How to Fund an LHFX Account with Crypto from Brazil
Card networks do not treat every deposit the same way, and that difference decides whether a funding attempt clears on the first try, and at what cost. Brazilian card issuers do not block forex-related charges outright, but two costs stack on top of each other before the money even reaches a broker. Brazil's Imposto sobre Operações Financeiras (IOF) applies to international card purchases, a tax that stood at 3.5 percent following a 2025 rate change, and the exact figure has moved before and can move again by government decree. On top of that, the issuing bank separately applies its own risk policy to charges coded as forex trading, which can mean a decline with no explanation on the statement rather than a clean tax line. Crypto removes both problems at once: crypto deposits carry no country restrictions and no IOF-style tax sits on top of a blockchain transfer, so a trader funding an LHFX account from Brazil uses a route that answers to neither the tax authority nor the card issuer's risk model.
The deposit minimums, withdrawal timing, and KYC threshold covered in the specs section apply the same way no matter which city or state the funding originates from, or which of the eight supported cryptocurrencies is used.
There is also a currency angle behind why crypto has become the default funding method for many Brazilian traders. The real has a long history of sharp moves against the dollar, tied to commodity export prices, the gap between Brazilian and US interest rates, and shifts in fiscal policy. The real lost roughly 80 percent of its value during the 2002 crisis, and more recently moved from around 4.86 to the dollar at the end of 2023 to 6.18 at the end of 2024, before staging a strong recovery in 2025. Routing money through a local bank before it reaches a trading account adds an extra layer of exchange-rate uncertainty on top of whatever the bank and card network charge, at whatever point in that cycle the transfer happens to land. A crypto deposit moves value directly, with no real-to-dollar conversion step sitting in the middle, and LHFX trading accounts settle in USD, EUR, or GBP, so the funding currency question is resolved the moment the deposit lands.
Why Crypto Is the Reliable Funding Route
Local card issuers apply their own risk policies to charges coded as forex trading, often without warning the cardholder, and IOF adds a cost on top of whatever the card network and issuing bank charge, a cost that is not always obvious until the statement posts. Bank wires exist but are slow and carry fees that eat into a small account. Crypto deposits sidestep all three problems: no card network sits in the middle, no IOF applies to a blockchain transfer, no bank has to clear a forex-related transaction, and the deposit lands based on blockchain confirmation time rather than a tax calculation or a bank's approval queue.
This is also why crypto has moved from a fallback option to the default funding path for many Brazilian traders, rather than something tried only after another method comes up short. A card charge that clears but costs more than expected, or one that gets flagged by the issuing bank's risk system, is not a rare inconvenience, it is a routine cost of funding a forex account through a card in Brazil. Starting with crypto avoids the IOF calculation, the possible decline, and the second attempt with a different method that traders using card funding often go through first.
What LHFX Supports
LHFX supports eight cryptocurrencies across seven networks.
Bitcoin, on the Bitcoin network, confirms in around 40 minutes.
Ethereum can be sent on Ethereum or Base.
Tether (USDT) can be sent on Ethereum, Tron, Polygon, Solana, or HyperEVM.
USD Coin (USDC) can be sent on Ethereum, Base, Polygon, Solana, or HyperEVM.
Solana, on the Solana network, confirms in under a minute.
TRON, on the Tron network, confirms in around two minutes.
POL, on the Polygon network, confirms in around two minutes.
HYPE, on the HyperEVM network, confirms in under 30 seconds.
For assets that run on more than one network, confirmation time depends on the network chosen rather than the asset. Card payments are handled separately. Bank wire remains available.
Choosing Which Crypto and Network to Use
A crypto deposit is shaped by two separate choices: the asset being sent, and the network it travels on. The asset determines whether the value in transit can shift before it lands, since prices keep moving during confirmation. The network determines how long that confirmation takes and what the sending fee costs.
On the asset: Bitcoin and Ethereum both move in price during the confirmation window, so the dollar value that arrives may differ from the value that was sent. Bitcoin at around 40 minutes has the longest window of any option here. USDT and USDC are pegged to the dollar, so the amount sent is the amount that lands, with no conversion to work out afterwards.
On availability in Brazil specifically: Bitcoin and USDT are the two most widely held assets on Brazilian exchanges such as Mercado Bitcoin and Binance, and USDT on Tron is a common stablecoin rail there as well. USDC is available but less widely held. Solana, TRON, POL, and HYPE are supported as deposit assets, so if a trader already holds one there is no need to swap into something else first, but none of them are the obvious starting point for a first purchase.
For a trader who needs to buy crypto specifically to fund this account, USDT on Tron is the practical starting point: it's widely available locally, pegged to the dollar, cheap to send, and confirms in around two minutes. USDT or USDC on Solana or HyperEVM will arrive faster still if the sending exchange offers those networks.
Matching the Network Exactly
Every wallet address the LHFX deposit screen generates is tied to a single network, not to the asset in general. The most common reason a deposit never arrives is a mismatch there: the funds move on a chain the receiving wallet isn't monitoring for that particular address.
That risk is bigger than it used to be. USDT and USDC each settle on five different networks, and Ethereum on two, so one asset can be sent five separate ways and only one of those matches what's on screen. Pick the network on the LHFX side first, then pick the same one when sending from the exchange or wallet. Where the two platforms label the same chain differently, confirm which is which before sending.
How to Deposit Crypto Step by Step
Log in to the LHFX client portal and select Deposit.
Select Crypto, then choose an asset from the eight supported.
If the asset runs on more than one network, choose the network. The screen shows how many networks are available for each asset.
Copy the wallet address generated for that asset and network combination.
Send funds from your external wallet or exchange, selecting the same network.
Wait for network confirmation. The deposit posts to your trading account automatically once confirmed.
If you fund through an aggregator that converts PIX transfers to crypto first, expect a short conversion delay before the balance reflects in your account. That delay is separate from LHFX processing time.
PIX is the on-ramp most Brazilian traders will use with a local exchange or aggregator to acquire crypto if they do not already hold it in a personal wallet. PIX itself settles domestically in reais almost instantly, in many cases in under 10 seconds, so the local-currency leg of the transaction is typically the fast part rather than the bottleneck. The conversion from reais into crypto happens on the exchange or aggregator's side, before anything is sent to LHFX, so that leg runs on the platform's own timing rather than the blockchain confirmation times above. Once the crypto leaves the exchange toward the LHFX deposit address, the same network-matching rule applies as any other deposit.
Deposit and Withdrawal Specs
Minimum deposit: US$10
Minimum withdrawal: US$50
Average auto-withdrawal time: under 12 minutes
KYC requirement: only on withdrawals over US$1,000
Country restrictions on crypto deposits: none
Card deposits: subject to the issuing bank's own policy on forex-related charges, plus Brazil's IOF tax on international card purchases
These figures apply regardless of which supported cryptocurrency or network is used to fund the account. Full detail on both directions of the flow is on the deposit and withdrawal page.
Test Your Account Before Funding at Scale
Before moving real size, run a small test once the first crypto deposit lands: send US$10, place a trade or two, then withdraw US$50. That single cycle proves the account, the KYC status, and the withdrawal path all work together, before there's real money riding on it. Because KYC only kicks in above US$1,000, the US$50 test withdrawal clears with no document upload, typically inside 12 minutes.
If a test withdrawal does not arrive within the expected window, check the deposit method first, such as a bank block or a conversion delay, before assuming an account issue.
Common First-Deposit Mistakes to Avoid
Sending on the wrong network. Matching the wallet address is not enough on its own. The network selected when sending must match the network the LHFX deposit screen generated for that address, or the funds will not arrive. This is the main risk on USDT and USDC, which each support five networks.
Choosing Bitcoin for speed. Bitcoin takes around 40 minutes to confirm. Solana and HyperEVM confirm in under a minute, and Tron and Polygon in around two.
Sending less than the US$10 minimum deposit. A transfer below the minimum is not blocked by the blockchain itself, so an undersized deposit can arrive without triggering the account activity a trader expects.
Assuming a PIX-to-crypto conversion through an exchange or aggregator is instant. PIX itself settles in seconds, but the conversion into crypto on the platform's side runs on that platform's own timeline, which is a separate step from both the PIX transfer and the LHFX deposit.
Comparing card cost to crypto cost without accounting for IOF. A card deposit's real cost is not just the number on the checkout screen, it includes the IOF tax on the transaction, which is not always itemized clearly until the statement posts, and a crypto deposit's only cost is the network fee shown before sending.
Skipping the test withdrawal. The first withdrawal after a real deposit is the easiest time to confirm the path works, since amounts under US$1,000 do not require KYC and average under 12 minutes to clear.
Uploading KYC documents unnecessarily. KYC is only required once a single withdrawal exceeds US$1,000.
Crypto Compared With Card and Bank Transfers
For traders in Brazil, a card deposit is not blocked outright the way it is in some markets, but it carries two costs that a crypto deposit does not: the IOF tax on international card purchases, and the issuing bank's own risk policy on charges coded as forex trading, which can result in a decline with no advance warning. Both costs are invisible on the checkout screen and only become clear after the fact, on a statement or in a rejected transaction.
A bank wire typically takes one to three business days to clear and can carry intermediary bank fees that are not disclosed until after the transfer lands. A crypto deposit clears on confirmation, in most cases within minutes of sending, and the only cost is the network fee the sending wallet or exchange charges, which is visible before the transaction is sent. Card payments from Brazil are handled for traders who prefer that route, but crypto remains the more predictable and more transparently priced option, particularly for a trader who has already hit an IOF surprise or a bank decline once.
Execution and Regulation
On execution, LHFX runs on an STP/ECN model, meaning orders route straight to the market with no dealing desk stepping in between. Pricing starts from 0.0 pips, leverage is capped at 1:500 as a fixed product spec, and commission runs US$3 per side, or US$6 per lot round trip, regardless of which currency funds the account. Account types and the full fee schedule are on the account types and spreads and fees pages.
LHFX is regulated by the FSC Mauritius (Investment Dealer Licence GB23202204) and the FSCA South Africa (FSP 52816). Deposits are credited only once a transaction is confirmed on-chain, so funds do not sit in an unaccounted-for state between an external wallet and the trading balance. When KYC is required above the US$1,000 withdrawal threshold, verification runs through Didit, the same identity check used across the account regardless of which country the withdrawal request comes from. More on how deposits and orders are handled is on the security page.
Next Step
Opening a client portal account, choosing a supported cryptocurrency and network, and sending at least US$10 is what it takes to start trading. The FAQs page covers funding questions specific to other countries.
