Brazil homologated R$49.95 billion of proposals in the fifth Eco Invest Brasil auction and selected four banks to structure funds and corporate credit. Bradesco, HSBC, Itaú and Santander received mandates spanning six industrial chains linked to innovation and ecological transformation. The programme’s executive committee approved the result on 7 October. The homologation converted a previously conditional selection into a formal award.
The auction attracted 23 proposals from six financial institutions with demand totalling R$181.3 billion. Banco do Brasil and Citibank also participated but were not among the four selected institutions. The Ministry of Finance said the approved proposals imply overall leverage of about 3.8 times the public catalytic capital. It allocated R$9 billion of public funding to innovation funds and R$4.2 billion to corporate credit.
BANKS RECEIVED SIX INDUSTRIAL MANDATES
Bradesco was selected for three chains with R$28.5 billion of potential investment. These comprised R$11 billion for circular use of mineral and industrial waste, R$9 billion for green fertilisers, bio-inputs and alternative proteins, and R$8.5 billion for biomaterials and green chemistry. Itaú received a R$9.75 billion mandate for automation and artificial intelligence applied to production and technology.
Santander was selected for R$6.5 billion covering critical-mineral processing, batteries and electric mobility. HSBC received a R$5.2 billion mandate for advanced green fuels, biogas and biomethane. An earlier Folha report had identified the same four banks but said the outcome still required executive-committee homologation, the step now completed.
PUBLIC CAPITAL AIMS TO DRAW PRIVATE FUNDS
The selected banks will establish innovation funds and provide corporate credit to businesses prepared to expand production. They must also direct non-repayable resources to applied research and technology entrepreneurship. The government set a minimum of R$250 million in donations to universities and science and technology institutes during the first year.
The result gives the banks defined sector mandates, but it does not mean that every underlying project has already received financing. Their next task is to constitute the funds and select companies and projects within the eligible chains. The pace of contracting and the financing terms offered to businesses will determine how quickly the approved R$49.95 billion becomes deployed investment.