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Dispatched Business Studio Brings a New Concept of an Advisory Firm

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Whether interested in entering new global markets or accelerating their business in the US, clients benefit from the “one-stop shop” approach at Dispatched.

Dispatched Business Studio is a platform of trusted advisors working in collaboration with businesses, brands, and innovative founders. This new model of an advisory firm provides curated business solutions that tap into a unique network of experts across a broad range of industries in the US and internationally.

Dispatched’s mission is to simplify and elevate the process of launching and expanding companies at all stages by delivering a comprehensive suite of services, expertise, and connections that empower entrepreneurs, innovators, brands, and investors to strategically accelerate.

The definition of ‘dispatch’ is to send off purposefully and to deal with tasks efficiently, which reflects the founders’ inherent ability to rapidly organize complex projects and manage tasks and teams through a detail-oriented approach.

Fabiola Ordonez and Rodrigo Castello Branco are creative former practicing attorneys with multicultural backgrounds and entrepreneurial mindsets who practiced law at major international firms and the world’s largest asset manager. With over fifteen years of combined experience, they have structured, led, negotiated, and closed countless transactions amounting to billions of dollars in deal value for private and public companies across various industries.

Based in New York, with personal and professional experiences spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia, they bring a fresh and dynamic approach to the ‘square’ stereotype of advisory firms. Fabiola and Rodrigo identified a gap in clients’ needs for bespoke and efficient business services and guidance outside of law – a true handholding.  With that in mind, they departed from the practice of law to create this new concept of a ‘business studio’, where they offer a “one-stop shop” model to US and LatAm based clients.

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Via AP News

Meet our New Member Dispatched Business Studio

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Dispatched Business Studio – a modern take on an advisory firm – offers a one-stop shop approach to LatAm and US based companies looking to enter new global markets or accelerate their businesses in the United States.

Dispatched is a platform of trusted advisors working in collaboration with businesses, brands, and innovative founders. They provide curated business solutions that tap into a unique network of experts across a broad range of industries in the United States and internationally. Implementing their expertise and connections save their clients time and resources, and allows them to focus on their core businesses and passions.

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Banco do Brasil é Considerado o Mais Sustentável do Mundo em Ranking pela 5ª vez

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O Banco do Brasil foi considerado o mais sustentável do mundo pela consultoria Corporate Knights, que avalia o desempenho em sustentabilidade corporativa de cerca de 7.000 empresas de capital aberto mundo afora com receitas brutas acima de US$ 1 bilhão. Foi a quinta vez que o BB foi o banco mais bem avaliado entre as 100 empresas mais sustentáveis. Além disso, pela primeira vez, a instituição figurou entre as dez organizações mais bem colocadas, ocupando a sexta posição.

A avaliação da Corporate Knights leva em conta 25 indicadores econômicos, ambientais e sociais, relativos a receitas e investimentos sustentáveis, promoção da descarbonização, diversidade racial e de gênero.

“Este reconhecimento evidencia nossa atuação consistente no tema ASG sigla para boas práticas ambientais, sociais e de governança. Em 2023, reforçamos ainda mais este nosso trabalho, com a criação de uma Unidade Estratégica para conduzir de modo transversal as pautas ambientais, sociais e de governança no banco”, afirma a presidente do BB, Tarciana Medeiros, em nota. “Temos compromissos públicos e com metas concretas em cada uma dessas frentes, atuando de modo voluntário, protagonista e como verdadeiros líderes em sustentabilidade empresarial no Brasil e no mundo.”

Além das metas e estruturas internas voltadas ao tema, o banco tem uma carteira de R$ 338,2 bilhões em créditos com pegada sustentável. São empréstimos e financiamentos para atividades e setores que têm impactos sociais e ambientais positivos, como energias renováveis, eficiência energética, produção sustentável de alimentos e desenvolvimento local e regional.

“Estamos em um momento em que nossas ações e compromissos para um mundo mais sustentável, conectados aos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da ONU, convidam todos os públicos de relacionamento a assumirem responsabilidades diante das mudanças climáticas e seus efeitos na vida das pessoas e comunidades no presente e no futuro”, diz o vice-presidente de Governo e Sustentabilidade Empresarial do banco, José Ricardo Sasseron.

Via Isto é Dinheiro

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As of April 10, 2024, Passport Holders from Australia, Canada, and the United States will Be Required to Obtain an e-Visa to Enter Brazil.

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As of April 10th, 2024 , passport holders from Australia, Canada and the United States will require an e Visa to enter Brazil. If you have a valid physical visa on your passport for the purpose of your visit, you do not need to apply for a new visa. For special passports you still need an e Visa or physical visa if you are traveling with a diplomatic passport.

Via United Airlines

      

United patrocina o Brazil Climate Summit e o SDGs in Brazil, do Pacto Global da ONU

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Companhia que opera voos entre o Brasil e os Estados Unidos, e líder em investimentos para a produção de combustível de aviação sustentável, foi uma das patrocinadoras de eventos brasileiros voltados à sustentabilidade

A United Airlines, uma das maiores companhias aéreas do mundo, que opera voos entre o Brasil e os Estados Unidos, e líder em investimentos para a produção de combustível de aviação sustentável, foi uma das patrocinadoras de dois eventos brasileiros voltados à sustentabilidade: Brazil Climate Summit, que aconteceu nos dias 13 e 14 de setembro, e SDGs in Brazil, promovido pela rede brasileira do Pacto Global da ONU nos dias 14 e 15 de setembro, ambos em Nova York.

Para Jacqueline Conrado, Country Manager da United Airlines no Brasil, o país é muito importante por ser um celeiro de iniciativas sustentáveis e comprometidas com o meio ambiente. Além disso, o setor de aviação tem que apresentar soluções de viagem mais flexíveis e responsivas à experiência do usuário, revolucionando inclusive a forma de fazer negócio. “Hoje, nós fazemos um trabalho muito mais focado em ouvir e perceber os inputs dos clientes como nunca, que não aparecem relacionados só a preço, mas a experiência de viagem, benefícios e, de forma prioritária, à preocupação com o meio ambiente e diversidade e inclusão”, diz.

Por Luiz Fara Monteiro via R7

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PwC – Eventos de quarta-feira, 12 de julho de 2023

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Novas Perspectivas

Padrão Mundial – Relatórios de Sustentabilidade

Quarta-feira, 12 de julho às 9h00  (Horário de Brasília)

Programação:

09:00 – 09:20 Abertura/Pesquisa Incial
09:20 – 10:00 Palestrante: Melissa Schleich
10:00 –

10:20 Palestrante: Mauricio Colombari
10:20 – 10:40 Palestrante: José Vital
10:40 – 11:00 Perguntas e Respostas (Q&A)
11:00 – 11:15 Prova de conhecimento/Encerramento

REGISTER HERE

 

 

 

______________________________________________

AgTech Garage

Quarta-feira, 12 de julho às 15h00 – (Evento presencial)

Dia 1: Moon Hub

Sede Moon Hub by AgTech Garage, Praça do Conhecimento, 459 — Parque Tecnológico de Uberaba — Univerdecidade, em Uberaba/MG.

Palestrante: José Tomé (sócio, PwC)

 

15h — Abertura “Por dentro da Gestão Tripartite”

(AgTech Garage, Ubyfol e Prefeitura de Uberaba)

15h30 — Bem-vindos ao Moon Hub by AgTech Garage

16h10 — Painel “Conhecendo a Comunidade Uberabense”

(Agentes locais e clientes convidados)

17h10 — Tour pelo Moon Hub e Happy Hour

 

REGISTER HERE

 

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PwC Debate Reforma Tributária: analisar, influenciar e planejar

Quarta-feira, 12 de julho das 17h00 às 18h15 (Horário de Brasília)

 

Palestrantes:
Romero Tavares
Romero Tavares, Sócio de Consultoria Tributária da PwC Brasil
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Cristiano Noronha
Cristiano Noronha, Sócio e vice-presidente da Arko Advice

Habilidades em Primeiro Lugar

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Uma abordagem que priorize as habilidades poderia ajudar 100 milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo a se integrar à força de trabalho ou conseguir empregos melhores.

A PwC está colaborando com o Fórum Econômico Mundial para ajudar a impulsionar a transição para mercados de trabalho que priorizem as habilidades.

Esse movimento poderia abrir o mercado de trabalho para 100 milhões de pessoas em todo o mundo, trazendo benefícios não apenas para empresas e indivíduos, mas também para a sociedade em geral e para a economia.

Nosso relatório conjunto, “Habilidades em primeiro lugar: um framework para ação”, apresenta um framework consistente sobre o assunto para CEOs e governos e demonstra como algumas organizações já estão se beneficiando de uma cultura que prioriza as habilidades.

Via PwC

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Brazilian Law Firm Feijó Lopes Advogados Celebrates 17 Years and Announces the Launch of its New York Office

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Initiative consolidates a relationship of almost two decades with the foreign markets. Feijó Lopes Advogados, one of Brazil’s premier law firms is to open a physical unit in New York.

The initiative is part of the expansion plan to expand the existing relationship for over 15 years with the US and the international market, in addition to continuing to provide legal advice to foreigners who want to invest in Brazil, and also Brazilians who want to expand their businesses internationally.

“This expansion reinforces one of our most important ‘non-negotiable principles’, which is to be present in the key international financial and business centers that have relationship with Brazil. With the New York office, we want to be physically closer to our clients, banks, funds, investors and partners, foreign and Brazilian, and global companies that use New York – the main world financial center – as a hub for business”, highlights the managing partner of Feijó Lopes Advogados, Lúcio Feijó Lopes.

“Generating results for our clients is what drives us, whether it be legal assistance in strategic commercial negotiation, venture capital, M&A, fund structuring, debt offerings, tax and labor issues, or conflict resolution. We are faithful to our purpose of being the law firm of choice for our clients to solve their greatest challenges”, concludes Lopes.

The new office should be located at Park Avenue, midtown, New York, an area where the main banks, fund managers and headquarters of global companies and with business in Brazil are located.

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What Will Working with AI Really Require?

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Despite concerns about machines replacing human workers, research challenges the overhyped claims of ascendant AI. In most knowledge-intensive tasks, workers will more likely find themselves augmented in partnership with machines than automated out of a job. Humans and machines will simultaneously collaborate and compete with one another, like a track team competing in various events. In some events, like the 100-yard dash, teammates compete against each other, but in others, such as the relay race, they work together towards a common goal.

In such a relationship, humans and AI systems both need distinct competitive and cooperative skills. Competitive skills refer to the unique advantages that either humans or AI possess over the other, while cooperative skills enhance the ability of humans and AI to work together effectively. To foster a symbiotic relationship between humans and AI, organizations must find the appropriate balance between investing in human skills and technological capabilities — and think strategically about how they attract and retain talent.

By Mohammad Hossein Jarrahi, Kelly Monahan, and Paul Leonardi via Harvard Business Review

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An Overview of the Employment Law Issues Posed by Generative AI in the Workplace

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Generative AI, which is a type of artificial intelligence that can produce or create new content, has already started to impact the workplace in various ways. On the positive side, it can automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. For example, it can assist with data entry, customer service, and content creation. Additionally, it can help businesses to analyze and make sense of large amounts of data, leading to better decision-making.

However, the rise of generative AI also raises concerns about its impact on labor and employment. It is predicted that many jobs that involve routine tasks, such as data entry, customer service, and content creation, could be replaced by AI systems in the future. This means that some workers may need to reskill and transition into new roles to stay relevant in the job market.

By Zoe Argento, ChatGPT, Michael Chichester, Michelle Clark, Tessa Gelbman, Philip L. Gordon, Corinn Jackson, Allan King, Miguel Lopez, Deborah Margolis, Melissa McDonagh, Michael McGuire, Ellie McPike, Marko Mrkonich, Jim Paretti, Niloy Ray, Scott Rechtschaffen, Erin Reid-Eriksen, Kellen Shearin, and Alice Wang via Littler

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How to Read a Business Book

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More than 1,000 new business books are released each month in the United States alone. The good ones represent original contributions to theory and practice or provide meaningful extensions or applications of those theories and practices. The others tend to present recycled and superficial treatments of those original contributions. So how can you ensure not only that you’re reading a book that’s worth your time, but that you’re getting the most out of that time? The author presents eight ways to allocate your reading time to your greatest advantage through careful selection based on need, triaging the mode of consumption, and harvesting the takeaways for application.

Reading a business book is an exercise in efficiency, not literary aesthetics. You’re trying to maximize the return on time invested. For the executive, time allocation is as important as capital allocation. So, in approaching any business book, there are two goals: First, determining if the book can help you do your job; second, figuring out the quickest way to extract that value. In writing several business books — and reading more than I can count — I’ve found that, for books worth reading, the process consists of three steps: compression, absorption, and application.

By Timothy R. Clark via Harvard Business Review

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How to Disagree Productively

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Disagreements don’t have to be destructive. They can be opportunities to come up with better ideas. But handling conversations with someone with a conflicting point of view is far from easy. Three strategies, which the authors identified in their research, can help.

From whether to embrace hybrid work to whether to introduce quotas for women or minorities at various levels in the organization, executive leadership teams across different companies we advise have been talking through polarizing issues. In many of those discussions, leaders often engaged in heated arguments with one another that were not that productive. As a result, they left the meetings feeling hurt and dissatisfied.

By Hanne K. Collins, Charles A. Dorison, Francesca Gino, and Julia A. Minson via Harvard Business Review

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Entenda o PL da inteligência artificial e como ele impacta as empresas

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Popularizada pelo ChatGPT, da OpenAI, a inteligência artificial tornou-se o principal tema de tecnologia dos últimos meses. Na quarta-feira, 3, o presidente do Senado, Rodrigo Pacheco apresentou um projeto de lei que regulamenta o uso da IA. De acordo com Márcio Chaves, sócio do escritório Almeida Advogados, o PL materializa a tendência mundial de regulamentação do tema inteligência artificial, “de inegável necessidade diante da ausência de regras que ajudem a mitigar os riscos tanto com o atual status da tecnologia, mas principalmente de um futuro a curto e médio prazo que temos com os avanços tecnológicos que são exponenciais.”

Ainda de acordo com Márcio, o texto tem como principal ponto positivo o estabelecimento de obrigações, que na legislação de hoje ainda são vistos mais como recomendações e boas práticas. “De seguir princípios para o uso seguro e ético da inteligência artificial, avaliando e documentando previamente ao desenvolvimento e ao uso da inteligência artificial, de agir de forma preventiva, pois o remediar pode não ser possível ou suficiente. Mas carece de adequações, como por exemplo a inclusão dentre as hipóteses de limitação da responsabilidade civil por danos causados, para desenvolvedores e utilizadores de inteligência artificial que seguirem as obrigações trazidas pela regulamentação, pois sua ausência poderá desestimular o cumprimento da lei”, conclui Marcio.

By Luiz Gustavo Pacete via Forbes Brasil

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Gêmeos digitais: os mundos que estão mudando a forma como as empresas funcionam

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A Vodafone, segunda maior empresa de telefonia móvel do mundo, iniciou, há alguns anos, um projeto para mapear melhor sua área de cobertura no Reino Unido. Hoje, o que começou como um mapa melhor se transformou em uma duplicata exata da rede física da Vodafone dentro de seus próprios computadores. É uma versão completa e continuamente atualizada de sua infraestrutura no Reino Unido – um gêmeo digital. Com ele, as decisões de negócio da Vodafone passam a ser mais rápidas, com informação muito mais detalhadas e também com uma noção do que pode acontecer no futuro.

O gêmeo digital é um nome modesto para uma tecnologia que, na prática, pode parecer algo saído da ficção científica. É uma forma de fundir o mundo físico – uma rede de cadeia de suprimentos, a rede de ônibus da cidade de Nova York, um porto internacional – com o mundo digital. Não só permite operações mais eficientes e transparentes. Isso nos permite fazer e responder perguntas que seriam difíceis de resolver de outra forma.

By Kathleen Kewley via Forbes Brasil

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Infusing Digital Responsibility into Your Organization

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As societal expectations grow for the responsible use of digital technologies, firms that promote better practices will have a distinct advantage. Strengthening your organization’s digital responsibility can drive value creation, and brands regarded as more responsible will enjoy higher levels of stakeholder trust and loyalty. These businesses will sell more products and services, find it easier to recruit staff, and enjoy fruitful relationships with shareholders. Based on their ongoing research into digital transformations and in-depth studies of 12 large European firms who are active in digital responsibility, they share four best practices around digital responsibility to maximize business value and minimize resistance.

In 2018, Rick Smith, founder and CEO of Axon, the Scottsdale, Arizona-based manufacturer of Taser weapons and body cameras, became concerned that advances in technology were creating new and challenging ethical issues. So, he set up an independent AI ethics board made up of ethicists, AI experts, public policy specialists, and representatives of law enforcement to provide recommendations to Axon’s management. In 2019, the board recommended against adding facial recognition technology to the company’s line of body cameras, and in 2020, it provided guidelines regarding the use of automated license plate recognition technology. Axon’s management followed both recommendations.

by Tomoko Yokoi, Lazaros Goutas, Michael Wade, Nicolas Zahn, and Niniane Paeffgen via Harvard Business Review

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Embrapa devolveu à sociedade R$ 34,70 para cada R$ 1 investido em 2022

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Principal instituição pública de pesquisa de alimentos, fibras e bioenergia chegou a lucro social de R$ 125,9 bilhões no ano passado

Em 2022, a Embrapa (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária), apresentou um lucro social de R$ 125,88 bilhões, gerados a partir do impacto econômico no setor agropecuário de 172 tecnologias e 110 cultivares desenvolvidas pelas pesquisas. Para cada R$ 1 aplicado na Embrapa, no ano passado, foram devolvidos R$ 34,70 para a sociedade. Em 2021, para cada R$ 1 aplicado na instituição, foram devolvidos R$ 23,38.

Nesta quarta-feira (26), ela, a mais importante instituição pública na área de produção de alimentos, fibras e energia, completa 50 anos. O Brasil, provavelmente, não teria chegado até aqui como um dos maiores produtores de alimentos do mundo sem a Embrapa. Esse ganho é de toda a sociedade e seu lucro social dá a dimensão da sua existência. O Balanço Social publica, anualmente, os resultados da avaliação de impactos econômicos, sociais, ambientais e, no desenvolvimento institucional, de uma amostra de soluções tecnológicas. A metodologia utilizada nesses estudos é a soma dos impactos econômicos dessa amostra de tecnologias.

Via Forbes Brasil

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ChatGPT Can Predict Stock Market Moves? New Study Shows ChatGPT Surprisingly Accurate in Predicting Stock Moves And Could Even Replace Investment Analysts

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A new study conducted by finance professors from the University of Florida shows the potential value of ChatGPT in predicting stock market movements.

In the study, over 50,000 news headlines about companies dating back to October 2021 were fed to the chatbot, which evaluated whether the news was good, bad or irrelevant to the company’s stock prices. Using sentiment analysis, the chatbot generated a “ChatGPT score,” which was then analyzed to determine whether it was predictive of the companies’ stock market performance the following day.

The study found a significant positive correlation between the ChatGPT scores and the next-day stock performance for the analyzed companies. Companies with higher scores tended to have better returns than those with lower scores. ChatGPT outperformed traditional sentiment analysis methods that also used data from headlines and social media to predict stock movements.

By Jeannine Mancini via Yahoo! Finance

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Conheça a startup que quer extinguir os computadores e smartphones

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A Humane utiliza inteligência artificial (IA) e holografia para fazer com que qualquer superfície vire a interface de um dispositivo eletrônico

Assim como na ficção científica, é muito provável que, em algum tempo, aparelhos eletrônicos como smartphones possam ficar obsoletos. Pelo menos é o que propõe a startup Humane. Na semana passada, durante um TED, o fundador e CEO Imran Chaudhri mostrou como funciona sua principal tecnologia que mescla inteligência artificial e holografia para projetar informações em várias superfícies, o que inclui até mesmo a pele humana.

A tecnologia é ativada por voz e gestos. Na demonstração, Imran atende uma chamada projetada em sua mão, também testa funcionalidades como tradução. Outra aplicação da tecnologia é mapear os elementos de um alimento. Imran a apontou para uma barra de chocolate e o sistema identificou que o alimento possui, por exemplo, leite e manteiga de cacau, o que pode ser útil para quem é intolerante, por exemplo.

Via Forbes Brasil

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Cyber Thieves Are Getting More Creative

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Cybercriminals pull off many of their crimes by combining lots of real information with just a tiny bit of misinformation, which can be financially devastating for both companies and individuals. This article describes some recent examples of this technique, which include exploiting wire transfers, stealing paychecks, and tricking employees into helping “the boss.” It’s important to continually learn about such new schemes so that you know what to look for and how to prepare your defenses. While there are things that can be done to eliminate or at least dramatically reduce such crimes, procedures and precautions need to be put in place now, not after a crime has already taken place — especially as cybercriminals themselves get more and more creative.

Misinformation is frequently mentioned in the media, usually in the context of politics and viewed synonymously with fake news. Although these are serious issues, a bigger and more personal danger is often overlooked: How cyber criminals use misinformation to steal from companies and individuals.

By Stuart Madnick via Harvard Business Review

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Quais profissões serão substituídas pela IA? Veja as áreas

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Desde o lançamento do ChatGPT, da Open AI, e do Bard, do Google, as discussões sobre se as IAs (inteligências artificiais) substituirão os humanos aumentaram e estudos mostram que alguns empregos – surpreendentemente, alguns tradicionalmente ocupados por executivos – podem ser fortemente impactados.

Quais serão as profissões mais impactadas pelas IAs
1. Finanças e bancos
2. Mídia e marketing
3. Serviços jurídicos

Os empregos que serão menos impactados pelas IAs
1. Trabalhadores de manufaturas e fábricas
2. Agricultores
3. Profissionais da saúde

By Arianna Johnson via Forbes Brasil

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Cinquenta anos depois, celular se mantém como hub de utilidades

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Em 3 de abril de 1973, Martin Cooper, atualmente com 94 anos, inventou aquele que é considerado o primeiro celular: Motorola_DynaTC8000X. À época, o executivo liderava a equipe de designers e engenheiros da Motorola. Das diversas entrevistas que deu sobre o tema, Martin ressaltou que o celular surgiu da necessidade de que existisse um aparelho que as pessoas pudessem utilizar em qualquer lugar. Em 2007, 34 anos depois, uma nova revolução surgiria dentre esses equipamentos com a apresentação do iPhone ao mundo.

Ao relembrar os 50 anos do celular, fica um questionamento: até quando o principal meio de comunicação da humanidade seguirá tão relevante? De acordo com a Comscore, somente o Brasil possui 121 milhões de usuários de smartphones, o equivalente a 93% da população. “Eles estão gastando mais tempo em seus dispositivos, com um aumento de 3% no tempo gasto em aplicativos móveis em relação ao primeiro trimestre de 2022; maioritariamente nas redes sociais e serviços”, explica Alejandro Fosk, vice-presidente da Comscore para América Latina.

By Luiz Gustavo Pacete via Forbes Brasil

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Elon Musk and several other technologists call for a pause on training of AI systems

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Companies researching AI are “locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one — not even their creators — can understand, predict, or reliably control,” the letter says.

A group of technology industry executives and academics have signed an open letter calling for at least a six-month pause on large, open experiments with artificial intelligence.

Companies researching AI are “locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one — not even their creators — can understand, predict, or reliably control,” the letter reads. “If such a pause cannot be enacted quickly, governments should step in and institute a moratorium.”

The letter warns of potentially apocalyptic scenarios.

By Kevin Collier via NBC News

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Brasil pode se tornar centro de ciência quântica aplicada ao agro

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Interessados em abrir espaço de pesquisa, por meio de laboratórios de estudo e de parcerias com instituições, o Lanaf (Laboratório Nacional de Agro-Fotônica), que pertence à Embrapa Instrumentação, unidade localizada em São Carlos (SP), reuniu na sexta (24), pela primeira vez, um grupo de pesquisadores para traçar o potencial das tecnologias quânticas no desenvolvimento do agro. As tecnologias quânticas estão presentes em diversos desenvolvimentos, como GPS, LED, câmeras digitais, computadores e laser.

“Precisamos ser o centro do mundo da ciência quântica aplicada ao agro, ter uma visão estratégica”, disse Paulo Nussenzveig, pró-reitor de pesquisa e inovação da USP (Universidade de São Paulo), durante o 1º Workshop de Tecnologias Quânticas no Agro. “Há uma nova revolução quântica em curso, que depende de um conhecimento profundo, temos uma comunidade acadêmica forte que domina esse conhecimento. É urgente um projeto de inovação a longo prazo no país”. O encontro teve por objetivo conectar universidades, instituições de pesquisa e a iniciativa privada em torno do tema.

By Redação via Forbes Brasil

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5 Ways to Boost Creativity on Your Team

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Creativity is vital for innovation, but many organizational leaders don’t know how to tap it among their employees. Instead, they shower them with meetings and whiteboard sessions that go nowhere. Instead, the authors recommend finding new ways to give your employees the time and space they need to generate new ideas. Their five strategies include generating lots of ideas (including bad ones), creating a space for failure, blocking off unscheduled calendar time, focusing on problem-finding, and delaying decisions.

For all the hype around innovation and creativity — one recent survey of 1,500 CEOs pegged creativity as the top skill for business leaders – these muscles remain some of the most underdeveloped in organizations. Even with the best innovation strategy in place, companies can’t develop new ideas and products until their teams become more creative. And the reason teams aren’t creative is because leaders have failed to understand how creativity really works.

By Jeremy Utley and Perry Klebahn via Harvard Business Review

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Brazil Is Not for Beginners

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The depth of innovation required to solve tough regional challenges, combined with Brazil’s high talent density, will increasingly create opportunities to invest in companies that aren’t just local winners, but global powerhouses.

“Brazil is not for beginners,” commented Bruno Balduccini, lead fintech partner of law firm Pinheiro Neto. The “Godfather of Fintech”, as he is known in the Brazilian venture ecosystem, was not referring to historical critiques of excessive bureaucracy that gave birth to this local expression. Rather, Balduccini was acknowledging the evolution of Brazil’s fintech ecosystem: the sophistication of the capital markets, the advances of its regulatory regime, and the companies that have transformed the financial services landscape, including Nubank (one of the most valuable challenger banks in the world).

Brazil is Latin America’s most developed ecosystem for technology-enabled financial services, and it’s hard to overstate the importance of Brazilian government bodies in boosting financial inclusion by promoting reforms across all areas of financial services. From the unbundling of the banking scheme that started in 2013—which allowed newcomers such as Creditas and Neon to apply for tiered licenses that are quicker and less costly than a full banking framework—Brazil is one of the leaders of the world when it comes to regulation-promoting financial services innovation. More than half of the country’s adult population, a staggering 64 million people, made their first digital payments transaction with PIX, Brazil’s instant payment system designed by the Central Bank. Moreover, more than 18 million accounts consent to share their data in the context of open finance, a 95 percent growth from September to December 2022. And after piloting projects last year, Brazil is in the advanced stages of launching its central bank digital currency, Real Digital, which aspires to leverage tokenization and smart contracts on the blockchain for enabling programmable money. For innovators, change means opportunity.

By Monica Brand Engel, Jonathan Whittle and Michel Zaidler via Observer

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Brazil’s Lula to go to China with 240 business representatives, says official

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Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit China this month accompanied by a delegation of 240 business representatives, including 90 from agriculture sector, a senior Foreign Ministry official said on Friday.

Trade promotion secretary Daniel Fernandes said at a press briefing that all the government’s ministries will be represented on the March 26-30 visit to Beijing and Shanghai.

The ministry’s Secretary for Asia, Pacific and Russia, Eduardo Saboia, said Brazil is hoping to diversify its trade relationship with China, the largest customer for Brazilian exports, mainly soy beans and iron ore.

By Anthony Boadle via Reuters

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Com SXSW, Itaú pretende acelerar transformação cultural e digital do banco

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O Itaú Unibanco estreou como a primeira marca brasileira a patrocinar oficialmente o South by Southwest (SXSW), evento de tecnologia e inovação que ocorre em Austin, no Texas, nesta semana. O apoio marca a criação da plataforma de inovação do banco que envolve a participação em outros eventos, inclusive no Brasil. O objetivo, segundo Renato Haramura, superintendente de Marketing Institucional do Itaú, é, em primeiro lugar, democratizar o acesso à inovação para empreendedores e todo o ecossistema do banco e, internamente, contribuir com conhecimento para as principais mudanças culturais, comportamentais e tecnológicas que a companhia vive atualmente.

“O Itaú vive um contexto de transformação que não envolve apenas a digitalização, mas também uma mudança refletida em suas marcas, o reposicionamento recente de Personalitté é um exemplo disso. São transformações que envolvem formato, investimento, cultura. Estamos falando de um contexto de 100 mil funcionários. E trazer para dentro dos nossos ecossistemas todas as provocações que ocorrem aqui no SXSW é um desafio, ao mesmo tempo que reflete a oportunidade e o momento que vivenciamos”, destaca Haramura. Sobre os próximos passos da presença do Itaú no festival, Haramura reforça que o objetivo, agora, é estimular o pensamento de inovação em toda a companhia e independentemente de áreas.

By Luiz Gustavo Pacete via Forbes Brasil

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Has Your Organization Acted on What It’s Learned in the Pandemic?

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As the pandemic marks a third anniversary, business leaders around the world are eager to move on. But few companies have systematically institutionalized what they’ve learned from their Covid-19 experience to build resilience. The authors suggest a three-step approach to do so: 1) Evaluate how you — and your competitors — performed during the pandemic; 2) Extract the stories of what worked and what didn’t through an after-action review; and 3) Implement the needed capabilities identified in the after-action review.

BCG research has found that 15% of companies outperform their industry in more than 80% of crises. Berkshire Hathaway, for example, outperformed its peers in 15 out of the last 17 turbulent periods.

by Martin Reeves, Robert van der Veeken, and Adam Job via Harvard Business Review

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Designing a Climate Advocacy Strategy

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Although the business community has made progress toward climate goals since the 2015 Paris Agreement, fewer than one-fifth of net-zero targets set by national and subnational governments and only a third of the largest public corporations with net-zero targets actually meet science-aligned criteria. Further, anti-climate lobbying has had a disastrous effect on the planet and cost years in meaningful action. Inaction is not an option. Businesses committed to being on the right side of history must advocate for policies, regulations, and laws to achieve economy-wide systemic change at the pace and scale required to achieve climate targets. Based on their cross-organizational work at three B Corps, the authors identified five critical elements for advocacy strategies that will help businesses use their power and influence to push for the system change required to meet climate targets.

“We had our chance to make incremental changes, but that time is over. Only a root-and-branch transformation of our economies and societies can save us from accelerating climate disaster,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The data is clear: Global emissions are going up. Voluntary pledges to prevent new fossil fuel projects and curb devastating practices such as mass deforestation are failing to prevent the destruction of nature and rising global inequality.

by Sophie Dembinski, Charmian Love, and Beth Thoren via Harvard Business Review

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CERAWEEK-Petrobras, Equinor to evaluate 7 wind projects offshore brazil

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Brazil’s state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) and Norwegian energy provider Equinor (EQNR.OL) on Monday said they signed an agreement to evaluate development of seven wind projects offshore Brazil.

The proposed projects would deliver a combined capacity of 14.5 gigawatts of power if confirmed, Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates said at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.

The project could cost $70 billion if confirmed in its entirety, with production starting in six to 10 years. The study phase of the project will last until 2028, the companies said.

By Sabrina Valle via Reuters

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CONVITE WEBINAR: O que esperar da nova lei de criptomoedas no Brasil?

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Acontecimentos globais recentes alavancaram a aprovação da Lei nº 14.478/2022 (“Lei das Criptomoedas”) no Brasil. Com ela, a criptoeconomia ganha um marco legal mínimo, que deve promover um ambiente de crescimento e inovação financeira nos países sul-americanos. 
Entre as inovações trazidas pela nova lei destaca-se a criação dos chamados provedores de serviços de ativos virtuais (VASP), empresas que devem ter licença prévia para negociar, intermediar e fazer custódia de ativos virtuais no Brasil.

Nossas sócias Juliana Abrusio, head da área de Direito Digital e Proteção de Dados, Alessandra Carolina Rossi Martins, sócia na área de Bancário, Seguros e Financeiro, e o advogado Marcelo de Castro Cunha Filho, especialista nas áreas de criptoativos, blockchain e tokenização, receberão Bárbara Espir, vice-presidente jurídica da Bitso, para debater esse e outros tópicos em nosso webinar.

7 de fevereiro  |  10h – 11h30 (Hora de Brasília)

 

Moderadora:

JULIANA ABRUSIO
Head da área de Direito Digital
e Proteção de Dados do Machado Meyer

Palestrantes:

ALESSANDRA CAROLINA ROSSI MARTINS 
Sócia na área de
Bancário, Seguros e Financeiro do Machado Meyer		 MARCELO DE CASTRO CUNHA FILHO 
Advogado ​​​​​especialista
nas áreas de criptoativos, blockchain e tokenização do Machado Meyer		 BÁRBARA
ESPIR
Vice-presidente
jurídica da Bitso

INSCREVA-SE

Marco Legal de Criptoativos

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​Em 21 de dezembro de 2022, foi sancionada pelo Presidente da República a Lei nº 14.478/2022 (“Marco Legal de Criptoativos” ou “MLC”), que dispõe sobre diretrizes a serem observadas na prestação de serviços de ativos virtuais e na regulamentação das prestadoras de serviços de ativos virtuais.

A norma teve origem no Projeto de Lei nº 2.303/2015, apresentado pelo Deputado Federal Aureo Ribeiro em 8 de julho de 2015. Mais de 6 anos após a sua apresentação, em 8 de dezembro de 2021, o projeto foi aprovado pela Câmara dos Deputados e remetido ao Senado Federal, onde foi renumerado como Projeto de Lei nº 4.401/2021 (“PL 4.401”). O PL 4.401 foi aprovado em abril de 2022 pelo Senado Federal, e em
novembro pela Câmara dos Deputados. Ao longo do processo legislativo, o Senado Federal aprovou um substitutivo ao texto original do projeto (“Substitutivo”) com algumas alterações que, posteriormente, foram rejeitadas pela Câmara dos Deputados, resultando na sua não incorporação no texto final do Marco Legal de Criptoativos. O MLC entrará em vigor 180 dias após sua publicação no Diário Oficial da União, que ocorreu em 22 de dezembro de 2022.

Via BMA Advogados

Ver guia na íntegra

Profissionais:

Fernanda Villela
São Paulo
Languages: Portuguese, English, Italian, Spanish
fvi@bmalaw.com.br

 

 

Brazilian Startup Program Elevates Innovative Entrepreneurs and Forges Exciting Investment Opportunities with U.S. Venture Capitalists

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The recently refreshed Startup Outreach Brasil program kicked off in Chicago, with more cities to come in 2023 and beyond

ApexBrasil, The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, together with the Brazilian Ministry of Economy, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sebrae (Brazilian Micro and Small Enterprises’ Support Service), and Anprotec (National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises), recently announced the debut of the newly branded Startup Outreach Brasil Program. Over the past six years, Startup Outreach Brasil has selected high-growth Brazilian startups to receive personalized internationalization support. The program has successfully introduced Brazilian startups to several innovation ecosystems around the world that are growing in importance and prominence. Introduced during the program’s latest session in Chicago, the brand refresh represents Startup Outreach Brasil’s mission to educate the venture capital community about the innovative young companies coming out of Brazil, while also providing participating entrepreneurs with training and support to better understand conducting business ventures abroad.

Over the past decade, Brazil’s startup sector has earned the attention of the global investment community and experienced incredible growth. Specifically, more than 22,300 startups have launched in Brazil since 2015, and 30 startups have earned “unicorn” status since 2018, which represents companies that are valued above USD $1 billion. As a result, Brazil has become the largest startup economy in Latin America and attracted USD $9.43 billion in funding rounds in 2021 alone.

Via Yahoo!

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Five Lessons From Brazil For Implementing FedNow

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The Federal Reserve has just entered the testing phase of its new instant payment service, FedNow. Inspired by the Brazilian system, Pix, FedNow aims to revolutionize how North Americans send and receive money, and it places all eyes on the world’s largest economy on the subject of payment innovation.

Banks will have less than a year to prepare for the launch of the long-awaited FedNow. While it’s not yet clear exactly how it works, the Federal Reserve’s vice president, Lael Brainard, said that the success of the system will depend on industry stakeholders—financial institutions, core service providers, software companies and application developers—devoting the appropriate resources to making the system viable for consumers before its launch, which should take place next summer.

These stakeholders must devote effort, time and money into innovation and technology. Through a robust and reliable software development framework, financial institutions should be able to offer a quality service that meets the needs of today’s world, especially in terms of digital processes, automation and digital wallets.

Lessons From The Brazilian System

As stated, Pix is the basic model for FedNow. Launched in 2020, Pix is now operated by more than 770 institutions, according to Bacen (Central Bank of Brazil). Adjustments happened quickly with its implementation, meaning that institutions had to use agile and specialized methods with clearly defined scopes and assertive planning that maximized value.

By Mateus Hernandes Rodrigues via Forbes

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Agritalks – Green Finance in Brazil: New Developments and Opportunities

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The in-person event “AgriTalks – Green Finance in Brazil: New Developments and Opportunities”, where Brazilian government officials and representatives of the private sector from both Brazil and the U.S. will discuss the current state, perspectives and opportunities for the green finance market in Brazil.

The seminar will take place at the Consulate General of Brazil, on November 17th,from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. There will be a Q&A session, in addition to a coffee break and reception at the end of the event.

Agritalks – New York

Green Finance in Brazil: New Developments and Opportunities

New York, November 17th, 2022

Program:

Registration (9:00-9:30)

Welcome Speech (9:30-9:35)

• Ambassador Maria Nazareth Farani Azevêdo, Consul General of Brazil in Nova York

Keynote Speech (09:35 – 09:55)

• Fernando Sardenberg Zelner Gonçalves – Deputy Secretary for Trade and International Relations, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply – MAPA

Panel 1 – New Instruments and Regulations in the Brazilian Green Finance Market (09:55-10:45)

• José Angelo Mazzillo Junior – Secretary for Agriculture Policy. Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply – MAPA

• Thatyanne Gasparotto – Director, Green & Sustainable Financing Solutions, Natixis CIB Americas

• Lucio Feijó Lopes – Senior Partner, Feijó Lopes Advogados

• Leisa Souza – Head LatAm, CBI

• Moderator: Professor Sidney Nakahodo – Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs

Coffee Break (10:45-11:00)

Panel 2 – Opportunities for Investment in Green Finance in Brazil (11:00 – 11:50)

• Marcela Porto Costa – Sustainability Expert, Santa Brígida Farm

• Eliza G. Pepper – Head of Advisory & Wealth Planning LatAm, UBS

• Maurício Bauer – Director of Sustainability, JBS

• Leticia Phillips – Representative for North America, Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association – UNICA

• Moderator: Amy Wu, Journalist, Columbia University

Questions and Answers (11:50-12:15)

Reception (12:15- 13:00)

REGSITER NOW

“DAOS: DESAFIOS JURÍDICOS DAS ORGANIZAÇÕES AUTÔNOMAS DESCENTRALIZADAS”: CONFIRA OS ARTIGOS DO E-BOOK

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​DAOs: uma introdução

Por Felipe Palhares

DAOs permitem a participação de um número expressivo de indivíduos, localizados em qualquer lugar ao redor do mundo, superando barreiras geográficas e complicações organizacionais, garantindo que qualquer participante possa ter voz e orientar as atividades que serão realizadas pela organização

O que são DAOs?

Por Felipe Palhares

De partida, vale frisar que uma DAO, na prática, nada mais é do que um algoritmo

Modelos de governança para DAOs

Por Felipe Palhares e Fernanda Villela Viana

Existem diversos modelos de governança que podem ser adotados de acordo com as definições que forem estabelecidas nos smart contracts

Estruturação societária de DAOs no Brasil

Por Christopher Zibordi e Daniel Falcão de Paula Soares

Será preciso evoluir e aprofundar as discussões de forma a conceder às DAOs certa legitimidade de que precisam para melhor se estabelecerem e evoluírem como estruturas alternativas

Estruturação Societária de DAOs no exterior

Por Felipe Palhares e Arthur Pichelli Ueda

Em algumas jurisdições, já existem frameworks que têm sido comumente utilizados por fundadores de DAOs para a sua estruturação jurídica

Tokens de DAOs, contratos de investimento coletivo e valores mobiliários

Por Camila Goldberg, Felipe Palhares e Luis Eduardo Al-Contar

Antes de iniciar uma DAO, é fundamental que seus fundadores avaliem se os tokens de governança a serem emitidos podem vir a ser considerados valores mobiliários de acordo com a legislação

Tokens de DAOs e as possíveis penalidades aplicáveis pela CVM

Por Daniella Fragoso e Fernanda Pereira Carneiro

Atualmente não existe norma específica tratando do regime legal aplicável às emissões de tokens de DAOs, o que não implica dizer que não há regulamentação que contemple o tema

Qual país tem competência para tributar as transações das DAOs?

Por Thais de Barros Meira e Ana Carolina P. de Mello

A tributação deve recair sobre as DAOs ou diretamente sobre os rendimentos e ganhos de capital dos associados?

Os desafios na aplicação das leis trabalhistas brasileiras em Organizações Autônomas Descentralizadas

Por Cibelle Linero e Larissa Medeiros Rocha

Essa forma de trabalho se aproxima a outro conceito já previsto na legislação trabalhista brasileira: as cooperativas

Financiamento e geração de ativos de Propriedade Intelectual por meio das DAOs

Por Ana Cristina Müller e Valter Silva Couto

Um grande desafio destas novas possibilidades são as dúvidas que certamente suscitam. Por exemplo, a quem pertencem os direitos de PI em criações que se originarem nas DAOs?

As DAOs e alguns desafios para a solução de conflitos

Por Felipe Galea, Iara Conrado, Milena Arbízu e Marcos Salgado

A descentralização e a autonomia desse tipo de organização diminuem esforços individuais e tornam o processo de decisão mais célere. Sob outra perspectiva, geram dúvidas e incertezas

DAOs no mercado brasileiro e boas práticas de Compliance e PLD

Por Anna Carolina Malta Spilborghs e Jean Daniel Demattio Jaldin

É justamente deste contrato inteligente da DAO que surge a vantagem de as execuções não necessitarem uma ação humana ou um intermediário

Diligência Legal em operações de M&A envolvendo DAOs

Por Adriana Dib Fuzinato, Ellen Juste Nuñez e Thaís Xavier

Além da diligência legal, em se tratando de um ativo digital, é recomendável conduzir diligência técnica, pois em muitos casos os termos de criação das DAOs preveem que o código é a lei

DAOs e Proteção de Dados Pessoais

Por Felipe Palhares e Bárbara Iszlaji

É importante discutirmos se as DAOs tratam dados pessoais e, portanto, estão sujeitas às legislações de proteção de dados pessoais

Smart Contracts e a problemática frente às relações complexas das DAOs

Por Fernanda Villela Viana

De forma geral, nas DAOs, os smart contracts são utilizados para definir regras, estruturar operações e gerenciar relações. A execução das DAOs, portanto, não é pautada em sistemas jurídicos

DAOs e cybersecurity

Por Felipe Palhares

Uma falha no código pode colocar em risco todos os recursos mantidos na tesouraria da DAO, assim como expor seus membros

O futuro das organizações

Por Felipe Palhares

Na ausência de respectiva regulamentação, os imbróglios precisarão ser solucionados com base nas especificidades dos casos concretos que sejam apresentados

Via BMA Advogados

Saiba mais

Brazilian farmers planting soybeans at faster pace, consultancies say

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Brazilian farmers are sowing soybeans at a faster pace this season, according to estimates from two agribusiness consultancies on Monday.

They cited significant advances in the state of Parana and progress in the pace of sowing in the state of Mato Grosso, the largest producer of soybeans in Brazil, as driving the trend.

Safras & Mercado estimates 2% of the national soybean area has been planted so far for the 2022/2023 cycle, more than twice as much as last year’s 0.8% of the area and above the historical average of 0.8% for this point in the season.

Consultancy AgRural estimates farmers had planted 1.5% of the soybean area in Brazil, compared with 1.3% for the same period last year.

Reporting by Ana Mano; Editing by Paul Simao via Reuters / Yahoo! Finance

Read full article

Brazil brokerage giant with 3.6M clients launches BTC and ETH trading

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XP Inc has become the latest Brazilian fintech player to offer crypto trading services, following Nubank and MercadoLibre.

Brazilian brokerage giant XP Inc has officially launched its crypto trading platform XTAGE in Brazil, bringing a potential 3.6 million users to the crypto markets.

The news was broke in a Monday post by the Nasdaq Exchange Twitter account, noting that XP had rung the exchange’s “Opening Bell” to celebrate the launch of the XTAGE digital assets trading platform.

Initially, XP Inc’s 3.6 million clients will have access to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading, but the broker told Cointelegraph back in May that there were plans to “support other digital assets and investment products based on crypto assets in the future.”

By STEPHEN KATTE via Cointelegraph

Read full article here

Global M&A Industry Trends: 2022 Mid-Year Update

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M&A reset: As market headwinds pick up speed, the second half of 2022 is providing an opportunity for dealmakers to reassess strategy and act boldly.

What a difference six months makes. At the start of 2022, dealmakers were riding high from the best year on record for global M&A, with more than 60,000 publicly disclosed deals breaking US$5tn in value for the first time. We predicted that this year wasn’t likely to top 2021 in the face of growing headwinds—but the market expected M&A to continue to prosper. Fast-forward to mid-year. Not only have the headwinds grown stronger, but new ones have emerged, including rapidly accelerating inflation and interest rates, lower stock prices, and an energy crisis deepened by the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

By PwC

Read full article

 

Ponte aérea SP-RJ é a primeira do mundo com acesso biométrico do check-in ao embarque

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Congonhas (SP) e Santos Dumont (RJ) são os primeiros aeroportos brasileiros a implantar de forma definitiva o embarque facial biométrico 100% digital para passageiros e tripulantes.

O Embarque + Seguro é um programa conduzido pelo Ministério da Infraestrutura (Minfra), com tecnologia Serpro e parceria do Ministério da Economia. A solução, que combina análise de dados e validação por biometria, dispensa a apresentação de cartões de embarque e documentos de identificação dos viajantes de voos domésticos partindo desses terminais.

Na manhã desta terça-feira, 9 de agosto, o ministro da Infraestrutura, Marcelo Sampaio, acompanhado dos ministros da Cidadania, Ronaldo Bento, e do Turismo, Carlos Brito, liderou uma comitiva governamental para vistoriar o funcionamento de todo o acesso biométrico. As autoridades acompanharam diversos embarques diretamente do aeroporto de Congonhas. O presidente Gileno Barreto, o diretor de Relacionamento com Clientes, André de Cesero, os superintendentes Brenno Sampaio, Rafael Soto e Giordanni de Paiva e o chefe de Divisão, Luciano Cunha, foram os representantes do Serpro no marco de inauguração do sistema.

Com o Embarque + Seguro operando nos aeroportos que formam a rota de maior movimento do país, o Brasil tem agora a primeira ponte área biométrica de ponta a ponta do mundo.

Via Comunicação do Serpro

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Brazil’s Itau Unibanco beats profit expectations, raises loan forecast

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Itau Unibanco (ITUB4.SA) on Monday beat profit expectations and substantially raised its loan growth forecast for this year even as it boosted provisioning for bad credits, reflecting higher Brazilian interest rates.

Brazil’s largest lender said second-quarter recurring net profit rose 17.4% from the previous year to 7.67 billion reais ($1.50 billion), beating analyst expectations of 7.48 billion reais, as compiled by Refinitiv.

The bank also said its loan book is likely to grow between 15.5% and 17.5% this year, above a previous estimate of 9%-12%.

Its 2022 cost of credit, which is mainly composed of cash set aside for loans likely to default, is now seen in the range of 28 billion-31 billion reais, up from the previous forecast of between 25 billion and 29 billion reais.

In the three months ending June 30, Itau’s loan-loss provisions reached 7.81 billion reais, up 61.7% from last year, while its loan book rose 19.3% on a year-on-year basis to 1.08 trillion reais.

By Peter Frontini via Reuters

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Meet our New Member Dal Pozzo Advogados

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Dal Pozzo Advogados are specialists in Public Law in the areas of Infrastructure, Regulation, Public Services, Administrative Law, Litigation and National-International Arbitration. Offering personalized services, they treat each case with professionalism to maximize legal efficiency and facilitate understanding of the corporate landscape.

The broad range of experience and expertise of their staff offers a unique market position with the ability to solve complex legal problems and help their clients achieve results in an ever-evolving business environment.

Learn more here.

Mattos Filho’s pro bono work recognized for its positive impact on society

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We were recognized in the Social Responsibility and Pro Bono category of the Prêmio Lumen (Lumen Awards) in a ceremony held on Tuesday, May 31. The awards – an initiative of the Center for Studies of Law Firms and the Union of Law Firms for the States of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro – recognize good practices by law firms that make a positive impact on society.

We received the award for our work in cooperation with the São Paulo Public Defender’s Office, referring cases to provide individuals with comprehensive, free legal assistance, as well as preparing research and memoranda on human rights issues.

We would like to congratulate our professionals for their dedication and thank Prêmio Lumen for recognizing our efforts. This is how we drive transformation through the practice of law, giving back to society and contributing to its progress.

Mattos Filho

Learn more here.

Por que o Brasil atrai empresas globais de criptomoedas?

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Mercado de criptomoedas no país já atrai mais investidores do que a Bolsa.

O Brasil está entre os cinco países com o maior número de investidores em criptomoedas, algo que não passa despercebido pelas empresas globais do setor. Gigantes como Binance, Coinbase, FTX e Crypto.com já possuem presença local, e a tendência é que, com a chegada do marco regulatório das criptomoedas, mais delas venham para ficar.

Cerca de 10 milhões de brasileiros já investem em criptomoedas, segundo um estudo da Binance em parceria com a TripleA divulgado no ano passado. O número corresponde a 5% da população e é maior que o total de investidores pessoas físicas cadastrados na B3 – cerca de 4 milhões.

Acompanhe em primeira mão o conteúdo do Forbes Money no Telegram

O Brasil fica atrás apenas de Índia, Estados Unidos, Rússia e Nigéria em número de investidores em criptomoedas.

Sean Rach, ex-CMO da Crypto.com e cofundador da plataforma de serviços financeiros Hi, afirma que a desvalorização do real em relação ao dólar é um dos principais fatores que tornam as criptomoedas tão atrativas aos brasileiros. “Além da capacidade de inovação e de criação de soluções nesse ecossistema, o que abre diversas oportunidades”, acrescenta.

Por Isabella Velleda via Forbes

Leia o artigo na íntegra.

 

“Metalaw: Reflections on Law In The Metaverse”: Read Our E-Book

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No one yet knows precisely what the Metaverse is or how relevant it will become over the next few years. Even so, it is a frequent topic of discussion and has attracted the attention of various publics, including investors who are enthusiastic about the possibilities presented by the new technology.

It’s part of BMA‘s DNA to think creatively and to seek innovative solutions for our clients. That’s why we have asked practitioners from BMA’s various practice areas to contribute articles that share their views of how the law might apply in the Metaverse.

Click here to access the entire publication, or click here to go directly to the articles that interest you.

Meet our New Member BRQ Digital Solutions

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BRQ is one of the leading Digital Transformation companies in Brazil. The BRQ end-to-end service platform offers the most efficient and innovative solutions, technologies and methodologies, enabling a transformation journey for major brands, from different fields, in Brazil and overseas. With over 3,000 employees, the company stands out as one of the best places to work by GPTW and Glassdoor.

Learn more

Fintech and Insurtech Innovation in Brazil Set to Take Off on Regulatory Tailwinds

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Startups and VCs see opportunities in open banking, finance and insurance

Brazilian instant payment system Pix ended 2021 having powered more than 8 billion transactions, according to statistics from the country’s Central Bank. This is quite an impressive figure for an offering only launched in November 2020 and goes to show how ubiquitous Pix has become in the country.

You could describe Pix as “a government-built version of Venmo,” as João Pedro Thompson, founder of fintech Z1, told TechCrunch. However, the analogy doesn’t fully capture the fact that Pix appeals to many more than just digitally savvy teenagers repaying friends for coffee. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be used by six of 10 Brazilians.

In a country where many people are still unbanked and queuing to pay bills is part of daily life, the impact of being able to pay anyone instantly can’t be understated. In addition, Pix now supports more services, such as letting you withdraw cash from businesses.

It’s interesting that Pix is an institutional initiative, part of a wider range of public efforts to transform Brazil’s financial landscape. “The Central Bank has been doing a tremendous job and Pix is one of the most relevant structural changes,” Brazilian VC Bruno Yoshimura told TechCrunch when we wrote about Latin America’s fintech boom.

By Anna Heim via TechCrunch

Read full article here.

Tecnologia pelo Planeta: app “NHAM” leva agricultura familiar à merenda escolar em Sergipe

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O Instituto de Pesquisas em Tecnologia e Inovação (IPTI) utiliza dados e inteligência artificial para promover agricultura local e melhorar índices nutricionais de escolas

Quando o assunto são as tecnologias sociais, o Brasil tem um potencial imenso a explorar. Com uma criatividade invejável, pesquisadores têm construído pontes entre os setores público, privado e comunidades mais vulneráveis. É este o caso da NHAM, iniciativa que busca promover a agricultura familiar e combater as altas taxas de anemia nas crianças e adolescentes da rede pública de ensino em Santa Luzia do Itanhy, em Sergipe, um dos municípios com um dos menores Índices de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) do Brasil.

Quem está por trás dessa investida é o Instituto de Pesquisas em Tecnologia e Inovação (IPTI), que trabalha desde 2003 na promoção de tecnologias sociais nas áreas de educação básica, educação empreendedora e saúde básica, apoiados no que denominam The Human Project, um modelo de desenvolvimento pautado na educação, cultura, inovação e tecnologia.

“Foi em 2010 que decidimos sair de São Paulo e levar o nosso centro de pesquisa e de desenvolvimento para Santa Luzia do Itanhy, em Sergipe, uma região de extrema pobreza para que pudéssemos desenvolver tecnologias sociais que atendam às demandas da maioria dos municípios brasileiros e também de comunidades de outros países da América Latina e África”, afirma Saulo Barretto, cofundador do IPTI e responsável pelas atividades de relacionamento institucional e de novos negócios.

Por Nicole Wey Gasparini, do Um Só Planeta

 

AmEx, fintech startup expand ‘credit passport’ to Brazilian immigrants

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American Express and a San Francisco-based fintech startup are offering tens of thousands of Brazilians in Massachusetts a chance to use their credit histories from their native country to build their credit in the U.S.

American Express and Nova Credit announced Tuesday the opening of eligibility for their “credit passport” to Brazil, as well as the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Nigeria. That’s in addition to Australia, Canada, India, Mexico and the United Kingdom and other countries added in the two years the companies have worked together.

“In a nutshell, we can take an immigrant who would have otherwise been rejected because they don’t have a US credit file and we’re able to get them approved and access their journey of building their own U.S. credit file,” said Misha Esipov, co-founder and CEO of Nova Credit.

By Steph Solis  –  Digital Editor, Boston Business Journal

Read full article here.

PicPay wants to become Brazil’s superapp and attract WhatsApp conversations

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Born as a financial application to facilitate banking transactions, PicPay is becoming a “super app”, a solution that integrates several services in one place. According to Luiz Fernando Diniz, head of Social at the startup, the company wants to embrace more and more functions, especially from social networks, and be the home of interactions on other platforms, such as WhatsApp.

In an interview with TecMundo, the company executive made it clear that it aims to be a “Brazilian WeChat”. The Chinese app is known for encompassing payment services, marketplace, and social functions, all in just one app.

By The Rio Times

Read full article here.

Investimentos e Parcerias Fazem do Ceará Pioneiro em Hidrogênio Verde

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O estado aposta na formação de um ecossistema de desenvolvimento do combustível do futuro, debatido em um seminário internacional online e gratuito.

“Acredito que um dia a água será usada como combustível, que o hidrogênio e o oxigênio que a constituem, usados de forma isolada ou simultânea, oferecerão uma fonte inesgotável de calor e luz a uma intensidade superior à do carvão mineral”.

Em mais de uma ocasião, a previsão do escritor Júlio Verne, publicada em 1875 no romance A Ilha Misteriosa, foi citada no Centro de Eventos do Ceará na manhã de 14 de outubro. Diante de uma plateia híbrida, composta por participantes presenciais e com transmissão gratuita pela internet, 14 autoridades e especialistas se revezaram no Seminário Internacional Hidrogênio Verde no Ceará.

By Governo do Ceará via Valor Econômico

Read full article here.

Turn on the Lights: New York Mandates Transparency in Electronic Monitoring

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While employers generally provide some form of notice of electronic monitoring, as a matter of practice, in their employee handbook, New York now requires transparency about workplace monitoring as a matter of law.  On November 8, 2021, New York’s governor signed a bill that amends New York State’s Civil Rights Law to require private employers not only to notify employees of electronic monitoring, but also to obtain their written acknowledgement of the notice.  The amendment will become effective on May 7, 2022.

By Philip Gordon, Joseph Flanagan, and Spencer Soucy via Littler

Read full article here.

Ransomware – Como Enfrentar Ataques Cibernéticos

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Ataques cibernéticos têm se tornado ubíquos. Crimes digitais não encontram fronteiras e podem ser praticados de qualquer parte do mundo, podendo ter como alvo pessoas ou organizações que estão a milhares de quilômetros de distância da localização dos atacantes.

Enquanto assaltos a bancos de forma física parecem existir cada vez mais so- mente em filmes, todos os dias são disparados ataques a instituições financeiras ao redor do mundo no ambiente digital.

A forte propagação de crimes digitais durante a pandemia de Covid-19 está sendo sentida em diversos países do mundo, e o Brasil não é exceção. Em 2021, o número de ataques cibernéticos promovidos especialmente contra empresas brasileiras, tanto as que atuam somente no país, quanto as que possuem estabe- lecimentos em outros países, vem crescendo vertiginosamente.

Dentre esses ataques, uma das modalidades mais recorrente é o ransomware, prática que envolve o sequestro de dados pelos criminosos e a realização de um pedido de resgate, normalmente em valores financeiros expressivos.

Via BMA Advogados

Ler artigo na íntegra.

Why LatAm’s fintech boom is more than hype and superlative venture investment

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For all the startup markets in the world, fintech in Latin America is one of the hottest. Capital is flowing into the region’s financial technology companies at a slicing pace, leading to a wave of startups that are building private-market value at a simply astounding rate.

The sheer volume of capital flowing into LatAm fintech startups may appear overheated, but several reasons explain why the flood makes sense. This isn’t to say that every deal and every resulting valuation markup is logical. But there are several factors in play that make the booming venture capital totals these companies are raising more reasonable than they might initially appear.

Regulatory tailwinds in select markets are helping build momentum for fintech products. Also, several startups — we’ll speak to Pomelo and Belvo below; Swap is another example — are working to build infrastructure that should help bring more financial services to market.

By Alex Wilhelm, Anna Heim via TechCrunch.

Read full article here.

Conversas Inspiradoras – Palestra com Edu Lyra

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Na quarta-feira, 20 de outubro, às 5:30pm, venha ouvir a história inspiradora de Edu Lyra, o empreendedor social que tem um sonho ambicioso: transformar as favelas brasileiras em peça de museu.

Clique aqui para se registrar

Local: Consulado-Geral do Brasil em Nova York – 225 East 41st Street, NY 10017

Com apenas 33 anos, Edu Lyra já é um dos mais admirados empreendedores sociais do país. Palestrante requisitado, tendo sido convidado a falar em universidades como Harvard e Babson College e em empresas como Google, Ambev e Accenture. Lyra é fundador e CEO da Gerando Falcões, rede que viabiliza projetos de impacto social em periferias e favelas do Brasil. É uma realidade que conhece por experiência própria e que procura transformar por meio de ações mundialmente reconhecidas.

A palestra será seguida de coquetel.

Brazil’s Vale launches self-driving trucks at its largest iron mine Carajas

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Brazilian miner Vale SA said on Thursday it had begun using self-driving trucks for the first time at its Carajas complex, its largest iron ore mining operation, as it continues to expand its use of the driverless technology.

Vale expects to boost productivity and safety by using the trucks to haul iron ore, said Pedro Bemfica, the executive heading the autonomous technology program.

The miner’s six self-driving vehicles at Carajas are nearly twice as tall and more than three times as wide as a conventional trucks and capable of holding 320 tonnes of iron ore.

By Marta Nogueira via Reuters.

Read full article here.

Três ações para fabricantes de dispositivos de Internet das Coisas (IoT) motivadas pela IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act de 2020

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  • Uma lei federal promulgada recentemente nos Estados Unidos visa tornar os dispositivos de Internet das Coisas (IoT) mais seguros e pode ser um divisor de águas para os fabricantes de dispositivos e as empresas que fornecem esses artefatos para o governo.
  • Muitos sistemas embarcados, incluindo IoT, carecem de controles básicos de segurança. As razões para isso incluem restrições de hardware, custos de segurança e pressa para colocar os dispositivos no mercado

 

By PwC

 

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Brazilian Fintech Cora raises $116M Series B as Tiger Global, Tencent sign on as investors alongside Greenoaks

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Cora, a Brazilian digital lender to small-and-medium-sized businesses, has raised $116 million in a Series B round led by Greenoaks Capital.

This is a large Series B by any standards, but particularly so for a Latin American startup. It’s also notable that São Paulo-based Cora only raised its $26.7 million Series A round — led by Silicon Valley VC firm Ribbit Capital — in early April. The startup has now raised a total of $152.7 million since its 2019 inception.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via Tech Crunch

 

Read full article here

Brazil’s Kovi closes $104M Series B to make car ownership more inclusive in LatAm

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We sometimes take for granted that most anyone who wishes to become say, an Uber driver, can do so. But that assumption is a narrow view considering there are many people who would love to earn income in that way but can’t because of lack of car ownership (and all that goes with it) — especially in countries outside of the United States.

In an attempt to remedy that problem, São Paulo-based Kovi was founded in 2018 to give those people access to those opportunities.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via Tech Crunch

 

Read full article here

As its startup market accelerates, Brazil could be in for an IPO bonanza

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Brazil’s startup market is reaching new heights, and its domestic stock market could benefit from the boom.

According to data from KPMG, Brazilian startups raised the most capital in a single quarter in Q1 2021, when some $1.4 billion flowed into domestic technology upstarts. That record stood until the second quarter of 2021 saw $2.7 billion raised by Brazilian startups.

 

By Nigel Sussman via Tech Crunch

 

Read full article here

Customer data sharing under Open Banking commences in Brazil

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One of the most important phases of the Brazilian open banking project, which involves the sharing of customer registration and transactional data, has gone live today (13), enabling consumers to request their financial information is shared with other institutions.

The open banking initiative, introduced by the Central Bank of Brazil in early 2019, aims to boost market competition and increase financial education in the Latin American country. Under the model, use of open application programming interfaces (APIs) enable third-party developers to build applications and services around the participating financial institutions, with consumer data shared with their consent.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil imported 4.88 GW of PV modules in H1

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The Brazilian solar market resumed strong growth in the middle of the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a recent report by Brazilian consultancy Greener, the country imported 4.88 GW worth of PV modules in the first half of 2021. This compares to just 2.2 GW in the first six months of last year, and surpasses the 4.76 GW of PV module imports registered for the whole of 2020.

 

By Livia Neves via PV Magazine

 

Read full article here

Brazil’s Rio Grande do Norte signs MoU to expand renewables portfolio

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In Brazil, the state government of Rio Grande do Norte and Enterprize Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will enable the region to expand its portfolio of renewables.

Enterprise Energy has been tasked with identifying opportunities for the development of green hydrogen, offshore wind, and green ammonia in the state. To do so, the company will engage with local businesses, academic institutions, and local and federal authorities on infrastructure development and operation.

 

Via Power Engineering International

 

Read full article here

Brazil announces national data protection council

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The Brazilian government has announced the members of the National Council for the Protection of Personal Data and Privacy (CNPD) as part of the process of implementation of the country’s data protection rules.

Announced on Monday (9) through a presidential decree, the advisory board is part of the implementation of Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD). The council is tasked with the formulation of guidelines for the application of the data protection rules, including the provision of subsidies for the creation of the national data protection and privacy policy.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Energy storage with recycled batteries from Brazil

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Brazil-based Energy Source is betting on two new business models to boost its revenue in 2021: storage services with reused batteries and the recycling of batteries that have already completed their second life cycles, including the recovery of metals such as cobalt.

The company expects to conclude a financing round by October that will support its “battery-as-a-service” (BaaS) model. The expectation is to raise BRL 12 million ($2.3 million) from existing partners and investors.

 

By Livia Neves via PV Magazine

 

Read full article here

EXCLUSIVE Great Wall Motor to shift some India investment to Brazil after approval delays -sources

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NEW DELHI/BEIJING, Aug 11 (Reuters) – Great Wall Motor (601633.SS) has decided to re-allocate to Brazil a portion of its $1-billion investment in India, as the Chinese automaker has been unnerved by a year-long delay in winning government approvals, three sources told Reuters.

The re-allocation, which could range up to $300 million, comes as the sources said the maker of popular sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and pick-ups was close to acquiring a former Daimler (DAIGn.DE) plant in Brazil to build cars.

By Aditi Shah and Yilei Sun via Reuters

Read full article here

UPDATE 1-Brazil’s BTG Pactual Q2 profit jumps 74%

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SAO PAULO, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Brazilian lender Banco BTG Pactual SA reported on Tuesday a 74% rise in second-quarter recurring net income, to 1.719 billion reais ($328.48 million), amid booming capital markets activity in the country.

BTG’s revenue came in at 3.771 billion reais, a 52% jump from a year earlier, mainly driven by lending, investment banking and asset management fees.

 

By Carolina Mandl via Reuters

 

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Brazil connects 205 MW of wind farms in July

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August 6 (Renewables Now) – Brazil has given the go-ahead to 205.2 MW of wind farms to commence operations in July 2021, power sector regulator Aneel announced on Thursday.

In all, the country has connected 467.06 MW of new capacity last month, with wind parks accounting for 43.9% of that. Since the beginning of the year, Aneel has okayed some 2,282.93 MW of new plants to start operations.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

Read full article here

Amazon launches free one-day delivery in Brazil amid fierce competition

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – E-commerce giant Amazon.com Inc started to offer its Brazilian Prime subscribers free one-day delivery in 50 cities on Wednesday, amid fierce market competition in Latin America’s largest economy.

The move comes as rivals such as MercadoLibre and Magazine Luiza are investing heavily to ramp up delivery speeds and gain clients.

 

By Jimin Kang via KFGO

 

Read full article here

Brazil Express Delivery Market Report 2021-2025 – Adoption of New Technologies in Express Delivery Services and FTAs Spurring Market Growth – ResearchAndMarkets.com

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DUBLIN, August 03, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Express Delivery Market in Brazil 2021-2025” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The express delivery market in Brazil is poised to grow by $ 1.49 billion during 2021-2025, progressing at a CAGR of almost 4%

 

Via Yahoo Finance

 

Read full article here

The Mexican startup Kavak enters Brazil with an investment of 500 million dollars

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The Mexican unicorn Kavak announced the start of its operations in Brazil with an investment of more than 500 million dollars.

“Our business model is growing fast, due to our ability to formalize the pre-owned car market through data technology and artificial intelligence, which allows us to streamline the car buying and selling process; reduce reconditioning time and evaluate the different financing options, in addition to eradicating fraud risks by eliminating dealing with third parties and granting guarantees in a sector that registers various types of crimes due to informality in transactions ”, stated Carlos García Ottati , CEO of the company for the sale and purchase of pre-owned cars.

 

Via Entrepreneur

 

Read full article here

Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital leads $20M investment in Brazilian healthcare startup Pipo Saude

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Pipo Saude, a startup that developed a platform that sells and manages healthcare benefits for Brazilian companies, has raised $20 million in a Series A round of funding.

Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital led the round, marking the first time the New York-based venture firm has led an investment in a Brazilian startup. (Although, notably, Thrive has also put money in Nubank and Loft.)

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via Tech Crunch

 

Read full article here

Brazil creates cyberattack response network

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Brazil has created a cyberattack response network aimed at promoting faster response to cyber threats and vulnerabilities through the coordination between federal government bodies.

Created through a presidential decree signed on July 16, the Federal Cyber Incident Management Network will encompass the Institutional Security Office of the presidency as well as all bodies and entities under the federal government administration. Public companies, mixed capital companies and their subsidiaries may become members of the network on a voluntary basis.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

Read full article here

Algar Telecom launches digital point solutions in Brazil

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Brazilian telecommunications company Algar Telecom, a telecommunications and technology company belonging to the Algar Group, has just launched Controle de Ponto, an electronic timesheet digitalization solution, developed in partnership with Tangerino, a company specializing in workday management technology.

The solution was created for micro and small companies (MPE), a segment that lacks automation of the journey management, and has data stored in the cloud and an intuitive and agile interface.

 

By Shailaja Pai via Developing Telecoms

 

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Venture Capital Investment In Brazil Reaches $5.2 Billion During H1 2021

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Brazilian startups attracted record levels of investment as the ecosystem matures with international funds rushing to seize opportunities in the Latin American country, according to research.

During the first six months of 2021, a total of $5.2 billion was invested in startups based in Brazil, according to numbers released by open innovation network Distrito. By comparison, the total invested in the whole of 2020 – which was considered to be the best year on record for the ecosystem until recently – reached $3.5 billion.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

Read full article here

Shell, Gerdau to develop 190-MW solar project in Brazil

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July 19 (Renewables Now) – The Brazilian unit of oil and gas major Royal Dutch Shell Plc (AMS:RDSA) has partnered up with local steel producer Gerdau SA (BVMF:GGBR4) to develop a 190-MW direct current (DC) solar project in Minas Gerais state.

The companies have signed an agreement establishing the guidelines for the implementation of a 50/50 joint venture (JV) in relation to the project.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

Read full article now

Brazil Tests the World’s First Facial Recognition Shuttle Service

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SÃO PAULO, Jun 16, 2021–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Project Embarque + Seguro 100% Digital Boarding System, using the Brazilian government’s facial recognition, arrives this Tuesday (June 15) at the Congonhas Airport (SP). For the first time in the world, passengers on the air shuttle service between the capitals of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro will participate in the simultaneous testing of this end-to-end technology without the need to present neither a boarding pass nor an identification document. The Project of the Ministry of Infrastructure, developed in partnership with Serpro and the Special Secretariat of Debureaucratization, Management and Digital Government of the Ministry of Economy, has already been tested at the airports of Florianópolis (SC), Salvador (BA), Santos Dumont (RJ) and Belo Horizonte (Confins).

 

Via Yahoo Finance

 

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Brazil reaches 19 GW of installed wind power capacity

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A decade ago, the segment still had just over 1.5 GW of installed capacity and today it is the second largest, only behind hydroelectric generation.
Wind generation in Brazil reached the mark of 19 GW of installed capacity, which represents 10% of the national electricity matrix. According to data presented by the Brazilian Wind Energy Association (Abeeólica), there are 726 wind farms and more than 8,500 wind turbines in operation. A decade ago, the segment still had just over 1.5 GW of capacity and today it is the second largest, only behind hydroelectric generation.

 

Via EVWind

 

Read full article here

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Invests $500 Million In Brazilian Challenger Nubank

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Brazilian digital bank Nubank has announced today (8) that it has received a $500 million investment from Warren Buffett’s investment fund Berkshire Hathaway.

Berkshire Hathaway’s investment is an extension of the fintech’s $400 million Series G round announced in January. Buffett’s company also has StoneCo, a Brazil-based digital payments firm, among its tech investments in the region.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Brazilian proptech startup QuintoAndar lands $300M at a $4B valuation

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Fintech and proptech are two sectors that are seeing exploding growth in Latin America, as financial services and real estate are two categories in particular dire need of innovation in a region.

Brazil’s QuintoAndar, which has developed a real estate marketplace focused on rentals and sales, has seen impressive growth in recent years. And today, the São Paulo-based proptech has announced it has closed on $300 million in a Series E round of funding that values it at an impressive $4 billion.

By Mary Ann Azevedo via TechCrunch

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AliExpress eyes ‘live commerce,’ financial products to expand Brazil sales

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SAO PAULO, May 26 (Reuters) – AliExpress, the global e-commerce platform of Chinese giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd , aims to increase its Brazil sales by offering “live commerce,” financial services and registering local sellers in its marketplace, its Brazilian head told Reuters on Wednesday.

With Brazil sales growth of around 130% in 2020, the shopping portal wants to use these initiatives to deepen its links with customers in Brazil, which has become one of the five largest AliExpress markets in sales in the world, Yan Di said.

 

By Aluisio Alves via Yahoo Finance

 

Read full article here

Brazil to participate in submarine cable to link America and Asia

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Santiago de Chile, May 14 (Prensa Latina) Brazil made official its participation in the Humboldt project, a submarine fiber optic cable that will link Chile and South America with Asia and Oceania through the South Pacific.
Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Alberto Franco announced so in a videoconference with his Chilean counterpart, Andres Allamand, and the Chile’s Minister of Transport and Telecommunications Gloria Hutt.
Via Prensa Latina

GREENSPOON MARDER INNOVATION WEEK

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Join our member’s, Greenspoon Marder, at their Innovation Week, bringing together top companies and thought leaders across industry lines. With a focus on changes, challenges and opportunities businesses are facing across the globe, hear from those who are innovating and evolving and leave with ideas for your own new course of success.

 

More Information

Brazil launches fund to invest in Internet of Things startups

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Brazilian public and private sector actors have announced the launch of a 240 million reais ($45 million) venture capital fund focused on early stage investments in companies active in the Internet of Things (IoT) and connectivity space.

Managed by Indicator Capital, the fund was created by the Brazilian Development Fund (BNDES) and Qualcomm Ventures following a tendering process in 2019 to find a company to structure and run the vehicle. The fund will support up to 30 startups in Series A rounds over the next 10 years and it expects to close 7 deals in 2021.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

Read full article here

Oracle opens second cloud region in Brazil

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Oracle on Wednesday announced that its second Brazilian cloud region is live in Vinhedo, a city in the state of Sao Paolo. With this launch, Oracle’s Gen2 Cloud will be available in 30 locations. The tech giant is on track to have a total of 38 cloud regions up and running by the end of this year.

The new region makes Oracle the only cloud provider with two regions in Brazil. Oracle has had a presence in Brazil since last year, when it launched its first Sao Paulo region.

 

By Stephanie Condon via ZD Net

 

Read full article here

EDF Renewables to build 242-MW wind park in Brazil

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April 29 (Renewables Now) – EDF Renewables, a unit of French utility EDF (EPA:EDF), will be building a 242-MW wind farm in Brazil’s Paraiba, the state’s government announced this week.

Under a newly-signed protocol of intent, the European company will invest around BRL 1 billion (USD 187m/EUR 154m) in the development of the Serra do Serido wind farm in the towns of Junco de Serido and Santa Luzia.

 

By Lucas Morais

 

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Brazil’s Positive Ventures Closes on 10M Fund for Impact Investing

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Positive Ventures, a São Paulo-based venture firm, has secured $10 million for its latest fund.

Positive Ventures has raised the capital from an impressive list of LPs, including investor Luis Stuhlberger, founding partner of Verde Asset Management and Teresa and Cândido Bracher, who was the chairman of Itaú-Unibanco, Brazil’s largest bank.

 

Mary Ann Azevedo via Tech Crunch

 

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Embraer and Brazilian air force to study development of advanced UAV

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Embraer and the Brazilian air force have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly study the design and development of an “advanced unmanned aircraft system”.

Few details about the unmanned air vehicle (UAV) were revealed by Embraer in its announcement on 23 April. However, the company distributed a rendering, for “illustrated purposes only”, of a stealthy UAV with short swept wings, perhaps indicating a combat role.

 

By Garrett Reim via Flight Global

 

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Brazil Tech Round-Up: Cabify Ends Brazil Operations, Locaweb Makes Its Largest Acquisition, PicPay Readies IPO

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Spanish mobility firm Cabify has announced on Friday (23) that it will end its Brazil operations in June. Among the reasons prompting the decision, the mobility company noted Brazil is “still very affected by its serious healthcare situation and the local socioeconomic crisis caused by Covid-19”. This broader context limits value creation, the startup said, adding that it is “committed to profitability.”

“The company will continue to be attentive to needs and opportunities future mobility in this market”, Cabify said in a statement. Contacted by Forbes, the firm declined to confirm how many employees will be affected by the decision.

 

By Angelica Maria via Forbes

 

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Brazil sees solar boom ahead of cut in subsidies for new projects

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Power utilities and developers are rushing to register solar projects in Brazil, one of the most promising markets for renewables, as it prepares to cut subsidies for new solar installations and wind farms, according to a report by consultancy ePowerBay.

Spain´s Iberdrola (IBE.MC), France´s Voltalia (VLTSA.PA), EDF (EDF.PA), Italy´s Enel (ENEI.MI) and Portugal´s EDP Renewables are among the main players developing solar projects in Brazil, as well as Atlas Energia, controlled by the British private equity firm Actis, ePowerBay said on Tuesday.

By Luciano Costa via Reuters

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US-Brazil New Energy Investment Forum

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Do you want to know why Brazil was selected as the third most attractive country for clean energy investment (Climatescopes 2020)? Join Apex Brasil at the online event US-Brazil New Energy Investment Forum, April 29, at 2 pm (Brasilia time) / 1 pm (Eastern Standard Time) and learn how you can start investing in the Brazilian new energy sector.
 
Access the Program here: https://lnkd.in/epNpsFD
Apex-Brasil – Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce – Ministério das Relações Exteriores.

Brazil’s PIX surpasses 1 billion transactions

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The news: Brazil’s central bank-run instant payments system processed 1.05 billion transactions worth BRL787 billion ($152.6 billion) between November and March, per Mobile Time.

Here’s how it works: PIX, which launched in November, lets users make real-time money transfers 24/7 to individuals or businesses without needing a bank account. To use the smartphone-based service, users have to register “keys” like their social security numbers, mobile phone numbers, or email addresses with a bank or fintech as an authentication method.

 

By Adriana Nunez via eMarketer

 

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Brazil completes first-ever video call on standalone 5G

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The first ever video call on standalone 5G in Latin America has been completed in Brazil as part of a series of supplier demonstrations to the government ahead of the upcoming fifth-generation spectrum auction.

The video call, made on Friday (9) from Nokia’s Brazilian headquarters in São Paulo, connected Brazil’s communications minister Fabio Faria to president Jair Bolsonaro, who was in Brasília at the time.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil publishes national artificial intelligence strategy

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The Brazilian government has published the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) strategy to guide actions around research, innovation and the development of related technologies to tackle the country’s greatest challenges, as well as ethics.

The publication of the strategy follows a process of over a year since the launch of the consultation to gather input for the plan in late 2019, after a period of engagement with AI consulting firms and an international benchmarking process. According to the Brazilian government, the consultation lasted until March 2020 and more than 1,000 contributions were received.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Pinterest Launches Pinterest Ads in Brazil, Expanding Marketing Opportunities

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Pinterest continues to expand its ad business, with brands in Brazil now able to launch paid promotions via Pin.

As explained by Pinterest:

“46 million people in Brazil use Pinterest to find ideas. To shop. To decide what’s next. They’ve long depended on Pinterest for inspiration and product discovery. And starting today, Brazilian marketers can use Pinterest ads to better reach this highly engaged audience.”

 

By Andrew Hutchinson via Social Media Today

 

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FinanZero, Brazil’s free online credit marketplace, raises $7M

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FinanZero, a Brazilian online credit marketplace, announced today that it has closed a $7 million round of funding – its fourth since it launched in 2016 was founded in 2016. It has raised a total of $22.85 million to date.

The real-time online loan broker allows people to apply for a personal loan, a car equity loan, or a home equity loan for free and receive an answer in minutes. A key to FinanZero’s success is that it doesn’t offer the loans itself, but has instead partnered with about 51 banks and fintechs who back the loans.

 

By Marcella McCarthy via TechCrunch

 

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Brazil takes steps to modernize business environment

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São Paulo – Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro signed on Monday, 29, a provisional measure to modernize the business environment in Brazil. It provides for simplifying starting a business, protecting minority investors and facilitating trade of goods and services. The government aims at increasing Brazil’s position in the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking in 191 countries.

As per information made public by the General Secretariat of the Presidency, the initiative brings about changes and cuts the red tape in starting businesses, providing for the unification of the federal, state and city registration at the National Registry of Legal Entities (CNPJ in Portuguese), eliminating viability analysis – which only exist in Brazil – and automating checking business names in seconds.

 

Via Brazil Arab News Agency

 

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Brazil’s iFood outlines sustainability initiatives aiming to reduce its carbon footprint

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The Brazilian-based pan-Latin American food delivery startup iFood has announced a series of initiatives designed to reduce the company’s environmental impact as consumers push companies to focus more on sustainability.

The program has two main components — one focused on plastic pollution and waste and another aiming to become carbon neutral in its operations by 2025.

 

By Jonathan Shieber via TechCrunch

 

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IBM Launches Multizone Region in Brazil as Clients in Latin America Adopt Hybrid Cloud

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ARMONK, N.Y., March 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the opening of its first IBM Cloud Multizone Region (MZR) in Latin America, an important expansion of its global cloud presence in major markets. Building on its existing data center footprint in Brazil, the MZR is a result of the company’s continued investment in cloud infrastructure to accelerate hybrid cloud adoption and help foster business growth in Latin America. Following the openings of Toronto and Osaka last year, the latest MZR in Brazil marks IBM’s ongoing commitment to help clients across the globe deploy mission-critical workloads with high levels of security and resilience, while helping to address data sovereignty requirements and prepare for a sustainable future.

 

Via Yahoo Finance

 

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Microsoft announces Azure availability zones in Brazil

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Microsoft has announced availability zones for the south of Brazil in São Paulo State, as promised in October 2020. The company also promised to expand its zone coverage during 2021.

The announcement is part of Microsoft’s “More Brazil” plan, and comes at the same time IBM is announcing its first multi-zone region in the country. Microsoft is now offering Microsoft 365 Multi-Geo (a data residency offering), and will soon offer the Dynamics 365 and Power Platform products, along with fast ExpressRoute network connections to the Azure cloud.

 

By Peter Judge via DCD

 

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Brazil Tech Round-Up: Totvs Buys RD Station In Largest-Ever Software Deal, Government Rejects Huawei, São Paulo Vetoes Facial Recognition

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This week has seen the announcement of what is the largest deal ever in the Brazilian software industry, as enterprise software giant Totvsacquired 92% of marketing automation startup RD Station for 1,86 billion (US$ 330 million).

The deal saw founder and chief executive Eric Santos and the four other cofounders Guilherme Lopes, André Siqueira, Bruno Ghisi and Pedro Bachiega selling part of their shares in the company and an exit for Riverwood Capital, TPG, Endeavor Catalyst, DGF, Redpoint ventures and Astella Investments, a pool of backers that owned over 80% of the business.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Powertis to build 225 MW of PV parks in Brazil

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March 15 (Renewables Now) – Spanish firm Powertis SA has started the construction works on 225 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais.

The company, a subsidiary of Soltec Power Holdings SA (BME:SOL), is planning to install two 112.5 MW PV facilities in the municipalities of Pedranopolis and Araxa, local news agencies reported last week.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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As Unemployment Soars In Brazil, Courier-Centric Startup Mottu Attracts Global Tech Investors In New Round

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With unemployment reaching an all-time high of 14% in Brazil, São Paulo-based startup Mottu has attracted a host of global backers in a Series A round intended to accelerate its plan to cater for the needs of gig economy workers.

Mottu is aiming for the scores of Brazilians looking to work as couriers in the booming e-commerce market to make ends meet, but can’t afford the basic equipment to do so. With the goal of “serving the underserved”, the startup rents motorcycles for an average of 25 reais (US$ 4,40) a day to unbanked or credit blacklisted individuals and offers insurance and maintenance, while plugging couriers to a network of marketplaces and retailers looking to boost their last-mile logistics capability.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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A new app puts invisible communities in Brazil’s Cerrado on the map

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  • Thousands of Indigenous, quilombola, and traditional communities live in the Cerrado, the world’s most biodiverse tropical savanna. But many lack access to official titles and deeds, and are not registered on official maps.
  • As the agricultural frontier pushes into the northern part of the savanna, land-grabbing and violent attacks are increasing. Many of these communities risk losing their land and their resources uoon which they depend.
  • Now, a new smartphone app developed in collaboration with communities in the northern Cerrado and two Brazilian NGOs allows communities themselves to register their lands on the app, as well as important local sites and conflicts with farmers and land-grabbers.
  • The developers of the app aim to halt the rapid and unequal development that threatens the lives and livelihoods of those working to protect the savanna, and ultimately help conserve the last remaining tracts of native Cerrado.

By Sarah Sax via Mongabay

 

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Brazil’s innovation ecosystem holds strong on global index amid challenging year for many countries

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BRASÍLIA, Brazil, March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, today shared that Brazil was able to maintain its overall rank on the 2021 Bloomberg Innovation Index during an extraordinary year. For the second year in a row, Brazil sustained a rank of 46th out of the world’s 131 most innovative countries and economies, performing particularly well in certain specialized sectors measured, such as manufacturing and productivity – solidifying the country’s innovation economy at a crucial moment in time.

During a year when innovation was, arguably, more important than ever before, Brazil’s consistency on the Bloomberg Innovation Index is a positive sign for the future. This is underscored by many countries decreasing in their innovation rank over the past year, largely due to business ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Bloomberg, which uses seven weighted metrics to review dozens of criteria in assembling the Innovation Index.

 

Via PR Newswire

 

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Brazil may host $5.4bn green hydrogen plant

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Australia-based hydrogen specialist Enegix Energy is planning to build a green hydrogen plant on 500 hectares of commercial land in the Port of Pecém, in the Brazilian, northeastern state of Ceará.

The company said that a memorandum of understanding for the ‘Base One’ project was signed in mid-February with the state governor Camilo Santana and that the planned facility should generate over 600 million kilograms of green hydrogen per year. “Enegix’s planned next-generation facility will be run completely using renewable energy, with zero emissions, and will harness the great renewable energy potential that Ceará has available, with solar and onshore and offshore wind to be realized, allowing Base One to be expanded to over 100 GW to meet global demand,” the Australian company said in a statement.

 

By Emiliano Bellini via PV Magazine

 

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MercadoLibre to Invest Record $1.8 Billion in Brazil

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Latin American e-commerce powerhouse MercadoLibre Inc. is more than doubling its Brazilian investment this year, planning to deploy in 2021 the same amount it spent in the past four years combined.

The firm plans to pour a record 10 billion reais ($1.8 billion) into Brazil in 2021, up from 4 billion reais last year, to be spent mostly on expanding its logistics network, said Commerce President Stelleo Tolda in an interview with Bloomberg News. Investments in other Latin American markets should also grow, he added, without providing a full figure for the region.

 

By Vinicius Andrade via Bloomberg

 

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Report: Brazilian Consumers Think Digital And Want Merchants To Do The Same

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Brazil is known for its vibrant music culture, love of soccer and for being the largest country in Latin America in terms of both population and geography. The nation has other notable — if less conspicuous — distinctions, however: a widespread embrace of smartphones and a rapidly developing digital payments infrastructure.

These conditions help explain why the pandemic-driven digital shift that is transforming retail in advanced economies around the world has been a catalyst for major changes in Brazil as well. The nation’s consumers, much as those in other markets, have sought to avoid crowded stores and engage in safer, more efficient and more satisfying ways to shop. The share of Brazilian consumers who consider digital channels to be their preferred means of shopping has grown by more than 30 percent since the pandemic began and now accounts for 46 percent of its consumers overall.

 

Via Pymnts

 

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Brazil’s RecargaPay Raises $70 Million To Expand Payments App

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Brazil’s RecargaPay has raised $70 million in a Series C funding round to expand its payments platform for consumers and small businesses. The funding round, led by IDC Ventures and Fuel Venture Capital, brings RecargaPay’s total funding to over $100 million. Other investors include Experian, LUN Partners and ATW, according to a press release.

“Founded in Brazil in 2010, RecargaPay set out to provide a comprehensive and user-friendly financial services ecosystem that would be accessible even to people who do not have bank accounts,” the press release reads. The company’s goal is to “democratize access to digital financial services for millions of new users.” PYMNTS recently noted that more than 45 million adults in Brazil remain unbanked. The firm will also use the funding to further develop Prime+, its subscription program.

 

Via Pymnts

 

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Twitter starts rolling out Voice DM feature in India, Brazil and Japan

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Twitter on Wednesday announced it is testing voice messages in direct messages (DMs) up to 140-seconds long in India.

The experiment will be rolled out in phases to the audiences, making India one of three countries to have access to the feature, alongside Brazil and Japan.

According to the company, voice messages in DMs will make it easier for people to have conversations.

 

Via Business Insider India

 

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Brazil’s Santa Catarina gives prelim licence for 256.5-MW wind project

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February 22 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s Santa Catarina State Environmental Institute (IMA) granted on Friday the preliminary environmental licence (LAP) for a 256.5-MW wind project.

The Calmon Wind Complex, as it is named, will require around BRL 1 billion (USD 185.7m/EUR 153.3m) in investments for the construction of 11 wind parks in total. Installation works will take 34 months, IMA estimates.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Brazil Internet of Things Market, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2021-2026

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DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Brazil Internet of Things Market by Platform (Device Management, Network Management and Application Management), by Component (Hardware, Services and Software), by Application, by Region, Competition, Forecast & Opportunities, 2026” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The Brazilian Internet of Things Market stood at USD 5.67 Billion in 2020 and is expected to grow at CAGR of 18.99% in the next five years to reach USD 16.43 Billion by 2026 on account of increase in adoption of cloud-based platforms, development of wireless networking technologies and surge in number of connected devices.

 

Via Business Wire

 

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Brazil: Industry 4.0 And Intellectual Property In Brazil

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The great technological advances of the last few decades, added to the world communication revolution with the popularisation of the internet, have resulted in an increase in data flows and the immediate transmission of information on a global scale. This scenario has allowed data to be elevated to the category of an essential economic asset, so that digitalisation has gained increasingly more space on the industrial development agenda.

Industry is extremely relevant in the Brazilian economic scenario. It currently represents 20.9% of national GDP, accounts for 70.1% of exports of goods and services, in addition to representing 72.2% of business investment in research and development (R&D) and 33% of federal taxes, not including social security revenues1.

 

By Bianca Kremer and Gustavo Piva de Andrade via Mondaq

 

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Brazil surpasses 4.7 GW of DG solar

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February 11 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s installed solar distributed generation (DG) capacity has surpassed 4.7 GW, statistics by power sector regulator Aneel show.

The total DG capacity across the country went over 4.9 GW, as of Wednesday night, according to Aneel’s almost real-time update, with solar power being the most popular source, counting 401,199 grid-connected systems.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Nokia backs a 5G Open RAN future for Brazil

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Nokia is furthering its Open RAN ambitions with a new partnership with the CPQD in Brazil, aiming to co-develop new 5G use cases for the new technology. These new use cases include fixed wireless access (FWA), smart cities, IoT for Industry 4.0, and critical networks, all of which will be customised specifically to the needs of the Brazilian market.
“This important partnership will explore the potential for innovative 5G use cases that will have real-world value in Brazil across a range of different areas, such as smart cities and fixed wireless access. Our RAN Intelligent Controller will play a critical role in this research, helping to explore and trial new cutting-edge use cases that will put Brazil at the forefront in the 5G era,” said Ari Kynäslahti, Head of Technology and Strategy at Nokia Mobile Networks.
By Harry Baldock via Total Telecom

Neoenergia looks to MPLS for smart grid expansion in Brazil

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Brazilian electricity company Neoenergia is modernising its communication networks with MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching).

Neoenergia is to adopt MPLS in the networks of its four distribution concessionaries, Celpe in Pernambuco state, Coelba in Bahia, Cosern in Rio Grande do Norte and Elektro in São Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul.

 

Via Smart Energy

 

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Number of new businesses up in Brazil

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Brasília – The number of new businesses in Brazil was up 6% in 2020 from 2019, according to the annual Business Map bulleting from the Brazilian Ministry of Economy. Last year saw 3,359,750 enterprises open in Brazil. The number of companies that went out of business is 1,044,696, resulting in 2.3 million active enterprises in the country. The number of companies that ceased to exist was down 11.3%.

According to the Ministry, the number reflects government measures designed to facilitate startups amid the Covid-19 pandemic, which led many to seek an income through entrepreneurship. The majority of active enterprises in Brazil – nearly 50% – are in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro.

 

Via Brazil-Arab News Agency

 

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Brazil’s Cade okays AES’ acquisition of 158.5-MW wind portfolio

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January 26 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s competition regulator CADE has okayed the acquisition of a 158.5-MW wind portfolio by local power producer AES Brasil (B3:TIET11), formerly AES Tiete Energia SA.

The deal, approved without restrictions, is valued at BRL 806 million (USD 147.4m/EUR 121.4m), including BRL 277 million of net debt, AES Brasil said previously.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Engie contracts Siemens Gamesa to supply turbines for Brazil wind farm

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Renewables company Engie has signed a contract with Siemens Gamesa to supply supply turbines for a wind farm in Brazil.

Under the contract, the company will supply 70 of its SG 5.8-170 turbines with OptimaFlex technology. These will generate energy at the 434MW Santo Agostinho wind farm in north-east Rio Grande do Norte.

 

Via Power Technology

 

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Majority of Brazil’s connected population uses digital citizen services

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The Brazilian government estimates that more than 60% of the country’s connected population – about 84 million people – is using digital citizen services.

The latest numbers from the Digital Government Secretariat (DGS) at the Ministry of Economy are based on research from the National Internet Steering Committee, which estimates that currently 134 million Brazilians have access to the Internet.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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BNDES okays funding for 40-MW biomass power plant in Brazil

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January 20 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) has approved financing of BRL 941.6 million (USD 177m/EUR 146m) for the construction of a 40-MW biomass power plant and several upgrades planned by Grupo Sao Martinho SA (BVMF:SMTO3).

Named UTE Sao Martinho Bioenergia, the new biomass plant will use sugarcane bagasse as fuel. Located in the municipality of Pradopolis, Sao Paulo state, Sao Martinho should be able to generate some 210,000 MWh per year.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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OVERVIEW – Brazil’s ageing hydro infrastructure is solar’s economic opportunity

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January 20 (Renewables Now) – Brazil, the world’s second-largest producer of hydroelectric power, has an energy problem. While hydropower accounted for 70% of the country’s electricity generation in 2018, its primary source of renewable power is becoming less effective than it once was. Brazil needs to urgently diversify its energy mix to counter the power outages that are becoming a feature of daily life.

 

By Jamie MacDonald-Murray via Renewables Now

 

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Brazil’s Solarian Energy connects 5-MW solar plant in Sao Paulo

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January 19 (Renewables Now) – Brazilian solar energy firm Solarian Energy announced recently it has commenced the commercial operation of a 4.9-MW solar plant in Sao Paulo state.

The UFV Salto de Pirapora II, as the photovoltaic (PV) plant is named, is the company’s first to use solar trackers. It required an investment of BRL 17 million (USD 3.2m/EUR 2.6m) made in partnership with an unnamed foreign fund.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Brazilian Food Delivery Market 2020 – COVID-19 Has Accelerated Brazil’s Digital Transformation

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DUBLIN, Jan. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The “The Brazilian Food Delivery Market, 2020: A Benchmark of the Top 8 Companies” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

Brazil’s digital transformation has been greatly accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in several types of solutions being launched into the food delivery market. The increasing use of smartphones and new technologies across various regions of the country, including small cities with few resources, has made food delivery services a routine element of the Brazilian lifestyle.

 

Via Cision PR Newswire

 

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Enel allowed to switch on 260 MW of wind parks in Brazil

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January 5 (Renewables Now) – Brazilian power sector watchdog Aneel has given the green light to the start of commercial operations of 260 MW of wind parks owned by local units of Italian firm Enel Green Power SpA.

Aneel’s approval allows the company to generate power from the EOL Ventos de Santa Angela 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 14 parks. These plants are situated in the cities of Queimada Nova and Lagoa do Barro, Piaui state.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Brazil may add 9 GW of distributed solar over next two years

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“With the financial problems of our competitors, Aldo became the largest PV product distributor in Brazil this year”, said the president of Brazil’s largest PV product distributor and system integrator, Aldo Pereira Teixeira, in an interview with pv magazine. “Currently, our market share is around 35 to 36 percent.”

Aldo currently focuses on the sale of residential, commercial, and industrial photovoltaic systems and only 3 percent of the company’s revenue is concentrated on projects with a power greater than 1 MW, in which remote self-consumption is a priority. The situation of distributed generation in Brazil is still very promising, Pereira Teixeira added. “Brazil has 89 million consumer units and only 330,000 photovoltaic systems connected to the grid; we have a huge space to keep growing.”

 

By Emiliano Bellini via pv magazine

 

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Brazil and UK to cooperate on digital transformation and innovation

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An agreement has been signed between Brazil and the UK to accelerate digital transformation and innovation in public services delivery in the Latin American country.

Under the memorandum of understanding signed on December 29 by Acting British Ambassador to Brazil Liz Davidson and Brazilian digital secretary Luis Felipe Monteiro, the countries will be working together until March 2023.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Accenture to work on sale of Brazil’s state-owned tech firms

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The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) has announced the winner of the tender for the modeling the process relating to the privatization of two of the country’s largest state-owned technology companies.

The Social Security Technology and Information Company (Dataprev) and the Federal Data Processing Service (Serpro), – companies accountable for the development, maintenance, and operations of thousands of government systems as well as major data-related government strategy and projects – will be sold in 2021.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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5 FinTech companies transforming the financial space in Brazil

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Brazil is a strategic player in the global market and the most influential country in Latin America. The country is said to have the largest online population in Latin America, with 150mn Brazilians connected and 68% owning a smartphone. It is also the largest FinTech hub in Latin America, which is driven by strong growth in the digital banking segments.

According to Global Index database, there are about 48mn unbanked Brazilians. This part of the population moves nearly 204bn USD of the country’s economy per year. The articles list 5 FinTechs disrupting the financial space in Brazil.

 

By Pavithra R via IBS Intelligence

 

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Brazilian Enterprises Speed Up Digital Transformations as COVID-19 Changes Business Realities Overnight

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SÃO PAULO, Brazil, Dec. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Many enterprises in Brazil responded to the COVID-19 crisis this year by accelerating digital transformation projects, creating new opportunities for service providers that help companies plan and implement these efforts, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Business – Solutions and Service Partners report for Brazil found the pandemic and associated lockdowns left many industry segments struggling to survive in the first months of 2020. Rapidly emerging trends in response to the crisis, such as consumer adoption of online shopping and internet banking, and workplace adoption of video conferencing and collaboration platforms, led companies to carry out in a few months what would have been years-long digitization projects.

 

Via GlobeNewsWire

 

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BNDES okays loan for 90-MW Powertis solar complex in Brazil

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December 16 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) has approved a BRL-191-million (USD 37.5m/EUR 30.8m) loan to support the construction of the 90-MW Pedranopolis photovoltaic (PV) complex owned by Spain’s Powertis SA.

Located in Sao Paulo state, the PV complex consists of three solar parks scheduled to commence operations in December 2021. Once operational, Pedranopolis will be able to generate enough power to meet the demand of 125,000 homes.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Pix goes live: updated numbers on the new instant payment method in Brazil

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After much anticipation, Pix – Brazil’s instant payments platform developed by the Central Bank of Brazil – has gone live for the entire Brazilian population. The new payment method allows immediate money transfer, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends and holidays.

By the 3rd  of December, the Central Bank of Brazil had registered over 100 million Pix keys. Now, 60% of Brazilians already prefer Pix over TED (Express Wire Transfer) and DOCs (Credit Transfer Document), according to a research carried out by C6 Bank and IBOPEdtm. Further, 91% already know about Pix and find the new payment method safe.

 

By Ralf Germer via Paypers

 

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Mass adoption of AI can aid Brazil’s economic recovery, study says

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The Brazilian economy could benefit from a boost of up to 4.2% within the next decade if companies and governments promote large-scale adoption of artificial intelligence, according to a new study by consulting firm FrontierView commissioned by Microsoft.

The potential of GDP increase of more than four percentage points is the most optimistic scenario set out in the reseach, whereby AI use goes beyond automation and is used to create highly skills jobs, drive productivity and economic growth.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Why This Startup In Brazil Is Super-Optimistic About The Future Of Coworking Spaces

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If you thought that coworking was a non-starter during a pandemic, think again. Eureka Coworking is a Brazilian-based startup bringing people back to their offices with a commitment to safety, flexibility, and sustainability. Headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, Eureka Coworking has offices in that city and its environs, as well branches in Portugal. Location has become even more important with the pandemic.

“This is the perfect moment for us because most people lack sufficient space to work at home in a professional manner, and our locations nearby bike lanes and within walking distance of neighborhoods help people who want to ride bicycles or walk to work,” said Daniel Moral, co-founder and CEO of Eureka Coworking. “We talked with our clients and decided to open together using safety measures.”

 

By Susan Galer via Forbes

 

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Chubb and Nubank Launch Fully Digital Life Insurance Offering in Brazil

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NEW YORK and SAO PAULO, Dec. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Nubank and Chubb today announced the launch of a fully digital life insurance offering in Brazil. With the introduction of Nubank Vida, the largest independent digital bank in the world enters the insurance market with a fast, seamless and personalized capability available to its 30 million customers across Brazil. Nubank Vida is underwritten by Chubb, the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer with operations in 54 countries and territories. Nubank Vida was developed using the integration capabilities of Chubb Studio, the global digital product distribution platform announced by Chubb in September.

The Nubank life insurance offer is fully customized to allow the customer to enjoy a seamless experience where quotes, bill payment and account management are all transacted digitally. Basic coverage includes natural or accidental death and funeral assistance, as well as living benefits covering hospitalization for accident, disability for accident and funeral assistance for family members.

 

Via Cision PR Newswire

 

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Vestas wins 534 MW order in Brazil to extend Casa dos Ventos’ wind farm

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Vestas wins 534 MW order in Brazil to extend Casa dos Ventos’ wind farm and make it the largest wind power project in Latin America.

Casa dos Ventos, one of the pioneers and largest investors in the development of wind energy projects in Brazil, has placed a 534 MW order for the second stage of the of the Rio do Vento complex, located in the state of Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. The extension will add to the 504 MW first phase of the project that is currently under construction, and the combined complex of more than 1 GW will be the largest wind farm in Latin America to date.

 

Via Reve

 

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Brazil trials facial recognition with retired public servants

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The Brazilian government has announced a facial recognition trial with retired public servants to support the process of periodic verification that the beneficiary is alive in order to continue receiving of benefits.

The trial underpinning the process will be carried out with 10,000 retired federal civil servants and pensioners and the participants will be able to follow the process through a people management mobile app developed for federal government staff. If the pilot is successful, the functionality will be extended to 700,000 people.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Monashees-backed Pier Raises $14.5M Poised To Lead Insurance In Brazil

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Brazilian digital insurance company Pier is now issuing its own policies following a $14.5 million Series A round of funding.

The company started with insurance for auto and smartphones and that provides coverage without a grace period or deductible costs and that can be contracted entirely online, Igor Mascarenhas, co-founder and CEO, told Crunchbase News.

 

By Christine Hall via CrunchBase

 

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Facebook’s WhatsApp Gets Another Shot At P2P In Brazil As Google Shows Interest

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WhatsApp is getting another crack at grabbing a slice of Brazil’s fast-growing payments market.

Facebook’s messaging service will soon get a green light to start providing peer-to-peer (P2P) payment services in Brazil, Roberto Campos Neto, head of the country’s central bank, said at a news conference Monday (Nov. 16), Reuters reported.

Campos Neto also noted Brazil’s central bank has talked to other Big Tech firms like Google about their interest in offering instant payments services in the country, Reuters reported.

 

Via Pymnts

 

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Uber to accept fast payments in Brazil in partnership with Ebanx

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Uber Technologies Inc started on Monday to take instant payments in Brazil in partnership with payments startup Ebanx, both companies said.

More than 60 million people had already signed up to the newly launched instant payments platform, so-called Pix, before its full operation started this Monday. It allows consumers and companies to make money transfers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without requiring debit or credit cards.

 

Via Reuters

 

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Alexa celebrates a year in Brazil with the launch of sales of the fourth generation of the Echo line

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Amazon today celebrated the first anniversary of its personal voice assistant, Alexa. And, to celebrate, the American giant announced the start of sales of the latest generations of its Echo and Echo Dot smart speakers, announced worldwide in September.

The main novelty of this generation, the design of the cases has been changed, abandoning the format of the disc for a round construction. There’s a significant improvement in sound here, powered by a three-inch woofer, two tweeters, and Dolby processing that delivers stereo sound with high highs, dynamic mids, and deep lows, according to Amazon. In the case of the Echo Dot and Echo Dot with clock, there is also the function that activates the repeat mode with a single press.

 

Via Re: Jerusalem

 

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Brazil to lead MERCOSUR talks; Deeper cooperation in defence, space, Ayurveda and agriculture, says India’s envoy to Brazil

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To further strengthen their ties, India and Brazil elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership in 2006 and since then the relationship has witnessed an upward trend. President Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest at the Republic Day this year. The largest economy in Latin America, Brazil offers a huge market for a wide range of Indian manufactured goods. Also, it is a country with a lot of natural resources and can help India in various sectors especially in agri-tech, bio-energy, pharmaceuticals, oil and defence and space.

Suresh K Reddy who has in September this year assumed charge as Ambassador of India to Brazil talks with Huma Siddiqui on a wide range of topics. Following are excerpts:

 

By Huma Siddiqui via Financial Express

 

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Brazil have digital version of Real, confirms minister Paulo Guedes

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During a ceremony held on Wednesday (4), the Minister of the Economy, Paulo Guedes, confirmed that Brazil will also have a digital currency. The project is already under study by the Central Bank (CB) and will be a direct consequence of the adoption of the PIX.

Guedes didn’t even mention the details of the project, but the idea of ​​a digital currency has already been explored by several countries around the world. The most advanced example is Chinese, since the country’s government has already launched the digital yuan.

 

Via Re: Jerusalem

 

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Brazil’s Black Silicon Valley could be an epicenter of innovation in Latin America

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Over the last five years, Brazil has witnessed a startup boom.

The main startups hubs in the country have traditionally been São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, but now a new wave of cities are building their own thriving local startup ecosystems, including Recife with Porto Digital hub and Florianópolis with Acate. More recently, a “Black Silicon Valley” is beginning to take shape in Salvador da Bahia.

 

By Paulo Rogério Nunes and Tara Collier via Tech Crunch

 

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Microsoft announces tech training partnership with Brazilian government

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The Brazilian government has announced a partnership with Microsoft to train millions of citizens in technology subjects over the next three years.

Under the Mais Brasil (More Brazil) program, a remote education platform developed in partnership with the Ministry of Economy offers 20 courses through the Microsoft Community Training tool, with the capacity to train up to 5.5 million job seekers by 2023.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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BNDES okays funding for 505 MW of solar in Brazil

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October 26 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) said on Friday it will support the construction of 505 MW of solar projects through loans of over BRL 1.1 billion (USD 195.7m/EUR 165m).

Some BRL 910 million of the total will be used for the 415-MW Sol do Sertao Solar Complex in Oliveira de Brejinhos, Bahia state. Brazil’s Essentia Energia is the project developer.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Guedes Signs An Agreement to Finance US Exports to Brazil that May Reach US $ 1 billion

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During the last visit of a delegation from the Donald Trump administration to Brasília, Minister Paulo Guedes (Economy) and the president of Exim Bank (Bank of Exports and Imports of the USA), Kimberly Reed, signed a memorandum to identify financing possibilities for exports from that country to Brazil that may add up to US $ 1 billion.

The document signed at the Itamaraty ceremony establishes commitments between Brazil and the USA to advance cooperation on trading goods and services, especially in telecommunications and 5G, energy, infrastructure, logistics, mining, and manufacturing.

 

By Ricardo Della Coletta, Thiago Resende and Gustavo Uribe via Folha de S. Paulo

 

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Brazil invests in technology development

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São Paulo – Brazil’s minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Marcos Pontes, said on Tuesday (20) that investing in technology development in Brazil, in partnership with other countries, is a way of overcoming global challenges. Pontes discussed projects under development during his participation in the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries, hosted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Arab League and the Union of Arab Chambers.

“The pandemic demands solutions that are also opportunities for small-sized companies that are able to present them. In these lines, Brazil is still struggling in educating technology professionals. The technology will be increasingly important in the composition of the country’s GDP, as it is in agriculture, healthcare, education, and several other sectors,” he said.

 

By Marcos Carrieri via Brazil-Arab News Agency

 

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Covid-19 prompts increase in contactless use in Brazil

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The new coronavirus pandemic has prompted an increase in contactless payments in Brazil, though the method has yet to take off, according to a new study released by Visa.

According to the research, contactless payments made through cards, smartwatches and other mobile devices accounted for about 3% of all payments processed by the company between January and June 2020, compared to 1% in the same period last year.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Tender launched for utility-scale floating PV in Brazil

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Empresa Metropolitana de Águas e Energia (EMAE), the energy supplier for the Brazilian state of São Paulo, has launched a tender for the deployment of four utility-scale floating PV projects.

The arrays will be built at the largest water reservoir in the state, which hosts an 880 MW hydroelectric power plant. The power station supplies electricity to about 1.8 million people, and is also used for fishing and swimming.

 

By Emiliano Bellini via PV Magazine

 

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Large wind project to double renewable energy capacity in Brazil

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(Florianopolis/Oslo, 07.10.2020) Statkraft is ready to start construction of its Ventos de Santa Eugenia wind project in northeastern Brazil, after closing a turbine supply contract with German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex. Statkraft’s largest wind project in South America will more than double its renewable energy capacity in Brazil.

The 519 MW wind project entails 10 wind farms with a total of 91 turbines in the state of Bahia, located close to Statkraft’s existing Bahia wind power assets. Given the excellent wind conditions in the area, the project will generate almost 2.3 TWh of renewable energy per year, enough to supply 1.17 million Brazilian homes.

 

Via GlobeNewsWire

 

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Brazil advances in digital competitiveness ranking

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Brazil’s capacity and readiness to adopt and explore digital technologies for economic and social transformation has seen some improvements, according to a study published this week by Swiss business school International Institute for Management Development (IMD). The country climbed six positions in this year’s World Digital Competitiveness Ranking (WDCR) in relation to 2019, ranking 51st in a list of 63 countries.

The IMD ranking scrutinizes the digital competitiveness of nations based on the intangible infrastructure necessary for the learning and discovery aspects of technology, as well as the level of preparedness of an economy to carry out its digital transformation. In addition, it quantifies the landscape of developing digital technologies.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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China’s Didi and WhatsApp team up in Brazil to compete with Uber

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Brazilian ride-hailing service 99, controlled by China’s Didi Chuxing Technology Co Ltd, has partnered with WhatsApp to accept orders on the chat platform owned by Facebook in a move that would allow users to summon cars without using another app.

The partnership is the first of its kind in the world for Didi, China’s biggest ride-hailing company, the companies said, and could give 99 an advantage in competing with US-based Uber Technologies Inc, the market leader in Brazil.

 

Via Merco Press

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Wind energy generates 19,000 jobs in Brazil

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The wind power, the second source of electric power in Brazil, behind the hydroelectric, represents 19,000 jobs in Brazil, as compared to 34,000 in 2018. Even with the fall, Brazil remains among the 10 most used in the world. this segment, behind China, Germany, United States, India, United Kingdom, Denmark, Mexico, Spain and the Philippines. The report states that, before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the wind sector was expected to expand due to planned installations.

Around 80% of this market is located in the northeast, which has the best wind conditions. The report indicates that local containment requirements and subsidized services for project developers have strengthened the national supply chain for wind turbines. It is also of high impact in the production of towers and the most moderate effect in the manufacture of wind turbines. The national content in the Brazilian wind sector is currently estimated at 80%.

Via Reve

 

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Solar under net metering reaches 3.6 GW in Brazil

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The Brazilian solar association ABSolar has carried out a study on grid-connected photovoltaic distributed generation, which in Brazil includes all PV systems not exceeding 5 MW in size installed under the net metering regime. In total, there is more than 3.6 GW of installed power of distributed generation from photovoltaic solar sources throughout the country, representing more than 18.2 billion reais (€2.81 billion) in accumulated investments since 2012 and more than 108,000 jobs.

According to the association, in the number of systems installed, residential consumers are in the lead, representing 72.5% of the total. That figure is followed by companies in the commerce and services sectors (17.7%), rural consumers (6.8%), industries (2.6%), the public sector (0.4%), public services (0.03%) and public lighting (0.01%).

 

By Pilar Sánchez Molina via PV Magazine

 

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USTDA Supports Broadband Network Expansion in Brazil

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São Luís, Brazil – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency has awarded a grant to the Brazilian telecommunications company Equatorial Telecomunicações S.A.to facilitate the development of a broadband network backbone in the country’s northeast region. The project is specially designed to enhance connectivity and extend government services for more than three million people in Brazil.

“In today’s connected world – and particularly during the COVID-19 era – reliable internet and reliable access to digital services are more important than ever,” said Todd Abrajano, USTDA Chief Operating Officer and Head of Agency. “USTDA’s support for this project will connect millions more Brazilian citizens and businesses to broadband infrastructure and deepen Equatorial’s understanding and familiarity with innovative ICT solutions from U.S. industry.”

 

Via USTDA

 

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Wheat harvested in Brazil’s semiarid for first time ever

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São Paulo – Wheat has been harvested in Ceará, a dry state with scant water resources in Northeast Brazil, for the first time in history. The farming project was developed by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in partnership with milling company Santa Lúcia. The first stage took place in a semiarid area, with a fast planting-to-harvest cycle and high yields.

Although the actual planting only started recently, the tropical cultivars (pictured above) that enabled the project started being developed 15 years ago. These varieties do not require much water, so they are well-suited to Ceará as well as the Arab countries across the Middle East and North Africa. “We have the genetic material for four varieties of tropical wheat. We picked the two that performed best, which were BRS404 and BR264,” Osvaldo Vieira, head of Embrapa’s wheat division Embrapa Trigo, told ANBA over the phone.

 

By Thaís Sousa via Brazil-Arab News Agency

 

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EBANX and PayPal expand digital wallet potential in Brazil

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Payment solutions company EBANX has integrated with PayPal in a bid to maximise the potential of digital wallets in Brazil.

The partnership will mean that EBANX reaches a customer market of over 50 million people, furthering its overall mission of opening up Latin America to global businesses and vice versa.

Founded in 2012, the company is an ardent believer in the power of democratised finance to drive culture, education and entertainment. Already connected with other leading digital payment platforms – Apple Pay and Google Pay – this latest development broadens consumer choice significantly.

 

By William Girling via FinTech

 

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Viasat delivers satellite internet to 93% of Brazilians

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Viasat’s high-quality residential internet service has expanded to an additional 14 states in Brazil, delivering services to more than 93% of the country’s population.

Launched across seven states and the Federal district in July, Viasat expects that upon completion of the residential launch rollout by year-end, it will be the only satellite ISP capable of making high-speed internet available across the entire country.

 

By Melanie Mingas via Capacity Media

 

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Brazilian government aims to attract investments with digital transformation initiatives

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The Brazilian government is accelerating initiatives to catch up with the new demands presented by digital transformation and attract private sector investments to these projects, according to senior officials.

At industry event Painel Telebrasil yesterday (15), interim minister at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), Julio Semeghini, mentioned a number of projects aimed at “making the digital transformation reach the greatest number of Brazilians” and, at the same time, create commercial opportunities for sector players.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Q&A: using satellite navigation to revolutionise Brazil’s railway network with Inmarsat

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In the next few years, satellite navigation systems are set to become the norm in the world of railways. The EU, for example, is developing projects such as STARS, which aims to bridge the gap between the European Rail Traffic Management System and the European Global Navigation Satellite System through the use of satellite navigation.

In August, the Italian Railway Network installed a satellite-based management system on a regional line, making history in the EU.

 

By Ilaria Grasso Macola via Railway Technology

 

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Brazil may begin using Chinese Covid-19 vaccine in January

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The vaccination of Brazilians against the Covid-19 virus, using a vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech Ltd of China, could begin in January, the Globo website reports, citing a health official in the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, Jean Gorinchteyn.

The Brazilian news website quotes Mr Gorinchteyn as saying he hopes 46 million doses of the vaccine, called CoronaVac, will be available in December.

 

Via Macauhub

 

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Brazil trials of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine show promising results: governor

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The governor of Brazil’s São Paulo state said on Wednesday that Phase 3 clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd have shown promising results and it may be available to Brazilians as early as December.

Governor João Doria added that Phase 2 trials of the potential vaccine had shown an immune response of 98% in the elderly.

 

By Eduardo Simões via Reuters

 

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Brazil Says Central Bank Digital Currency Set For 2022 Rollout

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The race toward central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) is tightening, with Brazil reportedly looking to launch one by 2022 in a bid to help digitize payments. And although it’s not a winner-take-all competition, central banks first out of the gate might prove instructive to those who follow — particularly when it comes to new use cases or the goal of democratizing banking and digital payments.

Roberto Campos Neto, president of Brazil’s central bank, said his country’s new digital currency will work in concert with its new instant-payments system.

 

Via Pymnts

 

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Experimental deliveries with drones approved in Brazil

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Latin American drone delivery company, Speedbird Aero, announced it has received regulatory approval from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency, also known as ANAC, to operate two experimental drone delivery routes in Brazil.

Speedbird Aero operates a proprietary delivery drone with an integrated ParaZero parachute recovery system, and is now the first company in Latin America to win regulatory approval for a drone delivery operation.

 

Via Merco Press

 

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First Gene Therapy Products Approved in Brazil

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Brazil has become the first among the Latin American countries to approve the marketing of gene therapy products. Specifically, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) recently granted marketing authorization for Novartis’ gene therapy products Luxturna® and Zolgensma®. As published in the Brazilian Federal Register, Luxturna® received its marketing authorization on August 6th and a few days later, on August 17th, Zolgensma® received its marketing authorization. Prior to ANVISA’s final decision, both products had been approved by the Brazilian Technical Commission of Biosafety (CTNBio), which is responsible for evaluating biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Brazil.

 

By Lisa L. Mueller via Lexology

 

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Brazil reaches towards cybersecurity maturity

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After years of high-profile cyber-attacks, Brazil has received a glowing report for its cyber security maturity.

The Organization of American States (OAS) and the University of Oxford’s cyber security centre consulted with Brazilian government agencies and national Cybersecurity Incident Response Teams to evaluate the nation’s preparedness.

 

Via Anti Corruption Digest

 

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Hey, developers: Brazil is waiting for you

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Targeting the young, growing Brazilian market may be the smartest decision an app publisher can make this year. App installs have been growing at an impressive 30% year-over-year, easily the largest and fastest growth in the region. With the world’s sixth largest population, Brazil’s smartphone growth has exploded in recent years — up 11% in 2019. But it may have only scratched the surface in terms of where the market could go. In 2019, Brazil had a smartphone penetration of only 45.6%, dwarfed in comparison to top countries like the U.K., Germany, and U.S., which are around 80%.

 

By Matt Tubergen

 

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Number of fintechs in Brazil grew 28% this year in comparison to 2019

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The number of fintechs operating in Brazil went from 604 in June last year to 771 in August this year, a 28% growth, according to the 9th edition of Radar Fintechlab survey.

FintechLab co-founder, Fábio Gonsalez, said that there is a high number of new firms present in this edition. Of the 771 companies present, 270 of them, about 35% ,were not included in the previous version of the report. “It is a strong indication that they are startups that are less than a year old. This proves once again that the ecosystem continues to find opportunities to improve services and create new solutions that are very strongly influenced by regulatory advances such as Open Banking and PIX, for example ”, he says.

 

By Marcelo Bradaschia via LABS

 

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Internet use increases among poor Brazilians

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There has been a significant increase in online access to financial offerings and government services in Brazil among low-income citizens, according to a study on the role of the Internet during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The study carried out by Cetic.br, research arm of the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br) suggests that Internet access through all devices has gone up significantly and online traffic in Brazil has reached record levels in the last five months, peaking at 13,5 Tbps.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil Notes: Cross-Border Payments Unicorn Ebanx Launches Logistics Startup In The US

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Brazilian fintech Ebanx has launched a logistics startup in the United States as part of a strategy to get more international e-commerce firms to tap into the Latin American consumer market.

With its new logistics arm Leve, Ebanx is positioning itself as a strategic partner for retailers wanting to reach Latin markets and are not doing so due to the currently precarious experience consumers in those countries face when buying products from international e-commerce firms.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Stimulating Brazil’s Bioeconomy

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SÃO PAULO – In the midst of the growing climate crisis, the world can no longer rely solely on old models of economic development. In this context, the concept of a bioeconomy – activities that produce relatively little carbon, using high-value-added processes – is gaining increasing prominence. But governments and civil-society actors face differing institutional and economic obstacles on the path to a true bioeconomy.

Given historical and current global energy-consumption trends, some European and North American countries have taken seriously the goal of developing renewable energy sources. On the other hand, some countries in the Global South, where agriculture represents the main source of greenhouse-gas emissions and biodiversity loss, face the challenge of establishing a bioeconomy based on new agricultural models.

By Pedro Frizo via Project Syndicate

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Brazil imported 2.5 GW of PV panels in first half of 2020

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The Brazilian solar market seems not to have been significantly slowed down by the Covid-19 crisis, according to a new report from Brazil-based consultancy Greener.

The company’s analysts reported that total module shipments in the market in the first half of the year totaled 2,599 MW, with panel imports reaching 2,490 MW and domestic products accounting for 109 MW, which represents around 4.4% of the total market share.

 

By Emiliano Bellini via PV Magazine

 

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Brazilian startup to trial drones in food delivery

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Brazilian startup iFood has received authorization from Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) to start experimental flights with drones to support its food delivery service.

iFood’s partner companies Speedbird Aero and AL Drones had been working towards securing the authorization for nearly a year. The companies carried out rehearsals as part of the project with ANAC’s participation and received the Experimental Flight Authorization Certificate from the agency on August 5.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Twitter tests automatic translations in Brazil

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Some Twitter users in Brazil may be seeing a timeline that’s purely in Brazilian Portuguese even if they’re following accounts that usually tweet in other languages. That’s because Twitter has started testing automatic translations in the region “to make it easier to understand the conversations [they] follow.” In a blog post by Twitter Brazil, the company said the feature will be on by default for a limited number of users on both iOS and Android. While Twitter already has a translation feature, users still have to click or tap a tweet to activate it.

 

By Mariella Moon via Engadget

 

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Western Union Expands International Payment Services in Brazil

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SÃO PAULO, Brasil–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Western Union Company, a leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments, today announced an expansion of services between its Western Union Business Solutions division and Banco SEMEAR in Brazil to offer the WU® GlobalPay for FI platform, the Company’s solution for financial institutions that enables customers to make international payments simply and efficiently.

GlobalPay for FI provides the benefits of international payment services without the need to invest in new banking systems infrastructure. Western Union Business Solutions’ online platform allows for processing transactions using a network that spans more than 200 countries and territories, and is available in more than 130 currencies. GlobalPay for FI is a simple and intuitive system that facilitates the creation of international payments.

 

Via Business Wire

 

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro orders $360 million to be set aside for AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine

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BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro issued a decree on Thursday that will set aside 1.9 billion reais ($356 million) in funds to purchase and eventually produce the potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca PLC and Oxford University researchers.

 

By Anthony Boadle and Pedro Fonseca via Reuters

 

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Brazil Central Bank Authorizes Tests of Facebook’s WhatsApp Pay, Mastercard and Visa Say

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SAO PAULO — Brazil’s central bank has authorized testing of payments via Facebook Inc’s messaging service WhatsApp in the country, Visa Inc and Mastercard Inc said on Friday, easing an outright ban on the service imposed last month.

The ubiquitious messaging service in Brazil was finally entering the arena of payments by launching the service on June 15, after years of questions on how Facebook would make money from WhatsApp.

 

By Aluisio Alves via The New York Times

 

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Brazil ranks high in UN e-government index

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Advances made over the last year and particularly during the Covid-19 outbreak positioned Brazil as one of the fast-movers in digital government globally, according to the latest United Nations E‑Government Survey.

Brazil is one of the 18 countries in the Americas that ranked in the “very high” group of the report’s E-Government Development Index (EGDI) group for the first time, along with Argentina, Chile and Costa Rica.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil eliminates import duties for cells, modules, inverters and trackers

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Brazil’s Resolution No. 70, of July 16 – published on Monday in official journal Diário Oficial da União – will remove import duties for goods including several types of PV module, inverter and solar tracker.

The measure, taken by the Foreign Chamber of Commerce of the Ministry of Economy, listed 101 types of exempt solar module as well as some three-phase inverters and trackers.

 

By Pilar Sánchez Molina via pv magazine

 

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Brazil set to test Chinese coronavirus vaccine

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Sao Paulo (AFP) – Brazil will begin advanced clinical testing of a Chinese-made vaccine against the new coronavirus Tuesday, issuing the first doses to around 900 volunteers, officials said.

The coronavirus vaccine, developed by private Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinovac, is the third in the world to enter Phase 3 trials, or large-scale testing on humans — the last step before regulatory approval.

 

Via Yahoo News

 

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How Social Impact Start-ups Are Solving Brazil’s Covid-19 Challenges

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The persistent problem of inequality in Latin America leaves citizens more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Innovative platforms move towards balancing the scales.

In the current crisis, Brazil is unfortunately the country with the second highest number of cases, surpassing one million Covid-19 positive tests by mid-June. A month later, more than 70,000 lives have been lost.

 

By Fabian Salum and Felipe Monteiro

 

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Brazil Retailer Raises at Least $1 Billion in Share Sale

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(Bloomberg) — Lojas Americanas SA, the Brazilian retailer controlled by billionaire trio Jorge Paulo Lemann, Marcel Telles and Carlos Alberto Sicupira, raised at least $1.1 billion in a share sale, four people familiar with the transaction said.

The firm sold preferred shares at 34.50 reais ($6.43) each, the people said, asking not to be named because the information isn’t public yet. It also sold voting stock at 29.78 reais apiece, the people said. That would mean it raised at least 5.83 billion reais. The deal also includes a possible over-allotment that could increase the amount to as much as 7.9 billion reais, according to calculations based on the prospectus.

By Vinicius Andrade, Felipe Marques and Rachel Gamarski via Yahoo Finance Canada

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Brazil Scientists To Tackle Coronavirus In New Research Center

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Brazil is one of the most hardest hit by the deadly and fast spreading new SARS coronavirus, so it makes sense that they would invest heavily in rolling it back, making sure nothing like this ever happens again.

Brazil’s new Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) open this week to new research projects related to the study of the SARS2 coronavirus. Located in the interior Sao Paulo state city of Campinas, CNPEM is also home to Sirius, the R$1.8-billion particle accelerator, which is Brazil’s biggest and most complex scientific structure to date.

 

By Kenneth Rapoza via Forbes

 

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Brazil Central Bank Must Adapt Regulation to Big Tech Companies, Director Says

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SAO PAULO — Brazil’s banking regulation must adapt to big technology companies to ensure competition in the financial arena, central bank director Joao Manoel Pinho de Mello said on Monday in a webcast with newspaper Valor Economico.

In June, the central bank issued a rule saying it could require market participants to receive prior approval to operate in payments. Simultaneously, it suspended the newly launched WhatsApp payment service by Facebook Inc in Brazil.

 

Via The New York Times

 

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Brazil schedules A-1 energy auction

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July 13 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) announced on Friday that it plans to hold a new energy auction on December 4, 2020, provided there is demand from domestic power distributors.

Through a decree published in the Official Gazette, the government confirmed that the auction is dubbed as A-1 Existing Energy Auction. It will contract power from all available power plants in the country. The energy will be negotiated in Brazil’s regulated market in the form of volume of electricity.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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ISRO PREPARES TO LAUNCH BRAZIL’S AMAZONIA-1 SATELLITE ABOARD PSLV IN AUGUST THIS YEAR

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up to lift off Brazil’s Amazonia-1 satellite next month onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)

As per a report in the Financial Express, Amazonia-1 will be the first satellite for Earth Observation that is designed, assembled and tested in Brazil.

 

Via Tech 2

 

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Raising $22.5 million, Liftit looks to expand its logistics services in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Ecuador

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The Colombian trucking and logistics services startup Liftit has raised $22.5 million in a new round of funding to capitalize on its newfound traction in markets across Latin America as responses to the COVID-19 epidemic bring changes to the industry across the region.

“We’re focusing on the five countries that we’re already in,” says Liftit chief executive Brian York.

 

By Jonathan Shieber via Tech Crunch

 

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Cisco Partners With Brazilian Government To Digitize Brazil

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Cisco Systems is a company that’s developed a reputation for having one of the most wide-reaching and successful CSR programs. The networking giant invests heavily in the global communities it operates in, through job creation, skills training, disaster response, non-profit partnerships, and much more. A few years ago I caught wind of another program that, while not officially under the company’s CSR umbrella, is still representative of Cisco’s commitment to leveraging its technology to make a positive difference in the world. That program is Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program, or CDA for short, in which Cisco partners with various countries’ leadership, industry and academia in the interest of accelerating their national digitization efforts. I recently wrote in detail about the program here, if you’re interested in more background. That brings us to the recent announcement, made in late May, that Cisco has partnered with the government of Brazil as part of its CDA program. Let’s take a closer look at what we can expect from the partnership.

 

By Patrick Moorhead via Forbes

 

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Brazil starts producing Swedish Gripen jets

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WASHINGTON — Brazil has officially begun manufacturing fighter jets with the start of production at a new facility that makes sections of the Saab Gripen, Swedish aerospace company Saab announced Tuesday.

Saab Aeronáutica Montagens, a new manufacturing plant located near Sao Paulo, has begun producing Gripen E/F aerostructures, including the tail cone and front fuselage for the single-seat Gripen E version of the jet. It will eventually also make the brakes, rear fuselage, wing box and front fuselage for the two-seater “F” model, Saab stated.

 

By Valerie Insinna via Defense News

 

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Brazil’s Oil Giant Has A Creative Solution For Its Gas Flaring Problem

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Brazil’s state-owned oil firm Petrobras aims to make better use of the associated natural gas in its prolific oil-rich pre-salt area by having offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) units to process the gas, whose production has been rising with growing oil output in the area.

Offshore LNG liquefaction could be a solution to the associated gas from oil fields 100 miles off the coast and could reduce flaring, Viviana Coelho, Corporate Emissions and Climate Change Manager at Petrobras, said at a webinar, as carried by Reuters.

 

By Tsvetana Paraskova via Oilprice.com

 

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Brazil Eases WhatsApp Ban — But It’s Still Suspended

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The payments feature of the popular messaging platform WhatsApp remains suspended in Brazil, despite local regulators easing restrictions placed on its owner, Facebook.

On June 24, Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defense, known locally by its Portuguese acronym ‘CADE’ suspended an agreement between Facebook and Brazilian payment firm Cielo to process payments for WhatsApp.

 

By Samuel Haig via Cointelegraph

 

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Brazil to test Sinovac’s potential vaccine against COVID-19 in six states

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – A potential coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinovac will be tested in Brazil by 12 research centers in six Brazilian states, the governor of Sao Paulo state, Joao Doria, said on Wednesday, adding the trials still need to be approved by local health vigilance agency Anvisa.

The study – first announced on June 11 – is led by Instituto Butantan, a research center funded by the state of Sao Paulo. The agreement with Sinovac includes not only trials but also the transference of technology to produce the coronavirus vaccine locally.

 

By Eduardo Simões via Reuters

 

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With Green Light From Regulators, TransferWise Accelerates In Brazil

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Money transfer unicorn TransferWise is accelerating its business in Brazil after receiving the authorization from the Central Bank to operate a foreign exchange broker. Present in the country since 2016, the fintech had been waiting for the green light from the local regulators for two years.

According to the fintech, which had been operating as a foreign exchange correspondent in partnership with local banks, it has handled over BRL 26 billion in money transfers since it started operating in Brazil.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Nubank growth hits another level as pandemic drives digital in Brazil

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The shift to digital platforms has been a pronounced feature of the global pandemic – with tech stocks hugely outperforming stock market benchmarks throughout the world – but in emerging markets there have been specific drivers turbo-charging this phenomenon.

Digital bank Nubank, founded seven years ago in Brazil with the launch of a no-fee credit card managed by an app, has grown its total client base to more than 25 million. The bank launched its digital current account in 2017, which now has more than 20 million account holders.

By Rob Dwyer via Euromoney

 

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Startups Focused On Human Resources Take Off In Brazil

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A new report on HRtechs, technology companies focused on Human Resources (HR), has revealed the segment is the third most active in Brazil, after fintechs and mobility, as well as the main companies in activity as well as startups to watch.

According to the study produced by innovation center network Distrito, there are 373 startups active in the HR space, which concentrated 11.6% of the capital invested in startups in 2019 – fintechs claimed 35.6% of the total investment last year, while mobility startups attracted 14.4%.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Brazil recreates Ministry of Communications

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Brazil’s Ministry of Communications has been recreated and a new minister has taken over to lead agendas such as the country’s upcoming 5G auction.

The son-in-law of a well-known Brazilian TV presenter, Fábio Faria was named the new communications minister yesterday (17). Faria will be accountable for the national telecommunications policy, as well as the national broadcasting policy and the communications activity relating to the federal government, which relies heavily on channels such as social media.

 

By Angelica Maria via ZD Net

 

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Nebraska/Brazil partnership eyes expansion of preschool science instruction

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Lincoln, Neb. —Tucked away from the busy city streets of São Paulo, Brazil, young learners are exploring a colorful garden with spades, magnifying glasses and other tools. They gather around their preschool teacher who is holding a freshly dug worm in her hands. They observe the wriggling creature together. After the excited shrieks subside, the teacher begins to ask them questions.

Their curiosity leads to a conversation — an opportunity to learn about science.

 

By Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska-Lincoln

 

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Brazil’s BizCapital raises $12 million for its online lending service

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BizCapital, an online lender based in Brazil, has raised $12 million from a clutch of investors including the German development finance institution, the corporate venture capital fund of MercadoLibre and existing investors Quona Capital, Monashees, Chromo INvest and 42K Investments.

“This latest round reinforces investors’ confidence in BizCapital’s ability to innovate in the Latin American credit market amid challenging circumstances caused by Covid-19,” said Francisco Ferreira, the company’s chief executive, in a statement. “We have seen four times as many business credit inquiries on our site year over year, and we are ready to serve them.”

 

By Jonathan Shieber via Tech Crunch

 

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Brazil hits 16 GW of installed wind capacity

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June 17 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s installed wind power capacity has reached 16 GW, reaffirming its position as the second largest source of electrical generation in the country, the National Wind Energy Association (Abeeolica) announced earlier this week.

Brazil now has 637 operational wind parks, according to the association. It says the country will have at least 24 GW of installed wind power capacity by 2024, taking into account only contracts already in place through auctions and the free market. “With new auctions, this number will be higher,” Abeeolica’s CEO, Elbia Gannoum, said.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Brazil joins China in quest for vaccine

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Brazil and other countries including Malaysia, Canada and the UK will join China’s efforts to strengthen global cooperation in COVID-19 vaccine trials, as the Institute Butantan in Brazil plans to cooperate in Phase III clinical trials for an inactivated COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by a Chinese company.

Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech and Instituto Butantan, a leading Brazilian producer of immunobiologic products, have agreed to collaborate in Phase III clinical trials of CoronaVac, Sinovac’s inactivated vaccine candidate against COVID-19.

 

By Hu Yuwei and Leng Shumei via Global Times

 

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Syngenta to roll out new digital ag tools in Brazil

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SAO PAULO, June 16 (Reuters) – Switzerland-based seed and crop protection company Syngenta has chosen Brazil as the initial market for a new digital agriculture services platform intended to make local grain growers more competitive, a Syngenta executive told Reuters.

Because of lockdowns and social distancing, crop consultants including seed advisers and agrochemical distributors have been unable to visit farms, making technology more important to assess field conditions, said Greg Meyers, the company’s chief information and digital officer.

 

By Ana Mano and Roberto Samora via Reuters

 

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WhatsApp finally launches payments, starting in Brazil

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After months of talks and trials, WhatsApp has finally pulled the trigger on payments in its app. Today the Facebook-owned messaging service announced that users in Brazil would be the first to be able to send and receive money by way of its messaging app, using Facebook Pay, the payments service WhatsApp owner Facebook launched last year.

WhatsApp says in its blog post that the payments service — which currently is free for consumers to use (that is, no commission fee taken) but businesses pay a 3.99% processing fee to receive payments — will work by way of a six-digit PIN or fingerprint to complete transactions.

 

By Manish Singh and Indrid Lunden via Tech Crunch

 

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Chinese vaccine maker inks deal in Brazil for final testing

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China’s leading coronavirus vaccine developer signed an agreement with a drugmaker in Brazil to conduct further testing of its shot’s efficacy, as the global race intensifies to come up with the first viable candidate to prevent Covid-19.Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. is teaming up with Instituto Butantan to conduct the final phase of a three-part human testing of a vaccine it developed against the novel coronavirus, the company said in a statement. A Sinovac spokesman said it will need to obtain regulatory approval in Brazil before conducting the trial.

Once approved, Sinovac and Instituto Butantan will kick off the trial involving 9,000 people in July. The Brazilian drugmaker will get to license the Chinese vaccine and make it available in the South American country, Sinovac said.

 

Via Hindustan Times

 

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Totvs and SAP lead enterprise software market in Brazil

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The enterprise software market in Brazil is led by local firm Totvs and SAP, according to new research by Brazilian business school Fundação Getúlio Vargas about the local information technology market.

The report, which polled more than 2,600 businesses nationwide, shows Totvs as the leader with 33% of the overall ERP market. The Brazilian company is closely followed by SAP: the German software giant has a 32% slice of the market, according to the FGV study, now in its 31st edition. Oracle ranks third, with a market share of 12%.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Shell looks to Brazil solar power sales from farms that are due online in 2023

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BRASILIA (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell PLC <RDSa.L> is ready to start negotiating with potential clients the sale of future solar power on Brazil’s free energy market from its first farms due to start operating in 2023, Shell’s solar business development manager for Latin America said.

In a telephone interview on Monday, Maria Gabriela da Rocha said the startup date would depend on the negotiations and was part of Shell’s strategy to move into renewable energy, betting on industries’ increasingly wanting to sign long-term clean energy contracts.

By Luciano Costa via Yahoo Finance

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New debentures decree in Brazil to help add 36 GW of renewables by 2030

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June 9 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) expects that in the next 10 years, roughly 36,000 MW of renewable energy capacity will be implemented thanks to a new protocol for the issuance of green debentures.

The 10,387 decree, published last week, creates new mechanisms for the issuance of debentures in order to finance infrastructure projects that provide relevant environmental or social benefits for the country, the ministry stated.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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Brazil avoids 515m tonnes of CO2 emissions with ethanol

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June 8 (Renewables Now) – Brazil has avoided more than 515 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions between March 2003 and May 2020 thanks to the use of ethanol, local sugarcane industry association Unica announced on Friday, analysing statistics by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels.

 

By Lucas Morais via Renewables Now

 

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E-commerce gains one virtual store per minute in Brazil

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Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Brazil has been opening more than one virtual store per minute. In just over two months, 107,000 new establishments were created on e-commerce for different products, such as food, beverages, clothes, shoes and cleaning products, according to a survey carried out by the Brazilian Association of Electronic Commerce (Abcomm), reported by O Estado de S. Paulo.

 

Via LABS

 

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Brazil To Be First To Test Oxford’s Covid-19 Vaccine

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Hard hit Brazil will be the first nation to test the Oxford University vaccine for the new SARS. Two-thousand volunteers working on the front lines against the virus will be chosen for the trial, which will begin in Sāo Paulo this month.

Denis Mizne, executive director of the Lemann Foundation, the group that is financing the São Paulo trials, called it “an important milestone” for Brazil. The Foundation was funded and created by Jorge Paulo Lemann and his family. Lemann became a billionaire thanks to investments in Brazilian beer giant AmBev and Heinz through his private equity firm 3G Capital.

 

By Kenneth Rapoza via Forbes

 

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Nordex Group posts Brazil wind power order for 90 MW

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Nordex has received an order from its new customer, COPEL – Companhia Paranaense de Energia, for the supply and construction of 26 AW132/3465 wind turbines in Brazil. The order also includes the Servicing of the machines, with a contract term of 20 years.

The 90 MW wind farm “Jandaíra Copel” will be built in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, near the city of Jandaíra in eastern Brazil. The Nordex Group will manufacture the 26 turbines at its production facility in Simões Filho. The turbines will be built on 120 metre concrete towers, which the Group will manufacture at its local plant in Areia Branca, not far from the site. The company will also source the rotor blades locally. Completion of the wind farm is planned for 2022.

 

Via Reve

 

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E-commerce sales reach all-time high in Brazil

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E-commerce sales in Brazil have achieved an all-time high as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, according to a new study referring to activity during April 2020.

Sales for the month practically doubled, with an increase of 98.74% in April in relation to the same month in 2019. Additionally, there was an 81.64% revenue boost for companies operating in digital sales that same month, according to an index produced by the Brazilian Chamber of Electronic Commerce (BCEC).

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Government of Brazil signs agreement with Cisco to boost digitization

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The Brazil Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Cisco via a virtual event on May 27th—the agreement works to boost digitization and accelerate technology skills development in the country. Hosted over Cisco TV, the event included Brazil’s Executive Secretary Julio Semeghini, Secretary of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Paulo Alvim,  and Secretary of Telecommunications Vitor Menezes Minister Marcos Pontes, Secretary Vitor Menezes, Cisco’s Global Innovation Officer Guy Diedrich, SVP and Brazil Country Sponsor John Kern, Cisco President Latin America & SVP in the Americas Jordi Botifoll , and Brazil Country Manager Laercio Albuquerque.

As a part of this agreement, Cisco announced the launch of “Brasil Digital e Inclusivo”, the company’s Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program that will spur the creation of initiatives and projects in education, healthcare, agribusiness, public safety, cybersecurity, smart cities, energy and manufacturing. Among the initiatives, the program will support Brazilian public healthcare system with telemedicine and remote patient monitoring digital platform, develop new talents in cybersecurity operations through the Cisco Cyber Education Program, help transform education with innovative smart and connected schools, and build an Industry 4.0 Experience Center to be used on professionals training on industrial networking and cybersecurity technologies for Industry 4.0.

 

By Stephanie Chan via Newsroom.cisco.com

 

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These Girls From Brazil Built A Suicide Prevention App For Gen Z

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A team of Brazilian girls have turned a school project into an mobile app aimed at confronting the world’s second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds: suicide.

Generation Z, the generation who began to be born in the mid-nineties, has the highest recorded suicide rate in history, as well as a higher risk for mental illness than the previous generation. Teen girls, in particular, are three times as likely as boys to experience depression.

 

By Andrew Wight via Forbes

 

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VTEX has top tips on how to reshape e-commerce during Covid-19

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Contxto – Yes, yes, you’ve heard it at least a dozen times already. Coronavirus (Covid-19) is accelerating the uprise of e-commerce. But that’s not all.

Self-isolation means users have grasped the utility of ordering something from the comfort of their couch. In addition, they’ve also sought out more meaningful experiences that give them a sense of connection despite being stuck at home. And because of this, Brazilian VTEX, says there’s no going back for businesses, digital or not.

 

Via Contxto

 

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Data privacy awareness grows in Brazil

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The level of awareness and concerns over data privacy online is growing in Brazil, with more users looking to increase control over how their data is handled, according to new research.

According to a global study on data privacy by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, 74% of Brazilian Internet users polled have reported trying to remove their personal data from websites and social media platforms.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil Makes Inroads Towards Digital ID

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The Brazilian government has launched a new app that unites the social security card and driving license as part of its digital identification and citizen service delivery plan.

The launch follows a move towards making the social security number the main proof of ID for Brazilians: since last year, it is used to access government services. This includes the emergency aid scheme announced in April for financially vulnerable citizens.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Brazil seeks opportunities in space technology

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The Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) is seeking to evolve its space technology capability and identify new opportunities for new projects that can potentially bring socioeconomic benefits, in areas such as analysis of satellite data.

With a view of identifying opportunities around technology solutions based on space systems and building proximity to the industry to develop projects in the field, the AEB, an autarchy linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC) signed a protocol of intentions with Visiona, , a joint venture between Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer and state-owned telecoms company Telebras.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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How Leitíssimo used genetics to build a premium milk brand

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Craig Bell, the co-founder of premium milk company Leitíssimo, likens his product to a time machine. “We have a lot of consumers who told us that ‘this stuff actually tastes nice, this stuff reminds me of my uncle or my granddad or my father’,” he says.

This, he adds, is partly because in a country that has become one of the world’s breadbaskets in recent decades, Brazilians still have a connection to the rural environment.

 

By Andres Schipani via Financial Times

 

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Brazil’s tech moonshots target social problems

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For Marcos Toledo, the notion of a “moonshot” should be interpreted differently in Brazil.

While tech giants and scrappy start-ups in the US and China can afford to reach for the stars with ambitious projects like spaceships and autonomous vehicles, Brazilian groups should focus on helping those closer to home, says the managing partner of Canary, a venture capital group in São Paulo.

 

By Bryan Harris via Financial Times

 

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Enterprises in Brazil Embrace the Salesforce Cloud Model

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SÃO PAULO, Brazil, April 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Businesses in Brazil are increasingly turning to Salesforce products to save money while they look for service providers to help consolidate their disparate installations, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Salesforce Ecosystem Report for Brazil finds enterprises in Brazil increasingly interested in cloud-based solutions from Salesforce, with the country becoming a fast-growing market for Salesforce products, especially among mid-market customers who are increasingly investing in cloud applications.

Via Yahoo Finance

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EMBRAPA LAUNCHES WORK ON AGRICULTURAL DYNAMICS IN THE CERRADO

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The week full 47 years, Embrapa launches the first volume of “agricultural dynamics in the cerrado: analysis and projections”. Involved 29 authors from different institutions. The analyzes have considered the period of the past four decades to projections for the next 20 years.

The research that led to the work was coordinated by Embrapa, in collaboration with the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the Institute of Applied Economic Research (IPEA), entitled Agricultural Dynamics in the Cerrado. The result is a retrospect of the region, analysis of challenges and opportunities that can base the decision public and private decision, thus favoring sustainable agricultural development.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Brazil Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband 2020: Brazil Gains Further Increases in Bandwidth – ResearchAndMarkets.com

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The “Brazil – Telecoms, Mobile and Broadband – Statistics and Analyses” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

The Brazilian fixed-line market continues to suffer from consumers substituting services for mobile and VoIP solutions, the latter offerings being treated as value-add and thus not being regulated. As a result, VoIP services are offered by many providers.

Via Yahoo Finance

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Central Bank of Brazil tests settlement infrastructure for instant payments

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The Central Bank of Brazil has kicked off a new phase in the testing process for Pix, the upcoming national instant payments platform, with the simulation of transfers.

The tests of the technology underpinning the settlement infrastructure will see participating institutions testing their settlement flows, so the process where resources are transferred from the payer to the recipient, with fictitious data.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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The Brazil Tech And Innovation Round-Up: Education Sector Under Pressure To Operate Remotely, IFood Courier Numbers Skyrocket, Ribon Enables Donations To Vulnerable Communities, Layoffs

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Quero supports private education providers through crisis

Private higher education firms are expected to see a 20% revenue drop in the period between June and September this year, according to Quero Educação, a Brazilian startup that provides technology to the sector. The edtech, owner of a marketplace that connects students to private education providers, predicts a greater number of students won’t manage to keep up their financial commitments in education over the period, compared to the same period in 2019.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Brazil’s regulators launch blockchain platform for info sharing

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Brazil has launched a blockchain platform that will allow its three main market regulators to share information seamlessly. The platform is known as PIER and was launched jointly by the Securities and Exchanges Commission (CVM), the private insurance superintendent (SUSEP) and the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB).

While announcing the big move, the CVM stated that the use of blockchain technology is a leap in quality for information security in Brazil. PIER will make access of information siloed by the three institutions safer, broader and more direct, an analyst with the CVM, Frederico Shu stated.

 

By Steve Kaaru via Coin Geek

 

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Brazil introduces surveillance tech to slow the spread of coronavirus

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Governments across Brazil are looking to roll out a system developed that uses geolocation tracking to support actions around the lockdowns intended to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Brazilian startup InLoco develops the geolocation technology, which is normally used by companies from sectors such as retail, to securely target and engage with users without the need to share personal information. Users are geotracked through a location map that doesn’t use GPS or beacons, which InLoco claims to be 30 times more accurate than GPS.

 

By Angelica Mari Via ZD Net

 

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‘People think it’s magic’: how one of Brazil’s poorest cities gets its best school results

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As you approach the city of Sobral in north-east Brazil, the road worsens. Huge pot holes slow traffic to a crawl. The heat is suffocating, even worse when there is no cloud cover.

Sobral is poor. Jobs are scarce, salaries meagre, gangs the only option for many. For children, it’s a tough start to life. Ana Farias, headteacher of an early-years school in a low-income neighbourhood controlled by a gang, knows this only too well. Some of her students wouldn’t eat if it were not for free school meals.

 

By Sarah Johnson via The Guardian

 

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Brazil’s TIM ties-up with Rio de Janeiro to track people’s mobility amid coronavirus crisis

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SAO PAULO, March 23 (Reuters) – Brazilian wireless carrier TIM Participacoes SA said on Monday it has partnered with Rio de Janeiro’s city hall for data analysis that will allow authorities to track displacement and concentration of people in areas affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement, the local subsidiary of Telecom Italia SpA added it will use its antennas spread across Rio de Janeiro to provide real-time data on people’s displacement throughout the city.

 

By Gabriela Mello via Reuters via Reuters

 

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Brazil launches national standard QR code

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The Central Bank of Brazil has launched its standard for QR Codes, to universalize cashless payments in the country. The new standard will become mandatory in September 2020.

“The new rules aim to increase transparency for end-users, both payers and recipients, by expanding and improving access to information and, thus, creating a pro-competitive environment in the Brazilian Payment System”, said the Central Bank, in a statement.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Artificial Intelligence Makes its Mark in the Brazilian Judicial System

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Artificial intelligence (AI) programs are already making decisions in different judicial processes. In these cases, legal professionals check and then confirm the guidelines suggested by the software.

AI also already performs actions such as reading, interpreting, selecting, and drafting legal documents, changing the profile of activities in courts and law firms.

 

By Flávio Ferreira via Folha de S. Paulo

 

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Ethanol exports reached 1.77 billion liters by the end of February 2020

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The month of February recorded that ethanol sales by mills in the South-Central region totaled 2.40 billion liters, with 2.28 billion liters for the domestic market and 120.79 million liters for export.

The export volume represents an increase of 41.40% over February 2019 (85.42 million liters), with 99.49 million liters sold in the last half of the month.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Alibaba Files for a Blockchain Transaction System in Brazil

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Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has registered a blockchain-based system patent in Brazil under the category of “insurance,” “financial business” and “monetary business,” according to the March 10th edition of the Industrial Property Magazine (NPI).

As reported by the NPI, the name of the mechanism is “Ant Unicorn.”

By Felipe Erazo via Cointelegraph

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Ethanol is in line with the global agenda for decarbonisation, says Unica

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The opportunity to expand the ethanol consumption in the world is primarily linked to its use as an additive in the mix of fossil fuels, for example, in gasoline. This was underlined by the president of Unica, Evandro Gussi in “Opening Safra Cana, Sugar and Ethanol 2020/21 Santander DATAGRO” on Wednesday (11) in Ribeirão Preto (SP).

According to him, who recently made a tour of Asian countries [India, Thailand and Afghanistan] in order to delve into the reality of these markets biofuels, ethanol is in absolute harmony with the global agenda for decarbonisation. “The world wants to decarbonisation, but does not yet know the ethanol potential for it. In this regard, the electric car, which does not deliver what it promises in environmental terms, has been gaining in the field of communication. ”

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Twitter testing disappearing ‘fleets’ in Brazil

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(Reuters) – Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) said on Wednesday it was testing in Brazil a new type of tweet that disappears after 24 hours, similar to the stories feature popular on Snapchat (SNAP.N) and Facebook’s (FB.O) photo-sharing app Instagram.

Called ‘fleets’, the vanishing messages can be viewed by tapping on a user’s profile picture. They do not appear on the user’s timeline or receive retweets, likes or public replies, Kayvon Beykpour, the company’s product lead, said on Twitter.

 

By Ankit Ajmera and Katie Paul via Reuters

 

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Thyssenkrupp, Embraer to build four frigates for Brazil Navy

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FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF/BRASILIA, March 5 (Reuters) – A consortium formed by Germany’s Thyssenkrupp AG TKAG.DE and Brazilian planemaker Embraer SA EMBR3.SA signed a deal on Thursday to deliver four frigates to Brazil’s navy between 2025 and 2028, the companies said in a statement.

The contract signed in Rio de Janeiro is part of Brazil’s drive to modernize its navy so it can patrol off-shore resources in the Atlantic, such as Brazil’s vast pre-salt oil reserves.

 

By Christoph Steitz and Tom Kaeckenhoff via Nasdaq

 

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Brazil banking: Benchimol lifts XP’s star

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It’s a hot summer’s day in São Paulo – sadly a relatively rare one this year – and Euromoney is with XP Inc’s head of media relations and the assistant to chief executive Guilherme Benchimol in an air-conditioned meeting room on the 28th floor of the newly IPO’d company. The air con and the chilled water are refreshing; while we wait, the assistant checks her phone.

“He’s nearly here,” she says. “He’s on his way in from his farm.”

By Rob Dwyer via Euromoney

 

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Brazil’s Ambar Wants To Automate Construction For End Consumers

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Brazilian construtech Ambar wants to take the hassle out of the millions of consumers across the country who are either building or renovating their homes with an all-in-one automation platform.

The startup founded in 2012 and backed by the likes of Texas Pacific Group, Endeavor Catalyst and e.bricks Ventures is known for its modular systems – dubbed “Lego for construction”, these are packages of items needed for building or renovation work, in areas such as hydraulics – aimed to facilitate and speed up the overall job.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Solar energy expands quickly in Brazil, attracts Chinese firms

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PORTO FELIZ, Brazil (Reuters) – Beside the green pastures and sugarcane plantations surrounding the farming town of Porto Feliz is the strange sight of hundreds of blue, silicon panes turned towards the sun.

This solar farm, about 150 km (93.2 miles) from Sao Paulo, produces electricity for around 40 homes and small businesses like restaurants and gyms.

 

By Luciano Costa via Reuters

 

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Brazil’s Central Bank to Launch Near-Instant Payments as a Response to Cryptocurrencies

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Called PIX, the project from the country’s central bank will provide 24/7 payments in up to 10 seconds via mobile apps, internet banking and ATMs, according to reports from Reuters and local crypto news site Livecoins on Wednesday.

Slated for launch on Nov. 10, 2020, PIX is aimed to speed up and reduce the costs of fiat transfers between individuals and businesses.

 

By Daniel Palmer via CoinDesk

 

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Brazilian telecoms regulator discusses 5G auction rules

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Brazilian telecoms regulator Anatel has launched a public consultation to discuss the rules of what could be the world’s largest single auction for fifth-generation (5G) spectrum later this year.

The consultation will last for 45 days and will set the specific details of the auction. A draft version of the rules had been approved by Anatel’s board earlier this month.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Sales of smart home devices accelerate in Brazil

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The smart home devices segment will be one of the highlights of the consumer technology market in Brazil this year, according to analyst firm IDC.

With new devices on offer as well as new features such as the ability to understand commands in Brazilian Portuguese, the analyst firm estimates an increase of 50% in units sold and a boost of over 40% in revenue.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil defines timescales for sale of state-owned tech firms

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The Brazilian government has defined timescales for the sale of its technology companies to private sector buyers.

According to the goals announced by the team in charge of the government’s privatization initiatives, Dataprev and Serpro, companies accountable for the development, maintenance, and operations of thousands of government systems, will be sold by June 2021.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Canadian Solar Secures 225.2 Million Brazilian Reais Financing for Lavras Project in Brazil

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GUELPH, Ontario, Feb. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Canadian Solar Inc. (the “Company”, or “Canadian Solar”) (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world’s largest solar power companies, today announced it has secured 225.2 million Brazilian reais (US$ 55 million) non-recourse project financing from Banco do Nordeste do Brasil S.A. (BNB) for its Lavras solar power projects. Since the beginning of 2019, Canadian Solar has secured BRL 1,007 million (US$ 247 million) solar project financing with BNB.

The 152.4 MWp Lavras project will be funded over 21 years across the construction and operation phases of the projects. The inflation-linked debt tied to the National Consumer Price Index (IPCA) will provide improved capital and resource alignment with the Brazilian economy.

Via Yahoo Finance

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How Brazil Can Become An Economic Powerhouse

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In only one-year Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has been able to revert 13 years of socialist policies which were implemented by the previous leftist presidents Lula and Dilma. His accomplishments include passing important free-market reforms such as the pension reform and different de-regulation laws, such as the reduction of the number of Ministries from 29 to 22, and the privatization of logistics networks from roads to airports. Thanks to the approval of the anti-crime package crime rates have dropped by 22%. Also, 2019 was the best year for employment since 2013, with almost one million jobs created.

 

By Lorenzo Montanari via Forbes

 

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Brazil: A self-reporting take on digital finance

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First there is the tech itself. And while tech in finance is admittedly not a new addition to the beat, the pace of expansion has become to feel a little intense.

It’s not just that innovation is coming in faster waves or that it’s increasingly complex, it’s that technology is now actually changing business strategy. It is creating brand new ecosystems, rather than just giving a productivity jolt to existing financial segments.

By Rob Dwyer via Euromoney

 

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UPDATE 1-Canada’s Brookfield gets OK to build Brazil solar power plants

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SAO PAULO, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management Inc has received the go-ahead from Brazilian antitrust regulator Cade for certain solar energy projects in the country’s northeast, according to a decision published in the government’s official gazette on Tuesday.

The solar power plants, to be built in the state of Ceará, will have total capacity to produce 278 MW of electricity, according to a description of the projects in Cade’s decision.

 

By Ana Mano via Reuters

 

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Voice and video 4G provision improves in Brazil

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The mobile network experience has seen “notable improvements” in Brazil, particularly in 4G metrics such as video and voice consumption, according to a new report.

The Mobile Network Experience Report by mobile analytics firm Opensignal has found that the introduction of 4G on the 700 MHz spectrum band in Brazil is having a big impact in the last six months, with users on networks that have implemented it spending more time on 4G and enjoying faster average download speeds.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazilian CVM to launch cryptocurrency regulatory sandbox

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The Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) has announced the launch of a new regulatory sandbox containing specific guidelines for cryptocurrency and digital token issuance.

The news comes after the country’s regulator stated at the end of last year that the implementation of blockchain technology is a top priority for 2020.

By Pedro Febrero via Yahoo Finance

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Enterprises in Brazil Move to Automate Workplaces and Empower Employees

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SÃO PAULO, Brazil, Jan. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Enterprises in Brazil are moving toward fully automating their digital workplaces, and are looking for vendors to help them empower workers through self-support, according to a new report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a leading global technology research and advisory firm.

The 2019-2020 ISG Provider Lens™ Digital Workplace of the Future Report for Brazil finds enterprises in Brazil focusing on improving worker experience with workplace tools. Enterprises are embracing automation, but they also want to improve user productivity by enabling better collaboration and discovering new ways of working.

Via Yahoo Finance

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Brazil’s new US$100 million Antarctic base, built by China

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Brazil has inaugurated a new US$100 million Antarctic base, built by Chinese company CEIEC to replace a research station destroyed by fire almost seven years ago.

“Brazil is back in the Antarctic with great force,” Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes, Brazil’s only astronaut, wrote in a Twitter message from the Comandante Ferraz base on King George Island off the Antarctic peninsula.

Via South China Morning Post

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Brazil is emerging as a world-class AI innovation hub

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Brazil’s government has big plans for AI, despite having come late to the party. In Oxford Insights’ AI Readiness Index 2019, Brazil was ranked 40 out of 192 countries, a sign that the South American powerhouse is moving up in the AI world. The report looks at how ready countries are to take advantage of the AI technologies PwC forecasts will add $15 trillion to the global economy by 2030.

The 2019 report also cautions that the “Global South could be left behind by the so-called fourth industrial revolution.” But even as some of the planet’s richest nations, including Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the U.S, have become recognized AI innovation hubs, according to studies by Deloitte and others, South America — led by Brazil — is rapidly emerging as a leader in AI-enabled businesses.

 

By Bruno Henriques via Venture Beat

 

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Movile: Brazil Will Start Producing Its Own Big Techs

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The emergence of big techs is likely in Brazil this year as investment floods into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest economy, prompting a major shake-up for leading businesses scrambling to reinvent themselves.

This is the prediction of Fabricio Bloisi, founder of São Paulo-based Movile, a conglomerate that includes delivery app iFood, which has UK food delivery firm JustEat as one of its investors. Movile is part of the select club of Brazilian unicorns, which has 11 companies to date – a number that, according to Bloisi, will substantially increase in the months to come.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Amazon launches new distribution center in Brazilian state of Pernambuco to expedite delivery

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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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Nokia signs contract with TIM Brazil to launch IoT offer

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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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Project will bring innovation and sustainability to producers of the Legal Amazon

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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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Exclusive: Brazil’s Rock Content Acquires ScribbleLive

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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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One of Latin America’s most valuable startups is changing the way Brazilians bank

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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

Brazil’s Newest Unicorn: Wildlife Studios Raises $60M Series A Led By Benchmark

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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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Brazil’s new fintech startup Cora raised $10 million on the strength of its founding team

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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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Brazilian FinTech Rebel Lands $10M For Affordable Loan Products

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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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Integrated systems improve productivity of meat, says Embrapa

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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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Brazil sugarcane growth can meet biofuel need and not drive deforestation: study

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Sugarcane production in Brazil could expand by more than 5 million hectares (19,305 square miles) by 2030 to meet demand for ethanol biofuels, according to a study published in the journal Energy Policy — with potential impacts on the nation’s carbon emissions and deforestation.

Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from crops, such as biodiesel produced from soybeans and ethanol made from fermented corn or sugarcane. They’ve been presented by advocates as a silver bullet for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, but critics argue that the clearing of native vegetation to make way for biofuel plantations, and the carbon emissions associated with that land-use change, can exceed the emissions savings gained by avoiding fossil fuels.

 

By Claire Asher via Mongabay

 

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Brazil’s net metering policy leads to growth in solar distributed generation

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November 22 (Renewables Now) – Brazil’s growth in distributed generation from renewable resources—especially solar—has increased since it implemented net metering policies in 2012, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) says in an overview. As of mid-November 2019, owners have installed more than 135,000 renewable distributed generation systems in Brazil, totalling about 1.72 GW of capacity, according to the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL).

 

By EIA via Renewables Now

 

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Why SoftBank Is Investing in Brazil, and Why Nobody There Seems to Care About WeWork

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SoftBank has made plenty of headlines lately, but for all the wrong reasons (like the downfall of WeWork, its once-darling investment in the United States). In other regions, though, the Japanese investment firm is managing to quietly dole out its mega-bucks—minus the intense level of scrutiny that follows its fund or other investments.

The growing middle class and fast adoption of new technologies has made Latin America—and in particular countries like Brazil and Mexico—a prime target for SoftBank. The firm has already made bets on 10 different startups in the region, according to André Maciel, managing partner of the SoftBank Innovation Fund. The exec spoke at this week’s Fortune Global Forum in Paris, where he talked about the various reasons why this region is so attractive to SoftBank. (In total, SoftBank is committing $5 billion in investments in Latin America.)

 

By Michal Lev-Ram via Fortune

 

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Brazil continues efforts to attract launch business

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HOUSTON — The government of Brazil is ready to move into the next phase of efforts to attract commercial launch business to the country with the ratification of an agreement with the United States.

Brazil’s Senate formally approved Nov. 12 a technology safeguards agreement that the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, signed in March during a visit to the United States that included a meeting with President Donald Trump. That agreement allows American spacecraft and launch vehicles to be exported to Brazil for launches there, ensuring compliance with export control and nonproliferation policies.

 

By Jeff Foust via Space News

 

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Demand for connected devices grows in Brazil

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Brazilian consumers are increasingly looking to buy connected devices for personal use and for the home, according to research carried out by software firm Avast.

According to the study, 31% of consumers in Brazil are looking to get a smartwatch. More women want a smartwatch (33% versus 31% of the males surveyed). The wishlist of Brazilian consumers also includes Alexa or Google Home smart speakers (30%), smart lamps (29%) and smart thermostats (10%). The survey polled 609 people from March to May 2019.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil and China close agreements in innovation and agricultural technology

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Brazil and China signed today (13) agreements and memorandums of understanding in the areas of politics, economy, trade, agriculture, health inspection, transportation, health and culture. Chinese President Xi Jinping, is in Brasilia to attend the 11th meeting of BRICS Summit and met early on Wednesday with President Jair Bolsonaro, at the Itamaraty Palace, informs the “Agency Brazil.”

Speaking to press, Bolsonaro said the government and Brazilian businessmen want to expand and diversify trade with China. For the president, the acts signed give impetus to these relations. “This bilateral relationship in various areas, including the Chinese government’s nod on adding value what we produce, all this is very welcome,” he said.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Ministry of Agriculture launches project to boost innovation in the productive chain of soy

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The Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply Cristina (PR) signed on Tuesday (12), Agrobit held in Londrina (PR), the project’s term sheet Coalition Soy 4.0, along with the Innovation director and technology Embrapa, Cleber Soares, the general head of Embrapa Soja José Renato Bouças Farias, the innovation Secretary MPLS, Fernando Camargo, the president of the Rural Parana Society, Antonio Sampaio and AgroValley manager – Londrina innovation cluster George Hiraiwa.

According to Farias, the project Coalition Soy 4.0, under the leadership of Embrapa Soja, aims to strengthen the innovation assets for the soybean crop. Embrapa Soja engaged in the development of technological solutions for the soybean crop in Brazil, bringing technical guidelines for production systems and seeking innovative solutions to the field.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Brazilian Digital Onboarding Startup idwall Lands $10M Series B With Qualcomm As Lead

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Online fraud and identity theft is a global problem. In Brazil, in particular, it’s estimated that those types of crimes cost the country about $15 billion a year. In fact, Brazil is ranked second in the world in terms of the number of online fraud and identity theft infractions. And, the country is home to one fraud attempt every 16 seconds.

Besides being a problem for its citizens, the issue also can negatively impact the country’s economic relationships with other countries, that may hesitate to do business there.

 

Via Mary Ann Azevedo via Crunchbase

 

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Silicon Valley’s changing role as Brazil’s iFood shows how to innovate anywhere

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Brazil’s iFood is a great example of a highly innovative company that is very much a product of Silicon Valley — even though it is founded and funded largely by Brazilians (and South Africans). It has raised nearly $600 million and has swiftly built a giant business. It is one of Brazil’s nine unicorns today.

I came across iFood earlier this year at the well-attended BayBrazil conference in Silicon Valley, where Fabricio Bloisi, founder and CEO of Movile, a Brazilian mobile apps and investment firm, was the keynote speaker. Bloisi is a colorful personality, and he’s funny and humble considering all the success he’s had in business.

 

By Tom Foremski via ZDNet

 

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Exclusive: Brazilian Mobility Startup Kovi Raises $30M Series A From Global Investors

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Kovi, a fast-growing 17-month-old Brazilian mobility startup, has raised a $30 million Series A led by Global Founders Capital.

New investor Quona Capital and existing investors Monashees, Maya Capital, Accel partner Kevin Efrusy, Y Combinator, Broadhaven Ventures, Tinder founder Justin Mateen and ONEVC also participated in the financing, which brings Kovi’s total raised since its inception to $40.6 million.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via Crunchbase News

 

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How Brazil’s SoftBank-backed Banco Inter aims to supercharge loan growth

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazil’s Banco Inter SA , a SoftBank-backed online lender that has seen rapid growth thanks to its free checking accounts, is preparing to launch a smartphone app offering food delivery and ride hailing, its chief executive told Reuters.

The bank has seen deposits skyrocket in recent years but remains a relative bit player in Latin America’s largest economy.

 

By Carolina Mandl via KFGO

 

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Brazil and Israel close partnership for the development of agricultural technology

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The Brazilian Research and Industrial Innovation (EMBRAPII) and Israel’s Innovation Authority (IIA, acronym in English) will support the development of four Innovation projects carried out in cooperation, Brazilian and Israeli companies. They will invest US $ 7.5 million. The resources include business investments in both countries, the agencies encouragements to innovation and research centers. The EMBRAPII finances non-reimbursable funds 1/3 of the Brazilian company in each project.

The projects, which cover several areas, are the first results of the cooperation agreement signed between EMBRAPII and the IIA, which aimed to expand mutual cooperation in science and technology of the two countries and facilitate the identification of business opportunities that can generate innovative products and systems to market. “The partnership with IIA showed that this initiative can lead the industries of Brazil and Israel to be more attentive to the wide range of opportunities to be explored between the two countries,” said Jorge Guimaraes, CEO of EMBRAPII.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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CATL To Supply Batteries For Volkswagen e-Delivery In Brazil

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Chinese battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. (CATL) just scored another important order – this time from Volkswagen Caminhões e Ônibus (part of Volkswagen Group) for commercial vehicles in Latin America.

The newly signed long-term strategic cooperation agreement between CATL and VWCO will initially focus on all-electric Volkswagen e-Delivery trucks (11 and 14-ton version), that from 2020 will be produced in Brazil.

 

By Mark Kane via InsideEVs

 

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Brazilian unicorn Ebanx will hit $2 billion in payments processed by the end of the year

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Ebanx, the newly minted Brazilian financial services unicorn, expects to process $2 billion in payments by the end of the year and is looking to expand its offerings into domestic payments as it grows.

Since its launch in 2012, Ebanx has primarily focused on helping international merchants sell locally in Brazil. The Brazilian business accounts for nearly 90% of the company’s revenue, but as it expands into other markets the company is also broadening its suite of services.

 

By Jonathan Shieber via Tech Crunch

 

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Uber To Team With Brazil’s Banco Inter For Financial Services

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A source has revealed that Brazilian lender Banco Inter SA is currently in discussions with Uber about partnering in financial services.

The move is another move by Japan’s SoftBank Group — which is a shareholder in Uber — to integrate its business in Latin America. While the source wouldn’t comment on the terms of a possible deal, it would target the rideshare giant’s drivers and Banco’s more than 3 million clients. Brazil is now Uber’s largest market outside the United States, with São Paulo boasting more Uber rides than any other city in the world.

 

By Pymnts

 

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Brazil’s Strategic Expansion in the Indo-Pacific

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As part of its grander geostrategic ambitions, Brazil aims to expand its strategic reach in the Indo-Pacific region. Moving from a regional power in South America to a global player will entail Brasilia extending its influence across the Pacific to the west coast of Africa and eventually around to the wider Indo-Pacific region.

This grand strategic vision has accelerated under the current Brazilian leadership.

 

By Balaji Chandramohan via The Diplomat

 

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Brazil’s Bolsonaro signs telecoms law to boost sector

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BRASILIA, Oct 4 (Reuters) – President Jair Bolsonaro signed a law modernizing Brazil’s telecommunications regulations on Friday in a move long expected by the industry to allow new investment opportunities and help salvage bankrupt carrier Oi SA .

The law, which took five years to clear Congress, will boost telecom companies by lifting restrictions on sales of their formerly state-owned assets. It will also allow for a secondary market for trading cellphone frequencies.

 

Via Reuters

 

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Amazon.com brings Alexa to Brazil, kicks off pre-orders for devices

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc will launch its virtual assistant Alexa in Brazil starting this month, with plans for three different devices with the software installed, as it rapidly expands operations in Latin America’s largest economy.

The move comes only three weeks after the U.S. e-commerce giant introduced its Prime subscription service to Brazilian consumers, toughening the competition with local retailers by offering unlimited nationwide free shipping and a maximum 48-hour delivery time in over 90 municipalities.

 

By Gabriella Mello via Reuters

 

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Brazil’s fintech segment sees growth

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The fintech segment continues to grow in Brazil with most startups focused on B2B offerings, according to a new study.

There are 504 fintechs operating in Brazil across 10 segments currently – this compares to 377 fintechs active in Brazil in 2018, according to the data compiled by Finnovation, a local website that has been monitoring the segment since 2011.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Latin America roundup: SoftBank bets on Brazilian unicorns and Konfio raises $250M for lending plans

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SoftBank  did not let up the flow of capital to Brazil this month, staying busy despite the WeWork debacle. With two more $100 million-plus rounds in QuintoAndar and MadeiraMadeira, the Japanese investor has funded at least one more unicorn in the Brazilian ecosystem. Their investments in Brazil from the past two months alone far outstrip Latin America’s venture capital funding in all of 2016.

In early September, SoftBank backed QuintoAndar  for a $250 million Series D round alongside Dragoneer, General Atlantic and Kaszek Ventures, which recently made headlines for raising $600 million to invest in Latin America. QuintoAndar is a real estate rental startup that simplifies the process of locating and renting an apartment in Brazil. Although the startup only has 2% of the rentals market share in Brazil, QuintoAndar’s  tech solution enabled them to scale rapidly, beating out traditional incumbents in the region’s bureaucratic rental structure.

 

By Sophia Wood via Tech Crunch

 

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Tech-Education Unicorn Turns Brazil Family Into Billionaires

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(Bloomberg) — Ari de Sa Cavalcante Neto was spending so much time away from home selling his firm’s shares to U.S. investors that he felt he owed his seven-year-old daughter an explanation.

“I told her I had entered a very long competition and, if I won, I’d bring home a unicorn,” Cavalcante, chief executive officer of Brazil’s Arco Platform Ltd., told a group of entrepreneurs earlier this year.

By Felipe Marques, Cristiane Lucchesi and Vinicius Andrade via Yahoo Finance

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The Latin American expansion for the Canadian storytelling startup, led by CEO Allen Lau, follows partnerships in Europe and Asia.

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Canadian storytelling app Wattpad is headed to Brazil, South America’s biggest media market, after signing a development and production deal with indie studio Wise Entertainment.

The agreement hands Wise Entertainment, which has offices in Los Angeles and New York City, the exclusive first-look rights to develop Wattpad stories into Portuguese-language film and TV projects for global distribution.

 

By Allen Lau via The Hollywood Reporter

 

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Japan’s SoftBank Contemplates Investment In Brazil

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“We have around 40 companies that fit in Brazil,” the group’s head in Brazil, André Maciel, told the news outlet during an event at Cubo, a technological hub funded by Itaú Unibanco, the largest private bank in Latin America.

 

Via PYMNTS

 

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Biogas Makes Pig Farming More Sustainable in Southern Brazil

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ENTRE RIOS DO OESTE, Brasil, Sep 20 2019 (IPS) – Biogas has the potential to provide 36 percent of the electricity consumed in Brazil or replace 70 percent of diesel if purified as biomethane, according to the Brazilian Association of Biogas and Biomethane (Abiogas).

This new source of energy is only recently gaining a foothold in this country, especially in the agricultural south. Its future is promising in an agro-diverse Brazil, which is the world’s largest producer or exporter of sugar, coffee, meat and soybeans.

 

By Mario Osava via IPS News

 

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Ex-Tesla Executive Decamps to Brazil and Bets Big on Batteries

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Marco Krapels left Tesla Inc. and started a battery company in a place that’s a hemisphere away from California’s rarefied clean-energy scene: Brazil.

Krapels, Tesla’s former vice president for international expansion of solar and storage, now runs Sao Paulo-based MicroPower-Comerc. The company, backed by Siemens AG, is pushing to use big mobile batteries to wean Latin America’s largest economy off oil-fired generators during blackouts.

 

By Laura Millan Lombrana via Bloomberg

 

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Amazon Announces the Launch of Amazon Music for Brazil, Bringing Customers Access to Millions of Songs, On-Demand and Ad-Free

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(AMZN) — Amazon today announces the launch of Amazon Music for Brazil, bringing customers millions of songs and thousands of playlists and stations ad-free, with two music streaming tiers. Beginning today, customers can access Amazon Music Unlimited, the premium music streaming tier with unlimited access to more than 50 million songs, including chart-topping releases from Brazilian and International artists including Pabllo Vittar, Post Malone, Ivete Sangalo, Billie Eilish, Gustavo Mioto and many more, along with locally curated playlists and stations, developed specifically for today’s music fan in Brazil. This follows Tuesday’s launch of Amazon Prime in Brazil, offering members a selection of more than two million songs at no additional cost to their Prime membership. Customers can learn more about Amazon Music, and begin a three-month free trial for the Unlimited tier today at amazon.com.br/music.

 

Via Yahoo Finance

 

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Brazil’s Newest Unicorn: QuintoAndar Raises $250M Series D Led By SoftBank

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Sao Paulo-based real estate startup QuintoAndar has raised a $250 million Series D in a round that is considered massive by U.S. standards but is positively gargantuan in Brazil. The round takes the company “to unicorn status,” according to CEO Gabriel Braga, although he would not disclose its exact valuation.

SoftBank Group International led the round, which also included participation from another new investor Dragoneer as well as existing backers General Atlantic and Kaszek Ventures. The financing brings the six-year-old company’s total raised to over $335 million, according to its Crunchbase profile, and comes just nine months after its $70 million Series C.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via CrunchBase News

 

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New digital technologies help field production

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Use a sensor to predict whether it will rain on a property and thus identify the best time to apply a crop protection product. Have equipment on a tractor that monitors whether it stops or breaks to allow for quick maintenance. Insert small appliances into the soil to have indicators for planting, such as moisture level. These are some of the applications of the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) that are beginning to be implemented in projects in the field, according to “Agência Brasil”.

Internet of Things (IoT) is a name given to a set of technologies that enable more efficient real-time, multi-area monitoring through multi-purpose machine-to-machine communication dynamics. , such as increasing the ability to monitor and control a given activity, as in the examples above.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Mobile devices prevail in banking transactions in Brazil

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Mobile devices were the main channel used by Brazilians to transact with their banking institutions in 2018, according to data from the Brazilian Central Bank (BC).

Some 29 billion transactions were completed through smartphones and tablets last year, up 18.4 percent on 2017. This builds on a trend that emerged in Brazil last year, when mobile devices surpassed other remote channels such as Internet banking.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Awakening The Sleeping Giant: Why Brazil’s Tech Scene Is One To Watch

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“Brazil is the country of the future” was a familiar phrase for many years – or as we say in Portuguese – “Brasil, país do futuro”. For tech startups, that future is now. The country is showing signs that the sleeping giant is finally waking up and moving towards its tipping point.

In 2010, I founded an organization called Brazil Innovators, a network that gave innovators and ecosystem builders direct access to Silicon Valley. When I launched, the venture capital community was very small, but it was clear that Brazil was producing great minds and future talent.

 

By Bedy Yang via Forbes

 

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IBM plans Brazil cloud expansion

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IBM plans to spread its cloud computing load across multiple data centers in Brazil, by building a “multizone” region there.

With just one data center in São Paulo, Brazil, it has promised it will extend that next year to a multizone region, where customers who put servers in one of its data centers have them replicated automatically across numerous other data centers in the same region.

 

By Peter Judge and Mark Ballard via Data Center Dynamics

 

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Ministry of Agriculture signs agreement with Banco do Nordeste to finance innovation projects

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The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MPLSa) has signed an agreement with Banco do Nordeste (BNB) to subsidize public and private innovation policies aimed at the sustainable development of agriculture in the Caatinga biome. The partnership will allow the structuring of the Strategic Intelligence, Management and Territorial Monitoring System (SITE), which will gather scientific data from the region.

The agreement was signed on Friday (23) by Minister Tereza Cristina, the president of BNB, Romildo Rolim, the president of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Celso Moretti, and the Foundation for Support for Research and Development ( Faped).

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Brazil to Speed Up Privatizations With Billions on the Line

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Brazil is readying a plan to accelerate the sale of state-controlled assets as well as partnerships with private companies, as part of President Jair Bolsonaro’s push to shrink the public sector and spark investments.

The federal government will put state development bank BNDES in charge of organizing and paying for feasibility studies, which are mandatory for asset sales and auctions and are crucial for their success. BNDES will also be able to hire outside consulting companies based on technical capacity and not just price.

 

By Simone Preissler Iglesias via Bloomberg

 

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Brazil’s Resultados Digitais Reaffirms Investor Confidence With New Round

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Brazil-based software-as-a-service firm Resultados Digitais (RD) has raised a new investment round led by Riverwood Capital following a “significant shift” in international interest in the country’s tech ecosystem.

The investment of 200 million reais ($50 million) is the company’s fifth funding round and brings it closer to the coveted valuation of $1 billion. The transaction includes the firm’s existing backers TPG Growth, DGF Investimentos, Redpoint eventures, Astella Investimentos and Endeavor Catalyst.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Chinese demand heats up Brazil’s ethanol industry

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There are 332 million cars on the road in China, more than anywhere in the world. Most run on pure petrol, but from next year Chinese fuel companies will add 10% ethanol, a move that could have far reaching implications for the consumption of fossil fuels.

Brazil’s biofuel industry is the world’s second largest behind the US. In recent years it has suffered from fuel price shocks resulting from shifts in government policy, but it has been buoyed by the enormous potential of the Chinese market.

 

By Sarita Reed and Vinicius Fontana via China Dialogue

 

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Canadian Solar Won a 51 MWp Solar Power Project in Brazil

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GUELPH, Ontario, July 17, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Canadian Solar Inc. (the “Company”, or “Canadian Solar”) (CSIQ), one of the world’s largest solar power companies, today announced it has been awarded a 51.1 MWp solar photovoltaic (PV) project in the Sixth Brazilian Federal Energy Auction (A-4) held on June 28, 2019.

Canadian Solar will develop and build the project located in the State of Minas Gerais. Construction of the solar project will start in early 2021 and it is expected to reach commercial operation before January 2023.

Via Yahoo Finance

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Brazilian State Launches Blockchain Platform for Government Contract Bids

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In Brazil, the state of Bahia has launched a blockchain application to track the process of public bidding on government contracts, according to a report by Cointelegraph Brazil on July 12.

The blockchain-based solution, called Online Bid Solution (SOL), was reportedly developed by Cayenne Technology and Design. Bids will reportedly be completely transparent and secure due with the application of blockchain tech.

 

By Max Boddy via Cointelegraph

 

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Crypto Coffee Coin Is Coming to Brazil’s Countryside Farmers

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Coffee farmers in Brazil’s countryside could be soon be using cryptocurrency for their day-to-day needs.

A major arabica-bean cooperative, Minasul, is planning to this month launch a blockchain-based digital coin that will be backed by coffee supplies. Farmer members will be able to use the “coffeecoin” to buy fertilizer, machinery and other non-farm products, including cars and food, Jose Marcos Magalhaes, Minasul’s president, said in an interview during the Global Coffee Forum in Campinas, Sao Paulo state.

 

By Fabiana Batista via Bloomberg

 

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Brazil Requires New Diplomats to Know About Blockchain and Crypto

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The Brazilian diplomatic academy, the Rio Branco Institute, will now require that candidates have knowledge of cryptocurrencies and blockchain, Cointelegraph Brazil reported on July 8.

The Rio Branco Institute — established in 1945 and offering two advancement courses for diplomats — has published the 2019 edict for the selection of new diplomats in Brazil where it included the requirement that candidates know about blockchain and digital currencies.

 

By Ana Alexandre via Cointelegraph

 

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Brazil posts new world record low price for solar power

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A new world record low price for solar power generation has been achieved in Brazil, where the government’s latest renewables auction saw contracts for six solar PV projects awarded at an average of just 1.65 cents per kilowatt hour.

Brazil’s regulator Agencia Nacional de Energía Eléctrica (ANEEL) announced the latest auction results on Friday, confirming a total of 401.6MW of electricity capacity has been contracted across 15 projects with supply slated to start in January 2023. The successful bids include five hydroelectric plants, one biomass thermal facility, and three wind farms.

 

By Michael Holder via BusinessGreen

 

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Argentina, Brazil and Canada outpacing U.S. in gene editing

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U.S. pork producers will fall behind global competitors if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continues to move forward with plans to regulate livestock gene editing as a drug. That was the message the National Pork Producers Council delivered during a media teleconference Tuesday on the current regulatory oversight of gene-edited livestock on America’s farms.

Gene editing accelerates genetic improvements that could be realized over long periods of time through breeding. It allows for simple changes in a pig’s native genetic structure without introducing genes from another species. Emerging applications include raising pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, a highly contagious swine disease that causes significant animal suffering and costs pork producers worldwide billions of dollars.

 

By Ann Hess via National Hog Farmer

 

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Brazil med school network Afya aims to raise $250 mln in U.S. IPO

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SAO PAULO, June 25 (Reuters) – Brazilian medical education group Afya SA hopes to raise at least $250 million in an initial public offering, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday, the latest in a series of South American companies to seek U.S. listings.

The company’s shares will trade on the Nasdaq in July, the sources added, requesting anonymity because discussions of the offering’s size are still private.

 

By Carolina Mandl via Nasdaq

 

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Mobile Banking Use Rises Exponentially In Brazil

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Mobile banking is becoming increasingly popular in Brazil, with more consumers making use of mobile banking services for the execution of daily financial transactions.

The number of transactions performed by Brazilian citizens on their mobile phones increased significantly in 2018. Compared to 2017, mobile banking use increased by 24 percent in 2018. While mobile banking is mostly used to check banking statements and balances by many people, the number of other transactions such as money transfers went up by a factor of almost 80% in Brazil. This reveals that Brazilian citizens have become more dependent on their mobile phones for the execution of their financial transactions.

 

By Ali Raza via LearnBonds

 

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SDGs in Brazil – 16 July 2019

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The Global Compact Network Brazil is pleased to invite you to the second edition of the SDGs in Brazil – The Role of the Private Sector.

The event aims to introduce investors, business leaders, government authorities and representatives of the UN system to how Brazilian companies are contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The SDGs in Brazil – The Role of the Private Sector will take place alongside the High-Level Forum 2019, a United Nations central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

For further information, please contact us at sdgsinbrazil@nineoclock.com.br

For registrations, please access: https://bit.ly/2Rqbnla

 

Meat-loving Brazil joins the search for plant-based alternatives

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Beef-crazy Brazil, with its all-you-can-eat steak houses, world-leading meatpackers and more cattle than people, is not the first place you might look for plant-based alternatives to meat.

But companies from JBS SA, the largest beef producer in the world, to BRF SA, the No.1 chicken exporter, are looking to tap a wave of interest from environmentally conscious eaters seeking vegetable substitutes.

 

By Alberto Alerigi via Reuters

 

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Brazil: R3 Develops Blockchain Platform With Major Banks and Stock Exchange

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Blockchain software consortium R3 revealed that it is developing a blockchain platform in Brazilwith banks Bradesco, Itau and B3, Cointelegraph Brazil reported on June 12.

The R3 Consortium — which is composed of large banks and technology companies — announced during the CIAB Febraban event in São Paulo that it is currently collaborating with Brazilian banks.

 

By Adrian Zmudzinski via Cointelegraph

Drones deployed to monitor Brazil forest growth

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[SÃO PAULO] Measuring the height of Brazil’s towering rainforests can be a tall order. But an international team of researchers say they are working together to turn unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, into efficient, low-cost data collectors that can monitor the progress of forest restoration.

The team developed a drone equipped with three-dimensional laser scanning and hyperspectral imaging systems capable of producing high-resolution maps and collecting hundreds of images at different wavelengths for a given area.

 

By Rodrigo de Oliveira Andrade via SciDev.Net

 

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Brazil, China and Japan close partnerships to boost technology in the field

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Brazil will form a working group with China to address issues related to science, technology and innovation in the field. The matter was discussed during a meeting of the Sino-Brazilian High Level Cooperation Commission (Cosban).

The Secretary of Innovation, Rural Development and Irrigation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Fernando Camargo, represented Brazil in the sector subcommittee on agriculture during Cosban. According to him, Brazil and China have complementary characteristics, and have much to cooperate.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Brazil retailer Via Varejo launches digital bank targeting low-income clients

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian electronics and appliance retailer Via Varejo launched a digital bank targeting low-income clients in partnership with Boston-based startup Airfox, according to a filing on Wednesday.

The move will take Via Varejo beyond its current role in Brazil as a brick-and-mortar and online seller of goods, challenging its competitors in Latin America’s largest economy, where App-based wallets are an increasing trend among fintechs and traditional banks.

 

By Gabriela Mello via WSAU

 

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Here’s Alibaba’s Mission as it Enters Brazil Cloud Market

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Alibaba (BABA) is launching its cloud computing service in Brazil, according to a report from Xinhua news agency. In Brazil, Alibaba is targeting Chinese companies operating in the country. Alibaba has identified a local partner known as UOL Diveo that will resell its cloud services in Brazil.

According to a report released by IDC in February this year, Brazil is the fastest-growing cloud market in South America. With that in mind, Alibaba is entering a market with huge growth potential for its cloud business.

 

By Naomi Gray via Market Realist

 

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Santander to hire 400 technology staff in Brazil

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Financial services giant Santander has announced plans to hire 400 technology staff into its Brazilian business.

The plan is part of a $2 billion investment plan to drive digital transformation across the Spanish bank’s operations globally. Brazil represents 30 percent of that budget, according to the company.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil Establishes Committee for Cryptocurrency Regulation

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The President of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil has ordered to establish a commission to consider cryptocurrency regulation in the country, Cointelegraph Brasil reported on May 31.

The Chamber of Deputies of Brazil is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil, and consists of representatives of the states elected every four years. The Chamber discusses and approves proposals for economic and social areas such as education, health, transport, and housing.

 

By Ana Alexandre via Cointelegraph

 

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Ripple-Powered Cross-Border Remittance Platform Launches in Brazil

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Brazil-based exchange broker Frente Corretora de Câmbio (The Front Exchange) has launched its fintech collaboration with San Francisco-based startup Ripple. The new blockchain platform, Simple, is designed to allow people in Brazil to send money abroad without the high fees and the slow transaction times that are common among traditional payment rails.

The team behind Simple aims to deliver a robust cross-border remittance solution for everyday Brazilians, such as families  with students abroad who are studying and need to receive money to cover basic living expenses.

 

By The Daily Hodl

 

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Venture Funding In Brazil Soars To $1.3B In 2018

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As South America’s largest country, Brazil has the potential to be an economic powerhouse. But over time, political turmoil, largely as a result of corruption, has marred the economic landscape.

Still, despite the political upheaval in recent years, the country’s startup scene has seen some serious acceleration, reflecting a general trend we’re seeing in Latin America as a whole.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via CrunchBase News

 

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Mobile accounts for nearly half of all banking transactions in Brazil

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Brazilians have embraced mobile banking as their preferred means to handle their banking affairs as the channel accounted for nearly half of all transactions carried out last year, according to a new report.

The latest research on banking technology trends carried out by Deloitte on behalf of the Brazilian Banking Federation (FEBRABAN) also shows that the number of transactions overall, so any interaction involving a financial element or not, has seen an increase of 24 percent in 2018 in relation to the prior year.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Brazil’s 1st waste-generated energy plant will be in Paraná

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The state of Paraná will have the first energy plant in Brazil generated from “waste” – that is, a combination of organic waste and sewage sludge. The plant will use biodigestion technology: from this input, it will produce biogas which, in its turn, will be converted into electric power.

The project aims to reuse 1,000 cubic meters of sewage sludge and 300 tons of organic waste daily – a volume which would be disposed into the environment. It’s also planned to convert organic waste into biofertilizers and recycle waste plastic to produce bags.

 

Via Bluevision Braskem

 

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Brazil healthcare firm Hapvida looking for more acquisitions: CEO

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian healthcare provider Hapvida Participacoes e Investimentos SA will look for more acquisitions in the near future after agreeing to acquire rival group Sao Francisco Saude for 5 billion reais ($1.26 billion), Chief Executive Officer Jorge Pinheiro told reporters on Tuesday.

The deal will enable Hapvida to expand to Brazil’s southeastern, southern and center-west regions, from its current focus only on the north and northeastern regions.

 

By Carolina Mandl via Reuters

 

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BNDES President highlights importance of RenovaBio

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The president of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Joaquim Levy, said on Monday (06) that Brazil has enormous opportunities for the application of technologies in mobility that allow for lower carbon emissions and increasing use of energy efficiency, reports Agência Brasil. For him, public policies that stimulate the development and application of these technologies, as well as the production of low-carbon fuels, are fundamental for growth and have a high benefit for society.

“The future of mobility goes through different paths such as the use of public or individual transport, zoning determining routes for greater or lesser distance, as well as the choice of different modalities for the transportation of cargo,” Levy said at the opening of the seminar Future of Mobility – More Energy Efficiency and Less Environmental Impact, promoted by the BNDES, at the institution’s headquarters, in downtown Rio.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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Grupo Zap Introduces I-Buyer Model To Reignite Brazil’s Real Estate Market

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Online firm Grupo Zap is chasing a billion-dollar opportunity by introducing the instant home buyer (i-buyer) model in Brazil, with plans to nearly double its workforce and enhance data analytics capabilities to support the new business.

With Grupo Globo, one of Latin America’s largest media conglomerates as a majority shareholder and the likes of Monashees and Kaszek Ventures as backers, Zap owns the two largest real estate marketplaces in Brazil and provides a range of data-driven services to the industry.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Huawei partners with local retailers to sell flagship smartphones in Brazil

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SAO PAULO (Reuters) – China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on Tuesday launched two high-end smartphone handsets in Brazil, making its second attempt to penetrate the world’s fourth-largest smartphone market, broadening its footprint in Latin America.

 

“We are in a very different market share position than we were five years ago and we’re seeing tremendous brand momentum,” Ketrina Dunagan, Huawei’s vice president of marketing for the Americas, said in an interview on the sidelines of the launch event in Sao Paulo.

 

By Gabriela Mello via Reuters

 

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Is Brazil to Become the Next Eldorado of Digital Revolution?

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Top consultants McKinsey and “Brazil at Silicon Valley” have produced a report that aims to shed light on Brazil’s digital development. And the result seems clear to the authors: Brazil has the potential to become the next big thing in the digital revolution.

 

Mauro Mantica from the famous Bocconi University in Milan is also convinced of the digital potential of Brazil.

 

Via The Rio Times

 

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Embraer Wants Brazil to Lead the Flying Car Market

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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Common parts in science fiction films and cartoons, flying cars are becoming closer to reality. Brazil wants to lead the development of this segment in the world, according to executives from Embraer’s Atech subsidiary, present at the 12th LAAD Defense & Security.

“We are already anticipating, preparing a vision and a concept of how we will be able to see the future of the future. It will be air traffic. This is what our project will be”, stated Marcos Resende, director of technology at Atech.

 

By Xiu Ying via The Rio Times

 

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Brazil stimulates academia and business link in emerging tech initiative

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The Brazilian government has launched a tender to find projects based on emerging technologies as the latest stage of a project aimed at bridging the business and academic worlds.

The program, dubbed TechD, is a public-private partnership with funding of 18 million reais ($4.6 million). The latest stage of the program is looking for startups, incubated projects, IT companies or consortiums and research groups focused on emerging technologies to participate.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Angola Cables Data Centre In Brazil Is Now Live

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Telecommunications company Angola Cables has announced the opening of its carrier-neutral data centre, Angonap Fortaleza in Fortaleza, Brazil.

The completed facility is now open for business and offers scalability, continuous connectivity, host and cloud services for local and external entities.

The facility is a primary interconnection point for the region, which will host Angola Cables’ two newest intercontinental submarine cables, SACS (South Atlantic Cable System) and Monet.

 

By Abigail Opiah via Data Economy

 

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Brazilian Startup JaUbra Goes Where Uber Drivers Panic

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SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – When Alvimar da Silva realized Uber did not reach some of the more dangerous, far-flung areas of São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, he saw an opportunity: If the popular ride-sharing service did not go there, he would.

 

After six months of driving for the US application in the gridlocked city, da Silva launched in 2017 his own rival service JaUbra in the sprawling northern district of Brasilândia.

 

By Richard Mann via The Rio Times

 

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Brazil’s iFood Makes Multimillion-Dollar Investment In AI

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One of Brazil’s best-funded startups, iFood is making a multimillion-dollar investment in artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its offerings.

The Sao Paulo-based food delivery company will plough $20m into a new AI “academy”, which will be focusing on research in machine learning, deep learning, behavioral science and logistics efficiency.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

 

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Lemann-Backed Startup Looks to Tackle Brazil’s Health-Care Woes

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A potential solution to the ailments of modern-day health care may be burgeoning from inside one of Brazil’s biggest slums.

Startup firm Dr. Consulta is betting it can capitalize on demand for affordable, a la carte services for the increasing number of Brazilians who don’t have private health insurance. It’s proven to be an attractive proposition, luring investors including the billionaire co-founder of 3G Capital Inc., Jorge Paulo Lemann, and venture capital firms like Kaszek Ventures and Madrone Capital Partners.

 

By Vinicius Andrade via Bloomberg

 

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Ebanx enters Brazil

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This is a soft launch of EBANX new business and the product is available to selected customers. Over the next few months, the option will be available to all Brazilian companies that sell on the Internet and wish to use EBANX solutions to process online payments within Brazil. In addition, for the next year, local processing of EBANX is expected to begin in four other countries in Latin America.

 

Via Finextra

 

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Brazil attempts to revive space technology program

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The Brazilian government signed a space technology safeguard agreement (TSA) with the US with hopes to revive its own activities in the sector and cash in on commercial opportunities.

The idea is that Brazil would be able to claim a share of the space launch business, estimated to generate nearly $300 billion a year, by allowing US companies to launch out of the Brazilian Air Force’s Alcantara Launch Center.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Amazon kicks off Alexa trial in Brazil

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Amazon is taking its first steps towards evolving its artificial intelligence-enabled voice assistant Alexa in Brazil.

The company said it was “excited to bring Alexa to Brazil” and that it will be asking some of its customers “to help refine her capabilities over the coming months.”

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Qualcomm moves forward with growth strategy in Brazil

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Qualcomm is pressing ahead with its plans to develop the semiconductor industry in Brazil and exploit opportunities in the mobility and Internet of Things segments.

Along with Universal Scientific Industrial (USI) and Asus, the company has announced new Asus smartphones that utilize its system-in-package (SiP) technology developed in Brazil.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

 

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Developing Brazil’s Goldilocks Oil Wealth: It Will Be Better This Time

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What makes some oil plays more valuable than others? The answer: big discoveries in excellent reservoirs that are cheap to exploit. Few places on earth do all three. Brazil does, as I was reminded on a trip to Rio last month. Its pre-salt Santos basin fields, such as Lula and Libra, have these attributes in abundance.

The reservoirs in these giants lie at the “Goldilocks” depth – not too expensive to drill, but deep enough for oil to flow freely to surface. Individual wells in the exceptional pre-salt carbonate reservoirs can produce up to 50,000 barrels in a single day – a good Permian fracked well takes two months to do that. Many producing wells are choked because the subsea flow lines or platform just can’t cope with the sheer volumes. Nice work if you can get it.

 

By Simon Flowers and Wood Mackenzie via Forbes

 

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Research proves economic efficiency of biogas in dairy farming

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The generation of electric energy and the production of biofertilizers from livestock wastes is already a reality in Brazilian cattle breeding. After some frustrated experiments in the 1970s and 1980s, growers who adopt a feedlot system, in which cattle are raised in large stables, started to generate the electricity consumed on the farm, and in some cases even sell the surplus distribution companies.

 

The adoption of technology is still low among dairy farmers, but researcher Marcelo Henrique Otenio, who coordinates studies on biodigesters at Embrapa Gado de Leite (MG), says that the use of biogas is booming in the sector and shows returns financial resources. “We have assembled a multidisciplinary research team from several institutions and our studies indicate that it is economically viable to use biodigesters in dairy farming for free stall production systems with more than eighty cows” , reveals Otenio.

 

Via DATAGRO

 

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With these numbers, it’s no surprise SoftBank is investing in Latin America

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After SoftBank announced its plans to launch a $5 billion innovation fund in Latin America, we reached out to the good folks at the Latin American Venture Capital Association (LAVCA) for some context, and what they told me only validates the reasoning behind SoftBank’s interest in the region. (In 2017, we reported on the growing interest in Latin America.)

Let’s start with some numbers. Venture funding in Latin American startups is up — way up — from previous years. Specifically, LAVCA’s data shows that VC funding more than doubled in 2017 to $1.14 billion compared to $500 million in 2016. While 2018 numbers haven’t been finalized, LAVCA is projecting another record year with venture investments topping $1.5 billion.

 

By Mary Ann Azevedo via Techcrunch

 

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McDonald’s Brazil: Engaging With A Generation Z Workforce

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Having shifted from technology to human resources two decades ago, Marcelo Nóbrega is right at the point of convergence between the two areas as he enhances the management of a 50,000-strong Generation Z workforce in McDonald’s restaurants throughout Brazil.

Keeping up with innovation that enhances staff management and productivity is core to the HR director’s work, who joined Arcos Dorados, McDonald’s largest franchisee in the world, in 2014. In his role, Nóbrega is actively looking for innovative approaches to better interact with the workforce with technologies such as artificial intelligence high up on the agenda.

 

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

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Brazil Bounces Back With A Slew Of New Billionaires

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Brazil has been through the ringer. The country went from being one of the world’s best-performing emerging economies to one riddled with political instability and beset by one of the worst recessions. In 2014, Brazil reached a record high 65 members on Forbes’Billionaires List. Then the troubles began, and the ranks of Brazil’s superrich fell steadily to just 42 in 2018.

But Brazil has come roaring back—at least when it comes to the very wealthy. A whopping 18 new billionaires hail from the South American country this year, a number of whom have taken their companies public on the São Paulo stock exchange in the recent past. Altogether Forbes found 58 billionaires in Brazil this year worth a combined $175 billion.

 

By Anderson Antunes via Forbes

 

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Demand for digital driving licenses soars in Brazil

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Demand for digital driving licenses is soaring in Brazil since the introduction of the smartphone-based document last year, available to the country’s 60 million drivers.

According to Brazil’s federal government’s data processing agency (Serpro), the digital license is available countrywide since April, but uptake has increased by 85 percent due to a new remote validation functionality added to the app last month.

 

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

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Brazil’s BTG Pactual Is Latest Bank to Embrace Crypto Assets

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Banco BTG Pactual SA, Latin America’s biggest standalone investment bank, is joining the world of crypto assets with its own security token.

BTG plans to raise as much as $15 million through an initial offering for a token called ReitBZ that will be backed by distressed real estate assets in Brazil, Gustavo Roxo, the bank’s chief technology officer, said in an interview. The token will based on blockchain technology, the decentralized public ledger of transactions.

By Felipe Marques via Bloomberg

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On Campus: Fundação Getúlio Vargas Is Training Brazil’s Next-Gen Workforce on Blockchain

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Brazil is a major economic power in Latin America and an important player on the world stage. This edition of On Campus shines a light on Sao Paulo’s Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV), one of the country’s leading universities, as it leverages Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative (UBRI) to train a global workforce in Brazil. FGV Professor Riccardo Rochman took us inside the university’s Crypto Master’s Program and its commitment to preparing Brazil’s rising blockchain entrepreneurs and leaders.

By Team Ripple from Newsletter on Brazil via Laura Randall

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Microsoft launches AI skills initiative in Brazil

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Microsoft has announced a new initiative that will see more than 3 million Brazilian students getting trained in themes around artificial intelligence (AI).

During the Microsoft AI+Tour event in São Paulo, the firm’s chief executive Satya Nadella announced the pro-bono partnership with school networks SESI and SENAI to offer AI training in high school courses. During the announcement, Nadella pointed out that governments should accelerate the adoption of automation but create new capabilities at the same time.

By Angelica Mari via ZD Net

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Onovolab Drives Multimillion-Dollar Plan To Expand Innovation Network In Brazil

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Independent innovation network Onovolab is driving a multimillion-dollar expansion of its co-creation centers across Brazil while attracting a flurry of corporate clients interested in tapping into external hubs for new technology projects.

The initiative launched in the city of São Carlos (144 miles from São Paulo) just over a year ago to act as a broker between traditional businesses and ventures with high-growth potential as well as a thriving academic community: the city’s universities produce one PhD for every 180 people, while the national average is one doctor per 5,423 inhabitants. The idea is that organizations can benefit from that mix for their own co-innovation initiatives.

By Angelica Mari via Forbes

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