Brazil's financial-intelligence council, the Coaf (Council for the Control of Financial Activities), has fined Stellantis Automóveis Brasil, formerly Fiat, R$ 7.4 million for failing to comply with anti-money-laundering rules. The penalty, decided by the council's plenary and published in the Federal Official Gazette on Friday (28), applies to the company and its executives, according to the Coaf.
Stellantis is the fourth carmaker penalized by the council in recent months. Before it, Mercedes-Benz was fined nearly R$ 14 million, Toyota more than R$ 5 million and Honda R$ 377,000, all for the same reason: failing obligations set out in Brazil's anti-money-laundering law. In April, luxury brands Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana were jointly fined almost R$ 4 million. According to figures released by the council, fines applied in 2026 through June topped R$ 26 million; CNN Brasil reports that the Coaf's accumulated penalties now exceed R$ 379 million.
What the law requires from companies
Brazilian law obliges companies that sell vehicles and other high-value goods, such as jewelry, precious stones, boats and designer items, to report sensitive transactions to the Coaf. That includes car purchases paid in cash from R$ 30,000. Atypical transactions must also be reported, for example when a client's financial profile does not match the value of the purchase or the payment method. Companies must keep updated client registries, record operations and maintain internal anti-money-laundering policies.
The reports are confidential and do not need to be disclosed to the client. Filing one does not mean a crime occurred: it allows the financial-intelligence unit to analyze unusual or relevant operations.
In a statement, Stellantis said it acted "collaboratively" during the administrative proceeding and promoted "the continuous improvement of its internal policies, procedures and controls". The company said the council identified no "illicit practices" and recognized the joint effort to meet the rules. G1 contacted Toyota, Honda and Mercedes-Benz, which had not responded by the time the report was last updated.
"Companies can sell any product for cash. The law allows that. What they cannot do is fail to report these transactions to the Coaf when they fall under the legal hypotheses", said the council's president, Ricardo Saadi.
For the companies involved, the run of penalties signals that Coaf supervision over high-value retail, not only over banks, will remain active, with a rising cost for those that skip registration and reporting duties. For consumers, little changes at the dealership counter: paying for a car in cash remains legal, but the transaction may be reported to the council without the buyer being told.