● JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18 · CENTRAL BANK OF BRAZIL / CMN
Your institution has the right data. But can you prove it to the Central Bank?
Joint Resolution No. 18 raises the standard: submitting accurate regulatory reports is no longer enough. Institutions must be able to demonstrate, through technical evidence, the quality, origin, and traceability of every reported data point. Deadline: December 31, 2026
● THE CLOCK IS ALREADY TICKING
days until the final deadline
In June 2026, the Central Bank of Brazil rejected the industry’s request to postpone the Resolution. The implementation timeline will not be extended.
● A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT
Having the right data is no longer enough. You need to prove that it is right.
In environments involving multiple systems, processors, databases, and data transformations, producing the regulatory report is only part of the challenge. Institutions need to know which sources were used, which rules were applied, which inconsistencies were identified, and which controls ensured data quality before submission.
Nearly 40 years of accumulated regulatory reporting
From the 1988 trial balance reporting requirements to the daily SCR reports introduced in 2025, regulatory reporting obligations have continued to accumulate. New requirements have been added over time, while the underlying data quality infrastructure has not always evolved at the same pace.
The cost is already measurable
Poor data quality costs organizations an average of US$12.9 million per year. Data teams may spend up to 60% of their time simply cleaning, correcting, and validating information.
Exposure during an audit
If the BCB asked tomorrow for evidence that data submitted six months ago had not been altered without a trace, who within your institution could provide that evidence within 24 hours?
Most institutions already have the right data. Joint Resolution No. 18 requires them to prove that the data is right. They have the data. What they may not have is the evidence.
● WHAT JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 18 REQUIRES
Three pillars, not twelve disconnected requirements.
01 · ESTABLISH
The documentation foundation
- Documentation for each regulatory report, step by step and function by function
- A data dictionary mapping information to its source systems and databases
- A single formal policy, with appropriate segregation of responsibilities while remaining institutionally aligned
- A formally designated individual accountable to the BCB (Article 5)
02 · OPERATE
The processes that generate evidence
- Data quality assessed across the 12 dimensions established by the Resolution
- Pre-submission validation, including reconciliation between reported data and internal systems
- Auditable traceability: demonstrable data origin, lineage, and changes
- Exception management with defined remediation deadlines and escalation to the Board when issues remain unresolved
- Semiannual reporting of irregularities and corrective measures
03 · GOVERN
Accountability at the highest level
- Senior management governance, including annual policy reviews
- Definition of strategic data quality guidelines
- Retention of evidence for five years
Size and years in operation do not provide protection. Legacy systems make it harder to reconstruct historical data precisely when such evidence is most likely to be required.
● THE SOLUTION
From “we trust the process” to “we can prove the process”, without rebuilding your data architecture.
Through proprietary validation and reconciliation engines, Better Now rapidly adapts its solution to your institution’s data, business rules, and regulatory reports, creating a control layer capable of identifying inconsistencies before submission while maintaining auditable evidence throughout the entire process.
Pre-submission validation
Reconcile reported data with internal systems before it reaches the BCB. Identify errors by field, row, key, and rule, rather than after a regulatory rejection occurs.
Auditable traceability
Every piece of information retains its origin, lineage, and history of changes. When an auditor asks where a data point submitted six months ago came from, the answer is readily available.
Continuous evidence across all 12 dimensions
Data quality is assessed automatically and documented continuously, supporting both the semiannual report and the evidence retention requirements established by the Resolution.
● REAL-WORLD SCENARIO
Monday, 9:00 a.m. The BCB requests evidence. You have 24 hours.
The Central Bank requests evidence demonstrating the traceability of data included in a CADOC report submitted six months earlier. A potential data discrepancy has been identified, and the institution must demonstrate the accuracy of the information that was reported.
Deadline: 24 hours
01
Retrieve
The information mapping identifies which system generated the original data.
02
Collect
Retrieve evidence of the data quality assessments performed across the 12 required dimensions.
03
Demonstrate
Provide technical logs and evidence, not merely a statement of institutional confidence.
When documented and automated, this takes minutes. When performed manually and under pressure, it can mean weeks of exposure.
● SELF-ASSESSMENT CHECKLIST
Answer the following questions about your institution.
● NEXT STEP
Identify where your institution is exposed: establish, operate, or govern
We identify the regulatory report currently presenting the greatest risk and demonstrate, in a controlled environment, how compliance evidence can be generated continuously and automatically.
● SPEAK WITH A SPECIALIST
Can your institution prove the quality of its data when the regulator requires it?
Answer a few quick questions about your institution. We identify potential areas of exposure under Joint Resolution No. 18 and provide guidance on the next steps toward compliance.
● FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
About Joint Resolution No. 18
What is Joint Resolution No. 18 issued by the Central Bank of Brazil?
It is a joint regulation issued by the Central Bank of Brazil and the National Monetary Council establishing data quality, documentation, traceability, and governance requirements for information submitted by financial institutions through regulatory reporting. It has been in effect since January 2026, with a full compliance deadline of December 31, 2026.
Does Joint Resolution No. 18 apply to all financial institutions?
The Resolution applies to institutions authorized to operate by the Central Bank of Brazil that submit regulatory reports such as CADOC, DLO, DLI, DRSAC, and other prudential information. The scope and intensity of the requirements vary according to the institution’s size and criticality.
What is the difference between having the right data and proving that the data is right?
Having the right data means that the information submitted is technically accurate. Proving that the data is right means demonstrating, through auditable evidence, which rules were applied, where the information originated, and which controls ensured its quality before submission. Joint Resolution No. 18 requires the latter, not merely the former.
How long must data quality evidence be retained?
The Resolution requires evidence to be retained for five years. This means institutions must be capable of reconstructing and demonstrating the quality of data reported years earlier, not only at the time of submission.
What happens if an institution cannot demonstrate the quality of its data during an audit?
The absence of technical evidence may expose the institution to regulatory scrutiny, remediation requirements, and potentially regulatory sanctions, in addition to the operational cost of manually reconstructing historical information under tight deadlines.
How does Better Now help institutions comply with Joint Resolution No. 18?
Through DataProof, a platform that validates data before submission to the regulator, generates auditable evidence trails, and supports continuous data quality assessment across the 12 dimensions required by the Resolution, without requiring institutions to replace their existing data infrastructure.