credit for farmers who often face barriers in Brazil’s traditional banking system. By introducing a transparent, tamper-proof lending platform, São Paulo is positioning itself at the center of Brazil’s expanding push into tokenized financial infrastructure.
A New Credit Pipeline for Small Producers
The program will distribute fast microloans of up to R$15,000 (around $2,800 USD) to qualifying farmers. The application and approval process will operate through a mobile app while maintaining support for physical payment machines to reach remote areas. The goal is to provide a funding channel that avoids the lengthy processing times and collateral requirements that typically prevent small farmers from securing credit.
Purpose-Built Blockchain Infrastructure for Stability
Unlike public chains such as Ethereum or Solana, the platform relies on a specialized dedicated blockchain developed by Brazilian fintech firm Tanssi. The infrastructure was chosen to guarantee predictable transaction fees, uninterrupted uptime, and simplified compliance for government-backed programs. Every loan and repayment will be recorded on-chain, providing an immutable audit trail that helps prevent fraud and improves oversight without adding friction for farmers.
Expanding on a Successful Municipal Pilot
The new São Paulo deployment builds on earlier success in Santo Antônio da Alegria, where a smaller pilot tested blockchain-based municipal aid using a local token. That program limited spending to approved categories, blocking transactions for gambling or non-essential items, and showcased how tokenized financial rails can enforce spending rules while remaining user-friendly.
Authorities considered the results strong enough to scale the architecture for microcredit distribution, with an emphasis on transparency, spending controls, and reliable settlement.
Part of Brazil’s Larger Tokenization Movement
The project arrives as Brazil accelerates its exploration of blockchain in agriculture, financial inclusion, and programmable money. Alongside real-world asset tokenization pilots, digital ID modernization efforts, and preparations for Drex (Brazil’s digital real), microloan tokenization is becoming a growing theme in public-sector innovation.
By using blockchain to strengthen rural credit access, São Paulo aims to demonstrate how the technology can modernize public financial services and deliver measurable benefits for small-scale producers across the state.