The growth in international spending by Brazilian companies is undeniable, driven by software (SaaS) subscriptions, Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Manus, digital marketing campaigns on platforms like Google, Meta, and TikTok Ads, and international corporate travel. All these operations require transactions in foreign currency, and the financial management of these expenses cannot be neglected as the business scales.
The trend is reflected in the numbers. According to Abecs, the association representing companies in the electronic payment sector, Brazilian spending abroad (individuals and businesses combined) using cards continues to grow, totaling US$18 billion (approximately R$93,4 billion (US$1 = R$5,19 exchange rate)), a 14% increase compared to 2024. Europe and the United States remain the destinations for the largest transaction values: R$45,8 billion and R$33,1 billion, respectively. Beyond travel, the reliance on foreign technology providers also generates significant foreign currency revenue with each software subscription renewal, AI API credit purchase, or paid media expenditure.
The triple challenge of managing international payments.
For financial managers, the challenges are well known and can be categorized into a three-pronged pain point: exchange rate volatility, which erodes planned budgets; manual reconciliation of multiple accounts and cards, which consumes dozens of hours per month for finance teams; and the Tax on Financial Operations (IOF), which applies to every international transaction.
The difference between the purchase date and the end of the month can generate significant budget imbalances. Furthermore, costs such as bank fees and the impact of IOF (Brazilian tax on financial transactions) end up eroding margins. The complexity is even greater when managing multiple global accounts or cards from various banks, which makes reconciliation and compliance with expense policies driven by corporate governance and compliance difficult.
The solution: PagCorp Mastercard with Multi-Currency Limits
To address these pain points, PagCorp launched Multi-Currency Limits, an innovative way to make purchases in foreign currency using cards, which now have two limits: one in reais and another in dollars, reserved in advance. The company converts part of your spending limit on the PagCorp card into a segregated multi-currency limit, and has complete predictability over the cost in reais of each international transaction.
“This new solution addresses the concerns of those who deal daily with payments in foreign currency, regardless of the company's area of operation, and brings more predictability, control, and savings. The ability to reserve a dollar limit and track expenses in real time avoids unpleasant surprises on the bill,” reveals Adriana Katalan, partner and co-CEO of ACG | PagCorp.
PagCorp Multicurrency Limits offers a zero IOF (tax on financial transactions) rate for international purchases using the reserved dollar limit. For a company that spends USD 50 per month, this can represent savings of approximately R$ 9.000 monthly (considering the 3,5% IOF rate).
"Companies gain the freedom to hire global tools knowing that the finance department maintains full control and even saves money," adds Adriana.
How it works: centralized control and operational efficiency.
The solution works like a traditional PagCorp card, but with two independent limits, one in reais and the other in dollars. The manager contracts and manages the limits directly on the platform, the employee uses the card for international purchases and provides the necessary proof of expenses (invoice or receipt) via the app or WhatsApp.
It's possible to have multiple cards and monitor all transactions instantly within the system. The invoice is consolidated in Brazilian Reais, which facilitates accounting reconciliation. The company doesn't need to open accounts abroad or use parallel global platforms.
Within the platform, the financial manager can:
- Set limits per card: increase or decrease specific limits for areas, employees, or projects (for example, Marketing uses USD 10/month, IT uses USD 15/month).
- Establish rules with spending policies: restrict shopping hours, permitted types of establishments, and amounts, ensuring compliance in the use of company funds.
- Approve/reject expense reports: individually, in batches, or automatically using artificial intelligence.
- Centralize reconciliation: all expenses (domestic and international) in a single dashboard and invoice, ready for accounting closing without rework.
Important: Contracting Multi-Currency Limits does not constitute the purchase of foreign currency, currency conversion, or hedging. All values remain in Brazilian Reais; what the company contracts is a pre-agreed conversion rate for its international transactions.
“It’s the best way to secure the dollar value before spending. And with zero IOF (tax on financial transactions). Even with a foreign currency limit for international purchases, the bill remains in reais, which facilitates financial control, reconciliation, and accounting closing. And you don’t need to open an account abroad. It’s not a global account, it’s the already known PagCorp card, but with two limits: one in reais and the other in dollars,” reveals Natalia Veneziani, Commercial Director of ACG | PagCorp.
The impact on the numbers and on management.
In addition to the savings generated by zero IOF (tax on financial transactions), companies using PagCorp Multi-Currency Limits observe a reduction in reconciliation time (up to 80% fewer administrative hours) and greater budget predictability. Real-time visibility also minimizes approval errors and facilitates internal audits, strengthening governance.
With PagCorp Multi-Currency Limits , companies gain predictability of expenses, real savings, security, and control. For CFOs and finance managers in companies with international expenses, it's worth evaluating how this solution impacts their numbers.
Image: PagCorp
