Nubank and Mercado Pago, two major digital financial platforms in Latin America, halted key cryptocurrency transfer functions on Friday, November 6, 2026, following technical issues at their external screening providers. The disruption specifically affected crypto deposits and transfers between external wallets. However, customers could still buy and sell digital assets within each app.
Temporary Service Suspension Triggers Client Concerns
Nubank, a leading digital bank based in Brazil, notified its users that direct withdrawals and deposits of cryptocurrencies were suspended due to “instability in an external data provider.” The company clarified that this technical problem did not result from its internal systems, assuring that customer assets and personal information remained secure throughout the incident. Nubank emphasized that other cryptocurrency services, such as trading, continued to operate without interruption.
Nubank stated that cryptocurrency withdrawals and deposits would resume once the third-party provider restored its services, highlighting that client balances and personal data were unaffected by the suspension.
Mercado Pago, the payments subsidiary of Latin American e-commerce leader MercadoLibre, reported a similar challenge involving a separate third-party vendor. The company said its crypto transfer functions became unreliable after an incident at a risk-monitoring and anti-money-laundering supplier. As an additional security measure, certain outgoing transfers to external wallets were blocked. Incoming deposits might also be delayed but would be credited automatically once the service returned to normal.
Mercado Pago confirmed that buying and selling digital assets within its platform continued as normal, even while some crypto transfer operations faced restrictions.
Neither Nubank nor Mercado Pago identified the external screening provider responsible for the outage. Both companies indicated they were actively working with their respective vendors to resolve the disruption and restore full functionality.
Functionality Gap: Trading Continues, Transfers Halted
While users could still trade cryptocurrencies inside the Nubank and Mercado Pago apps, deposits and withdrawals to external wallets remained unavailable. This separation stems from the technical reliance on external compliance and risk-monitoring systems, which act as a control layer before allowing crypto assets to leave or enter the platforms.
Public records link Nubank with Fireblocks as its crypto custody provider and Mercado Pago with Paxos. These partners safeguard client digital assets but are distinct from the risk-check systems affected by the current outage.
Mini dictionary: Fireblocks is a digital asset custody and infrastructure platform utilized by institutions for secure crypto storage and transaction management. Paxos is a regulated blockchain infrastructure firm providing services for digital asset custody, settlement, and issuance to financial institutions worldwide.
| Platform | Trading | Deposit | Withdrawal | Custody Provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nubank | Available | Unavailable | Unavailable | Fireblocks |
| Mercado Pago | Available | Delayed | Partially Blocked | Paxos |
The Importance of Crypto Transfer Screening Vendors
For retail digital asset platforms like Nubank and Mercado Pago, crypto services rely on two main pathways: one managing internal trading and another overseeing external transfers. The second path involves compliance checks, such as anti-money-laundering and sanctions monitoring, typically outsourced to third-party data providers.
When these screening services experience downtime, platforms are compelled to freeze deposits and withdrawals to external wallets to remain compliant with regulatory frameworks. Trading, which occurs entirely within the app and does not expose funds to external actors, usually remains operational even during a compliance outage.
Both firms said they are collaborating with their vendors to resolve the outage. Transfers will resume once external screening infrastructure is restored, while in-app trading is still live for users.
