The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) serves companies of all sizes and exporting stages, focusing on small and medium-sized companies. The Agency strategically seeks to increase the number of Brazilian exporting companies in the foreign market, to diversify and add value to Brazilian exported products, to increase the volume of Brazilian exports, to consolidate the country’s presence in traditional markets and to open new markets for Brazilian products and services. In order to achieve these goals, Apex-Brasil provides services of Information, Building Export Capacity, Trade Promotion, Positioning and Image, and Support to Internationalization. Apex-Brasil organises a wide range of trade promotion activities in partnership with sector organisations, by means of the Integrated Sector Projects (PSIs). They include prospective missions and trade missions, business rounds, support to participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs and visits of foreign buyers and trend-setters to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, among other actions and special projects.
The Agency currently supports 79 sectors of the Brazilian economy, divided into six large productive categories: food and beverages, fashion, technology and health care, housing and civil construction, entertainment and services, and machinery and equipment. The Agency also develops and builds the image of these productive sectors by means of comprehensive marketing activities and dissemination focused on entrepreneurs and consumers of high potential purchasing power. As an organisation focused on strategy development, Apex-Brasil produces competitive and business intelligence studies in order to guide decisions of Brazilian firms on entering international markets.
As part of its effort to internationalise Brazilian companies, Apex-Brasil counts on Business Support Centres around the world, which are platforms designed to help Brazilian companies in key global markets.
Apex-Brasil Desks established in ten Brazilian states aim to get closer to Brazilian companies. Training for export is provided in 26 operational centres throughout Brazil.
To attract direct investments into the country, the Investments Unit at Apex-Brasil is focused on identifying opportunities, promoting strategic events and providing support to foreign investors in analysing the market and establishing in Brazil.
In terms of international affairs, Apex-Brasil coordinates major world forums such as the Brazil-U.S. CEO Forum, the Brazil-UK Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO), the Brazil-Mexico Forum, the Brazil-India Forum, among others. Since 2008, the Agency has also been chairing the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA) and, since 2009, the Ibero-American Network of Trade Promotion Organisations (RedIbero). In 2009, Apex-Brazil has been ranked by the World Bank as the second best agency for foreign investment support among 181 institutions around the world and first in Latin America and the Caribbean.
