Während der anhaltende Anstieg der Entwaldung in der ersten Jahreshälfte angesichts der alles überlagernden Corona-Krise kaum registriert wurde, führen alarmierende Nachrichten über Brände im Amazonasgebiet und dem Pantanal der brasilianischen Öffentlichkeit nun wieder schonungslos die Dringlichkeit der Umweltproblematik vor Augen. Auch auf dem internationalen Parkett – insbesondere im Hinblick auf das EU-Mercosul-Handelsabkommen, aber selbst im US-Präsidentschaftswahlkampf – spielt der Erhalt des brasilianischen Regenwalds eine Rolle.

Den vollständigen Bericht lesen Sie hier.

Die Regierungsmaßnahmen verschaffen den Unternehmen zwar kurzfristig Erleichterung in der Corona-Krise. Doch im Lieferkettenmanagement steigen die Herausforderungen aufgrund der drastischen Abwertung und hohen Volatilität des brasilianischen Reals. Zudem drohen je nach Sektor strukturelle Veränderungen in lokalen Zuliefer- und Abnehmerbranchen. In jedem Fall gilt: Das Brennglas Coronakrise zwingt Unternehmen in Brasilien zum Umdenken. Trotzdem: Um die Wirtschaft zu stabilisieren, setzt Wirtschaftsminister Paulo Guedes vor allem auf den Erhalt von Arbeitsplätzen. Das erkennen die Unternehmen an.

Den vollständigen Bericht lesen Sie hier.

Economic Outlook September 2020
Brazil: there are lingering uncertainties surrounding the fiscal risk. Primary budget deficits of 11.7% of GDP in 2020 and 2.5% of GDP in 2021. Next year's deficit includes higher social spending, partially offset by tax increases. Economic activity continues to recover from the sharp declines registered earlier in the pandemic. GDP forecasts at -4.5% for 2020 and +3.5% for 2021.

Further information are available in the appendix.

Excellent discussion of goals and mechanisms of the the New Basic Sanitation Law designed to attract foreign investment to water supply and sewage projects in Brazil. There is given an insight on how the federal government expects to, with market liberalization regulation and scale-up incentives, attract new market players to bridge the US$150 billion investment gap in water and sewage services in the country. Speakers gave their state of the art information on the matter, such as the Head of Public-Private Partnerships Department at BNDES, a Specialist from LAV-Associate Company Veirano Advogados for Infrastructure & Projects practice and the Director of AEGEA Saneamento e Participações S.A, a Brazilian sanitation company controlled by the Equipav Group with business in 47 municipalities and nine states across Brazil. The company serves as a sanitation concessionaire, operating across the whole water management value chain —supply and wastewater disposal and treatment—and serving more than 3.5 million people. 
The full recording is available here!

Die Herausforderung der Bewertung von Vermögenswerten
Eine interessante Betrachtung zu M&A in Lateinamerika mit Fokus auf Brasilien beschreibt LAV-Präsidiumsmitglied Anneliese Moritz. Allgemein bekannt ist, dass Krisen Entscheidungen manchmal verzögern, aber gleichzeitig bringen sie auch Chancen mit sich. So verzeichnete Brasilien 2019 mehr M&A-Transaktionen als jedes anderes lateinamerikanischen Land – nämlich insgesamt 1.231 Deals, Tendenz steigend. Auch zu Beginn 2020 hielt Brasilien die Spitzenposition – im Februar 2020 führte Brasilien mit den weitaus meisten Transaktionen (156) in Lateinamerika, gefolgt von Mexiko (42), Chile (26), Argentinien (17), Peru (16) und Kolumbien (14). Vor allem in Hinblick auf den Fall des brasilianischen Real (BRL) um mehr als 30% seit Anfang des Jahres im Verhältnis zum US-Dollar und den Fall des brasilianischen Börsen Index Ibovespa um derzeit 19% im Vergleich zu Januar, könnte sich eine Investition in den brasilianischen Distressed Assets Markt als aussichtsreich erweisen.

Den vollständigen Bericht von Anneliese Moritz lesen Sie anbei.

Venue: InterContinental Hotel São Paulo - Alameda Santos 1123 - Jardim Paulista - São Paulo, Brasil.

Assess the best in Brazilian CVC and learn about success cases and best practices in CVC!

Descubra o que há de melhor no Corporate Venturing Brasileiro e aprenda com casos de sucesso e melhores práticas internacionais de investimento em CVC!

Find more about the event here.

Filmfest Hamburg zeigt Life Lasts Two Days: Zwei Ereignisse bringen das Leben der Zwillinge Rómulos und Orlando durcheinander. Erst ein Unfall, dann das Auftauchen eines geheimnisvollen Manuskripts. Der brasilianische Film von Regie-Newcomer Leonardo Mouramateus ist eine humorvolle und farbenprächtige Reise, die von Rio de Janeiro nach Lissabon führt.

Life Lasts Two Days läuft am 30.09./ 16:15 im CinemaxX und am 01.10./ 15:00 im Metropolis. Weitere Infos unter www.filmfesthamburg.de.

Fotocredit: Square Eyes

As part of our LatAm roadshow, we discussed current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the industry 4.0 market in Latin America, last week.

Over the past years, Industry 4.0 has become a major global trend, and especially during the pandemic, we saw the need for a digital transformation in many areas of our daily lives. In the business world, it became especially obvious that those companies which had already implemented a high degree of digitalization have been in favor of others. In Latin America, 60% of the companies increased their budget regarding digitalization and new technologies during the pandemic. As leading technology producers, German companies have plenty of opportunities to use the potential of the growing market in the region. In our discussion with Nelson Beltrán, Executive Director & Consulting, Data and Analytics Leader at Ernst & Young, we covered the most important developments in Latin America.

Four takeaways from our discussion: 

1. Digital transformation needs to be part of the company strategy: 
Around 70% of digital transformation projects fail. The reason for that is that digital transformation isn't guided by purpose. Introducing technology without strategy, without identifying the challenges properly, does not work well. A missing or weak strategy has often been a problem for businesses in Latin America. There is confusion about what digital transformation is all about and how it should be overall embedded into strategies. Companies tend to implement new technologies for specific departments or offices, which, sooner or later, leads to a disconnection with other departments or offices. It is advised to follow a comprehensive digital transformation that is aligned to the company's general strategy.

2. Human Resources & Training people:
There is a lack of qualified personnel, and more and more tech companies offer their specialized training to educate staff on precisely those challenges that are company relevant. There is the general notion that companies and universities should work more closely together to identify the needs for digital transformation.

3.  The importance of data:  
Data is the backbone of the digital transformation and paves the way for the “Internet of things”, the interconnection of computing devices via the internet embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data. “Data has become the Oil of the digital era”.

4. Latin America and German companies are a good match: 
On one hand, people in Latin America are more open to adopt new technology than, for example, people in Germany and Europe. On the other hand, German data culture and laws present more favorable conditions for Latin American companies in comparison to Asian or US-American competitors.

Thank you to Nelson Beltrán and everyone who participated!

You may take a look at the papers that initiated this event and the entire "LatAm today" roadshows here:

The Brasil Investment Forum 2022 (BIF 22) will be the 5th edition of the largest foreign investment event in Latin America. Organized by ApexBrasil, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Federal Government, it will take place online on June 14 and 15, 2022.

In 2022, the Forum will keep its traditional proposal to present investment opportunities and highlight the evolution of the business environment in the country. Strategic sectors will be addressed, such as agribusiness, infrastructure, energy, and information technology. Topics of interest to investors will also be discussed, such as new business models, equity investment initiatives and movements in global value chains.

This will be the second edition of BIF in an online format. Several panels, with authorities, executives from major companies in Brazil and the world, and experts from various sectors, will be streamed with simultaneous translation into Portuguese and English.

Participants will also be able to make business contacts and find virtual booths where they can seek support to develop their projects in Brazil. The networking platform will be made available to registrants ahead of the event.

For further information go to the Website or please contact: europe(at)apexbrasil.com.br

For several years, the CFO role has been evolving from an operational role to a strategic, leadership position. The pandemic accelerated this change and served as a catalyst for the reinvention of the finance function—digital transformation is now a fundamental part of how companies manage their finances. AMI interviewed nearly 40 CFOs of leading companies across Latin America to get some of their insights on what has changed and what is yet to come.

On May 26th, at 11 AM BRT (10am EST), a distinguished panel will highlight how the 2020s will lead to fundamental changes within executive financial roles in the region.

It will include Aurelio Oliveira, CFO from Enel Americas; Jamil Syrio, Head of Procurement for XP Inc; and more speakers yet to be announced. Arthur Deakin, co-director at AMI, will moderate the panel while contributing strategic data and analysis of the finance function that are specifically tailored to CFOs and leading executives.

Note: This webinar will only be held in Portugese / Este webinar será realizado somente em português.

Register HERE.