BRASILIA, Dec 19 (Reuters) – Brazil added 99,232 payroll jobs in November, the best expansion in employment for the month since 2010, the Economy Ministry said on Thursday, as a gradual economic recovery brings improvement in the labor market.

The result was well above expectations, and more than double the forecast 47,500 new jobs in a Reuters poll of economists.

 

Via Reuters

 

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BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil’s Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said on Wednesday he had reached agreement with Congressional leaders on modernizing the country’s complex tax system next year and one option could be taxing on-line transactions.

Brazil has brought its snowballing public debt under control with reform of the costly pension system and spending cuts, he said, while interest rates are at record lows after the central bank cut its benchmark Selic rate to 4.50% on Dec. 11.

 

By Marcela Ayres and Anthony Boadle via Reuters

 

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian and Chinese government authorities are finalizing a protocol setting health standards for domestic processors to export soymeal to the Asian country, André Nassar, president of oilseeds industry group Abiove, said on Monday.

The health guidelines will allow companies to export and eventually compete with soy processors based in China, something they cannot do now. The change is happening as local processors are required to increase crushing to produce more biodiesel to boost local blending. The added output of soymeal, a byproduct, would need new buyers.

 

By Ana Mano via Reuters

 

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BRASILIA, Dec 17 (Reuters) – A Brazilian congressional committee on Tuesday approved the government’s budget for next year, with the bill based on projected 2.32% GDP growth in 2020 to be put to a vote in a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

The budget proposal would raise the minimum wage earned by Brazilian workers to 1,031 reais ($246) a month from 998 reais ($238).

 

By Maria Carolina Marcello via Reuters

 

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The Minister of Infrastructure, Tarcisio Gomes de Freitas, said on Friday (13) that the government plans to hold auctions 40 to 44 infrastructure assets next year, reports the “Agency Brazil.” The expectation is that the granting of port projects, airports, roads and railways reach R $ 101 billion in investments during the period of the contracts.

Among the projects is the concession to the private initiative of 22 airports (divided into three blocks), seven roads, nine port terminals, two railways and the early renewal of four railway contracts loads. During conference on the afternoon of Friday, the Minister took stock of the folder shares in 2019. In total, they sold 27 assets, which should result in R $ 9.4 billion in investments and R $ 5.9 billion in grants .

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Indicator that measures the distrust of investors in a particular economy, country risk fell on Monday (16) to the lowest level in nine years, reports the “Agency Brazil.” The Credit Default Swap (CDS) of five years in Brazil was 100.2 points at around 17h, but came to hit 98.2 points around 14h, the lowest score since November 2010 (96.9 points ), when the country was still investment grade – good paying stamp.

The CDS functions as an informal barometer of the probability of a country defaulting on global financial markets next five years. The lower the index, the greater the confidence of international investors.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Contxto – As far as reach goes, Amazon is certainly spreading its wings throughout Latin America. Proving this, the e-commerce goliath recently launched a new distribution center in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.

To expedite delivery in northeastern Brazil, this new location in Cabo de Santo Agostinho will permit deliveries in under two days to nearby state capitals. These include Recife in Pernambuco, João Pessoa in Paraíba, Natal in Rio Grande do Norte, Maceió in Alagoas, and Fortaleza in Ceará.

 

By Jacob Atkins via Contxto

 

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) — A consortium of state-owned Chinese companies on Friday was awarded the contract to build and operate what will be the second-longest bridge in Brazil.

Under the project, a bridge will be built spanning the famed Bay of All Saints, which connects Salvador, capital of the northeastern Bahia state, with Itaparica Island. The project also involves the construction of related roads.

 

Via Xinhua Net

 

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BRASILIA (Reuters) – Services sector activity in Brazil expanded in October far more than economists had expected, figures on Thursday showed, indicating that overall growth in Latin America’s largest economy continued to accelerate going into the year end.

The figures appear to back up the central bank’s statement on Wednesday accompanying its decision to cut interest rates to a new low of 4.50% that “economic activity since the second quarter indicates that the process of economic recovery picked up relative to the first quarter.”

 

By Jamie McGeever via KFGO

 

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Espoo, Finland – Nokia has signed a contract with telecommunications giant TIM to provide Internet of Things (IoT) services to its enterprise customers in Brazil. Using the fully virtualized Nokia Worldwide IoT Network Grid (WING) managed service offer, TIM and its enterprise customers across industries,such as automotive and agriculture, will be able to capture IoT opportunities faster and more securely.

The Brazilian market is the largest IoT market in Latin America, with widespread adoption of IoT technologies estimated to add USD 200 billion to the country’s economy by 2025. Nokia’s first WING deal in Latin America enables TIM to leverage new business models to tap this opportunity and generate additional revenue streams. Additionally, incremental services, such as device management and analytics, will help TIM extend SIM management capabilities to create value added opportunities.

Via Yahoo Finance

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Dec 11 (Reuters) – S&P Global Ratings on Wednesday revised the outlook on Brazil to positive from stable, citing the government’s continued implementation of measures to reduce its fiscal deficit.

“The approval of social security reform and expected progress on fiscal and growth measures, along with moderate growth driven by stronger domestic demand, could improve Brazil’s fiscal position over the medium term,” the agency said in a statement here

 

By Shivani Singh via Reuters

 

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SÃO PAULO–Brazil’s central bank cut its benchmark interest rate by a half point Wednesday, as inflation has remained below target amid increasing signs the economy is improving.

The bank cut the benchmark Selic rate to 4.5%, a record low that follows a series of reductions that brought it down from 14.25% in 2016. In its post-meeting statement, the bank was less clear about its next step than in previous statements, but indicated it’s open to continue cutting rates next year.

 

By Paulo Trevisani via Market Watch

 

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XP Inc., Brazil’s largest brokerage by equity-trading volume, raised $1.96 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, pricing its shares above the marketed range.

The company and its existing shareholders sold 72.5 million shares Tuesday for $27 each after offering them for $22 to $25, according to a statement. That gives XP a market value of about $14.9 billion based on the outstanding shares listed in its filings with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

By Cristiane Lucchesi , Vinicius Andrade , Felipe Marques, and Crystal Tse via Bloomberg

 

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The Minister Tereza Cristina (Agriculture, Livestock and Supply) released on Monday (09) Innovation project in the Agricultural Production Chains for Forest Conservation in the Legal Amazon. The goal is to bring innovation to the productive chain of the beef, soy and wood to increase the productivity and value of products aligned with the sustainable use of natural resources and conservation of the Amazon rainforest.

The project will be implemented from 2020 to 2024 in five states: Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia and Tocantins.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Brazilian content marketing startup Rock Content has announced the purchase of US sector player ScribbleLive, creating one of the largest companies in the segment in the Americas.

The buyout, announced exclusively to Forbes, is the continuation of the company’s international expansion, which began in 2017 with the launch of operations in Mexico. With the addition of ScribbleLive (SL), which has offices in Boca Ratón and Toronto, the enlarged Rock organization will boost its 400-strong workforce with about 100 employees. The two companies combined have a freelancer base of about 80,000 professionals.

 

By Angelica Maria via Forbes

 

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When David Vélez walked into a Brazilian bank branch to open an account six years ago, he was appalled by the experience.

First, he had to check his bag in a locker outside. Next, he waited to pass through a security line manned by three armed guards. He sat there for 45 minutes and finally spoke to someone, who acted like they were doing him a favor by deigning to talk about opening an account. Then, he was sent off to make a phone call to bank employees elsewhere and was later forced to return to the bank a half-dozen times over the next four months.
By Julianne Pepitone via CNN Business

Notably, the nine-year-old company said in a statement that the investment gives it a valuation of $1.3 billion. According to Brazil Journal, the round makes Wildlife Studio “Brazil’s most valuable tech company with the widest global reach.”

In addition to San Francisco-based Benchmark, participants in the round include Bessemer Venture Partners; Javier Olivan, VP of growth at Facebook; Ric Elias, co-founder and CEO of Red Ventures; Micky Malka, partner at Ribbit Capital; Divesh Makan, partner at ICONIQ Capital; and Hugo Barra, former VP of VR at Facebook.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via Crunch Base

 

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It didn’t take much for the founders of Cora, Brazil’s newest startup to tackle some aspect of the broken financial services industry in the country, to raise their first $10 million.

Igor Senra and Leo Mendes had worked together before — founding their first online payments company, MOIP, in 2005. That company sold to WireCard in 2016 and after three years the founders were able to strike out again.

 

By Jonathan Shieber via Tech Crunch

 

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This weekend a group of executives from XP Investimentos, a Brazilian financial services firm, will fly to New York to oversee the company’s initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange, due to be priced on Tuesday.

They hope to raise $1.7bn in a sale that would value XP, which was founded 18 years ago by a newly unemployed 24-year-old, at about $14bn.

 

By Jonathan Wheatley, Bryan Harris and Andres Schipani via Financial Times

 

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Rebel, a Brazilian FinTech that offers unsecured credit to middle-class citizens in the country, has raised $10 million in new equity funding, according to a press release.

Last year, the company also raised $4 million from XP and other companies. Participants in this round include Monashees, 99, Loggi and FinTech Collective. The company said it has gotten more than $1 billion in loan requests since it started.

 

Via PYMNTS

 

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Investment in infrastructure in 2019 should reach R $ 131.7 billion, compared to R $ 122.8 billion in 2018, updated figures by the IPCA 2018 prices, point calculations of the Brazilian Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries (Abdib). In 2017, investments totaled R $ 115.2 billion. In 2016, R $ 117.5 billion, the same criteria.

Already in 2020 the infrastructure sector, whose investments are at a level too low after significantly retreat in recent years, will contribute more positively to the recovery of the economy as a whole.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Two world leading experts in helping international companies open businesses and operate successfully in Brazil will be teaming up to give a fast-paced webinar about using the smartest strategies for success in Brazil.

The webinar will be led by Francisco Mendez with Globalization Partners and Bruno Drummond with Drummond Advisors.

Topics include:

  • Fastest way to hire a full-time employee
  • Employer of Record process explained
  • Speeding up receipt of your Federal Tax ID Number (CNPJ)
  • Dos and Don’ts of setting up your company in Brazil
  • Avoiding delays in your M&A agreement
  • Understanding Brazil Labor laws
  • Preparing Visa Applications
  • Transfer Pricing Calculations

Participants are encouraged to ask questions at any time during the webinar.
We look forward to a very lively dialogue about business in Brazil and hope you will join us.

Register Here

BP and Bunge announced on Monday (02) who completed the formation of BP Bunge Bioenergia, a joint venture combining their business bioenergy and ethanol sugarcane in Brazil.

The continued growth of biofuels will be a key enabler for the decarbonisation of the transport sector, say the companies. The Brazilian market is one of the largest and fastest growing low carbon biofuels to the world and, through this transaction, Bunge BP Bioenergy becomes the second largest operator in terms of effective grinding in the Brazilian ethanol market.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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How to spend 4-6 kilos of meat per hectare per year for livestock productivity 20 to 30 kilos per ha / year? For the researcher Luiz Adriano Maia Cordeiro, EMBRAPA Cerrado, the answer is sustainable intensification of production systems. He said the technologies such as Integration Crop-Livestock-Forest (IAFP) Crop-Livestock Integration (ILP) and recovery of pastures are ways to promote this intensification with higher efficiency, lower pressure by opening and clearing of forest areas, increased production to improve the environment (water, soil, biodiversity, etc.) and an increase in productivity.

During the V Symposium IAFP the State of São Paulo, coordinated by Sudeste (São Carlos) and the Luiz Study Group de Queiroz (GELQ – ESALQ / USP), Lamb presented Embrapa’s research results with integrated production systems. In the experiments, after integration with crop and livestock (ILP), the meat productivity has increased five times.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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