Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for regional integration of the Pix system, and he criticized international financial control mechanisms, particularly the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, for enforcing economic sanctions. Photo by Mauricio Duenas Castaneda/EPA
April 6 (UPI) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked Brazil to extend its instant payment system Pix to Colombia and questioned U.S. financial sanctions in a message posted on X, amid Washington investigations into the Brazilian system.
In his post, Petro called for regional integration of the Pix system and criticized international financial control mechanisms, particularly the Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Treasury agency responsible for enforcing economic sanctions.
“I ask Brazil to extend the Pix system to Colombia and hopefully stop considering the OFAC list, which no longer works,” Petro wrote Saturday.
The message comes after the U.S. government last week published the 2026 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, which mentions the Pix system.
The report includes concerns from U.S. companies that the system, operated by Brazil’s central bank, may have regulatory advantages over foreign private competitors such as Visa and Mastercard.
Pix has gained popularity for allowing fast and free transfers, which has generated tensions over its impact on the traditional financial system.
In the same message, Petro criticized the international sanctions system. “OFAC only serves to persecute political opposition and domesticate them around the world. It is an aberrant system of political control,” he said.
He also contended that drug trafficking has managed to evade these mechanisms.
“Drug trafficking mocks it, and they stay in Dubai, where they buy residency for about $4,000 and live in luxury,” he added.
The message also included references to international politics and armed conflicts. Petro said that “no war is good” and said he had asked U.S. President Donald Trump to stop ongoing conflicts.
“His circle wants blood and leads him to make mistakes all the time,” he wrote.
Petro also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he accused of committing crimes against humanity in Gaza and Iran, and called for him to be tried.
Petro added that the homicide rate in Colombia has decreased, adding he hopes the trend is not temporary.
So far, the Brazilian government has not publicly responded to the request.