SAO PAULO, March 31 (Reuters) - Mercado Pago, the fintech arm of e-commerce firm MercadoLibre MELI.O, said on Tuesday it is discontinuing its cryptocurrency, called Mercado Coin, which it had launched in 2022 as part of its loyalty program.
Clients in Brazil, the group's main market, earned Mercado Coins as cashback when buying products on the e-commerce platform.
Mercado Pago said that since 2024 the focus has been on the "Meli Dolar", a stablecoin priced in U.S. dollars at a one-to-one value available in Brazil, Mexico and Chile.
The move is part of the evolution of the company's strategy in the crypto universe, Mercado Pago said.
Remaining balances of Mercado Coin should be sold or used for purchases on MercadoLibre by April 17; if no action is taken, the balance will be converted to Brazilian reais.
(Reporting by Andre Romani, Editing by Natalia Siniawski)
((Andre.Romani@thomsonreuters.com; 11 991314109;11 56447500;))
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