The SGB Sector in 2017

2017 Trends in Brazil

1. Inclusive business becoming a priority. Initiatives related to gender, ethnicity, and youth are becoming increasingly common in Brazil. For example, SITAWI Finance for Good is structuring metrics that track the gender and ethnicity components of the businesses that they support and their beneficiaries, including employees and potential clients.
2. Behavioral insights improving financial literacy in Brazil. ANDE members are developing innovative projects and products related to financial education and human behavior. Fundación Capital is developing a project to understand the spending habits of low-income families by collecting data from a mobile application. In addition, Bank of America Merrill Lynch launched an initiative to introduce financial education into schools.
3. Digitalization of financial services improving access to finance. A new Brazilian law is improving financial inclusion by making it easier for some of the poorest people in the country to open digital bank accounts. Resolution 4,480 has allowed four of the country’s smaller banks to create financial products for low-income workers, such as accounts that can be opened online using mobile apps without visiting a branch. This digitization could allow for small family-run businesses to scale more easily and increase their access to capital through increased power to prove profitability. ANDE members are also using digitalization to increase access to products, services, and knowledge for low-income populations. For example, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has projects focused on introducing women to digital tools, especially financial inclusion platforms.
4. Reduced bureaucracy is a step in the right direction. The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Economic Survey of Brazil says that the country could lift GDP at least 20 percent over 15 years by deepening reforms to strengthen institutions, improving business regulation, and reaping the benefits of tighter integration into the global economy [19]. Lowering trade barriers could make Brazilian firms more competitive by allowing them to source inputs at lower prices. This, in turn, would boost trade volumes, raise productivity and wages, and reduce prices for low-income consumers. Moreover, while the bureaucracy of creating a new business in Brazil is still relatively high compared to other upper-middle income economies, steps are being taken to reduce barriers to entry. These initiatives include the individual microentrepreneur legislation that allows professionals to regulate their activities, and the Aliança Empreendedora’s mapped ecosystem of support for this type of entrepreneur [17].