Mercado Bitcoin Trading Bot in Python

This guide shows how to build a Mercado Bitcoin trading bot in Python with LumiBot, for both AI agent trading and algorithmic trading. LumiBot connects to Mercado Bitcoin through CCXT, the open source library that talks to more than 100 crypto exchanges. You will create a Mercado Bitcoin account and API key, connect it, and run two examples: a simple algorithmic trading bot and an agentic trading bot where an AI agent makes the calls.

Mercado Bitcoin at a glance

CCXT exchange id

mercado

Markets

Spot

Testnet (sandbox)

No

Credentials

API key, API secret

Live data streams

None listed; LumiBot uses REST

CCXT request spacing

about 1000 ms between requests

Official site

https://www.mercadobitcoin.com.br

API docs

https://www.mercadobitcoin.com.br/api-doc

What is Mercado Bitcoin?

Mercado Bitcoin (MB) is a crypto exchange. It offers an API for buying, selling and checking orders, with prices in reais (BRL).

Sign up for Mercado Bitcoin

  1. Create a Mercado Bitcoin account and verify it under Configurações > Cadastro.

  2. Turn on two-step verification with an authenticator app (Configurações > Verificação em duas etapas > Aplicativo autenticador).

  3. Turn on Dispositivo Seguro (secure device) in the MB app and send the selfie it asks for. MB needs all three before you can make an API key.

Open a Mercado Bitcoin account

Create a Mercado Bitcoin API key

  1. Log in on the website, click your name in the top right and open Configurações.

  2. In the side menu, under Integrações, choose Chave de API.

  3. Click Nova Chave and fill in the fields.

  4. Confirm with your 2FA code.

  5. Copy the secret right away. MB shows it only once.

Which permissions to turn on: MB’s help page does not list the permission names. Its API docs show that read-only keys exist and cannot place orders, so make sure the key can trade. Leave any withdrawal option off. A bot never needs to move money out.

Warning

Never turn on withdrawals for a Mercado Bitcoin trading bot key. Bind the key to your server’s IP address when Mercado Bitcoin lets you, keep the secret out of your code and out of Git, and delete the key if it ever leaks.

Connect Mercado Bitcoin to LumiBot

The simplest way: put these lines in a .env file next to your strategy. LumiBot loads the file, sees TRADING_BROKER=mercado and connects to Mercado Bitcoin for you, so your strategy needs no broker code.

TRADING_BROKER=mercado
MERCADO_API_KEY=your_apiKey
MERCADO_API_SECRET=your_secret

LumiBot reads exactly the fields CCXT needs for Mercado Bitcoin (apiKey, secret). If one is missing, LumiBot stops at start-up and names the variable you still need.

You can also build the broker in code. This is handy when one script talks to more than one exchange, or when you need extra CCXT options. The keys in the config are CCXT’s own credential names for Mercado Bitcoin:

import os

MERCADO_CONFIG = {
    "exchange_id": "mercado",
    "apiKey": os.environ.get("MERCADO_API_KEY"),
    "secret": os.environ.get("MERCADO_API_SECRET"),
    "sandbox": False,  # no sandbox for this exchange
}

from lumibot.brokers import Ccxt

broker = Ccxt(MERCADO_CONFIG)
# then: MyStrategy(broker=broker, ...)

Either way, LumiBot turns on CCXT’s built-in rate limiting for you.

Testing on Mercado Bitcoin

Mercado Bitcoin has no sandbox, so test with a very small amount. With environment variables, leave MERCADO_SANDBOX unset. In a code config, set "sandbox": False.

Algorithmic trading example: a simple Mercado Bitcoin bot

This bot buys about 250 BRL of BTC on Mercado Bitcoin once and then holds it. It is a starting point to check that your keys, balances and orders work. If the exchange’s minimum order is larger, raise the amount.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class MercadoBuyOnce(Strategy):
    """Buy a small amount of BTC once, then hold it."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "1H"
        self.set_market("24/7")  # crypto trades all day, every day

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        coin = Asset("BTC", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO)
        if self.get_position(coin) is not None:
            return  # already holding BTC
        price = self.get_last_price(coin, quote=self.quote_asset)
        if price:
            quantity = round(250 / price, 6)  # about 250 BRL worth
            order = self.create_order(coin, quantity, "buy", quote=self.quote_asset)
            self.submit_order(order)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = MercadoBuyOnce(quote_asset=Asset("BRL", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

Agentic trading example: an AI agent that trades on Mercado Bitcoin

Agentic trading means an AI agent reads the market and decides what to do. In this example one LumiBot agent looks at prices and your Mercado Bitcoin account, then places the orders itself. There is no Python logic in between: you set the rules in plain English in the prompt, such as what it may trade and how big each order can be. This follows the same pattern as LumiBot’s AI trading team examples.

from lumibot.entities import Asset
from lumibot.strategies import Strategy


class MercadoAITrader(Strategy):
    """One AI agent researches the market and places the trades itself."""

    def initialize(self):
        self.sleeptime = "4H"
        self.set_market("24/7")
        self.agents.create(
            name="trader",
            model="openai/gpt-6-luna",
            reasoning_effort="high",
            allow_trading=True,
            system_prompt=(
                "You manage a small crypto account on Mercado Bitcoin. "
                "You may trade BTC and ETH against BRL (asset_type 'crypto', quote_symbol 'BRL'), or hold cash. "
                "Before every order, call account_portfolio, account_positions and "
                "market_last_price for that exact symbol in the same run. "
                "Keep each order under 10% of the account value. "
                "Explain each decision in one short paragraph."
            ),
        )

    def on_trading_iteration(self):
        self.agents["trader"].run(
            task_prompt="Review recent BTC/BRL and ETH/BRL prices and your current holdings, then decide whether to buy, sell or hold.",
            context={"exchange": "Mercado Bitcoin", "quote": "BRL", "date": self.get_datetime().isoformat()},
        )


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # LumiBot reads TRADING_BROKER and the keys from your .env file.
    strategy = MercadoAITrader(quote_asset=Asset("BRL", asset_type=Asset.AssetType.CRYPTO))
    strategy.run_live()

The agent needs a model key such as OPENAI_API_KEY in your environment. See the AI agents quickstart for models, tools and memory.

What you can trade on Mercado Bitcoin through CCXT

Market

Listed by CCXT

Spot

Yes

Margin

No

Perpetual swaps

No

Dated futures

No

Options

No

CCXT lists these order features for Mercado Bitcoin: market orders, limit orders, editing open orders, canceling orders.

Mercado Bitcoin tips

  • Business (PJ) accounts cannot make keys this way. MB asks business customers to contact support.

  • MB’s API pairs look like BTC-BRL. In LumiBot and CCXT use BTC/BRL.

  • MB’s default API rate limit is 500 requests per minute, shared by public and private calls.

Frequently asked questions

Can I build a Mercado Bitcoin trading bot in Python?

Yes. Install LumiBot (pip install lumibot), set your Mercado Bitcoin keys and use the mercado CCXT exchange id as shown above.

Does Mercado Bitcoin have a testnet?

No testnet is set up for Mercado Bitcoin in LumiBot. Start with a small amount, and in a code config set "sandbox": False.

Which API permissions does a Mercado Bitcoin bot need?

MB’s help page does not list the permission names. Its API docs show that read-only keys exist and cannot place orders, so make sure the key can trade. Leave any withdrawal option off. A bot never needs to move money out.

Can an AI agent trade on Mercado Bitcoin by itself?

Yes. The agentic example above gives one agent permission to trade. You control what it may trade and how much through its prompt.

Can I trade Mercado Bitcoin perpetual futures with LumiBot?

CCXT does not list perpetual swaps for Mercado Bitcoin, so use spot markets.

Is LumiBot free?

Yes. LumiBot is open source on GitHub at https://github.com/Lumiwealth/lumibot. You pay only your exchange’s trading fees and, for AI agents, your model provider.

Run it in the cloud with BotSpot

Do not want to keep a computer running for your Mercado Bitcoin bot? BotSpot is the hosted home for LumiBot strategies and AI trading agents: build with AI, backtest, connect a broker, and watch every trade with logs and alerts.

Try BotSpot

Sources