BNDES announces R$10 billion for companies taxed at less than 50% by the US

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) announced this Friday, the 22nd, a R$10 billion credit line to help companies taxed less than 50% by the United States government. The funds will finance working capital and investments in adapting production activities, acquiring machinery and equipment, and seeking new markets.

The measure is part of the Sovereign Brazil plan , which provides measures to help Brazilian exporters. The 10 billion-dollar loan will be divided into two lines :

• Complementary Emergency Funding: financing for general operating expenses;
• Giro Complementary Diversification: financing to search for new markets.

In addition, the bank will also operate 30 billion reais from the Export Guarantee Fund (FGE) — this amount will be loaned at lower interest rates and will be reserved for companies that lost more than 5% of their revenue and were subject to 50% tariffs.

According to BNDES president Aloizio Mercadante, the priority at this time is for companies that have lost more than 5% of their revenue due to Donald Trump's offensive . "The priority is incentivized credit for all companies that have suffered an abrupt loss of export capacity, with no possibility of negotiation, and that have lost more than 5% of their revenue," he said.

The Secretary of Economic Policy at the Ministry of Finance, Guilherme Mello, explained that there will be a job retention clause for companies taking out loans. The calculation will be based on the average number of employees in the 12 months prior to June 2025. If the company fails to comply with this rule, the financing will lose its special conditions and will be subject to interest adjusted by the Selic rate.

The bank's plan also has 22.5 billion reais in guarantees, which depend on Congress approving a bill removing aid from the Treasury's primary balance.

Deadlines and limits

The terms of operations under the emergency line range from 5 to 10 years (60 and 120 months, with a grace period of 12 and 24 months, respectively). The maximum financing amount for the acquisition of capital assets and investment financing will be R$150 million.

For working capital purposes, large companies will have a maximum financing amount of R$200 million, while medium, small and micro companies will have a maximum financing amount of R$35 million.

Mercadante said that, starting on the 4th, business owners can contact the banks they already work with. "Our estimate is that the Ministry of Finance (MDIC), together with the Federal Revenue Service and Serpro, will deliver the list of companies eligible for the program to the BNDES by September 8th," he said. "We expect to begin the credit approval process starting on September 15th," he added.