The reduction of transaction costs is one of the most cited benefits of a currency union. This paper aims to calculate the amount of transaction costs that could be saved by the Brazilian economy after the adoption of a single currency in Mercosur. The results point to savings, in present value terms, of around five billion and five hundred thousand US dollars. These are the transaction costs that the real sector would not transfer anymore to the financial sector.
regional integration; preferential trade areas; currency unions; Mercosur; transaction costs
