The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, or ApexBrasil (Portuguese: Agência Brasileira de Promoção de Exportações e Investimentos) is both the trade promotion organisation (TPO) and the investment promotion agency (IPA) of Brazil. It is an autonomous non-profit entity funded by the private sector and supervised by the Federal Government of Brazil. Formally linked to the Development, Industry and Commerce Ministry, it promotes Brazilian products and services abroad, attracts foreign direct investment and supports national companies, especially small and medium-sized, on their international journey.
Trade Promotion
To achieve its goals, ApexBrasil performs a range of trade promotion activities aimed at fostering exports and adding value to Brazilian products and services abroad, either directly or through special partnerships with associations representing specific sectors of Brazil's industry, agribusiness and services. These efforts comprise prospective trade missions, digital business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international trade fairs, arrangement of technical visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the domestic productive structure, and other select activities designed to strengthen the country's branding abroad. The agency employs a vast array of strategies to promote the competitiveness of Brazilian companies during their internationalization process. The services offered by ApexBrasil to companies aiming to enter global markets include market intelligence and research, international business training, export capacity building and branding services.
Investment Atraction
ApexBrasil also plays a leading role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil. It identifies business opportunities, promotes networking events and offers strategic advice to foreign investors. Additionally, investment attraction initiatives are designed to encourage the transfer of innovative technologies to Brazilian companies. Since 2017, the agency organises an annual FDI summit, the Brasil Investment Forum (BIF), bringing together key authorities and foreign investors, highlighting major investment opportunities in the country, supporting investment promotion efforts of the subnational governments and addressing business climate concerns. The 2021 edition of the BIF, held entirely on a digital format, had more than 6 thousand participants, representing 102 countries and including at least 800 C-level foreign executives.