Seminar discusses strategies to make Brazil and São Paulo even more attractive to investors

At an event to launch the second edition of the report “Brazil’s attractiveness as a center for investments and business,” lecturers highlighted the need to develop strategies for São Paulo to be recognized as a major financial center of South America

How to make Brazil and the State of São Paulo more attractive to entrepreneurs, investors and other stakeholders? This was one of the topics discussed last Tuesday morning, October 9, at the launch of the second edition of the report “Brazil’s attractiveness as a center for investments and business.” Prepared by BRAiN with the support of The Boston Consulting Group, the study examines the country taking into account seven pillars: macroeconomic environment, institutional environment, talents and human capital, physical infrastructure, financial infrastructure and political and institutional stability.

During the event, the president of Investe São Paulo, Luciano Almeida, highlighted the importance of taking into account the various “Brazils” that make up the country. “When we talk, for example, about the lack of professional qualification, this issue is not a problem in the state of São Paulo. It can be noticed only in some specific sectors, but it is something very specific,” he said.

According to Almeida, it is essential to understand the characteristics of the different regions that make up Brazil, analyzing the specific demands, so that a regional development strategy can be developed. “It is no use to replicate the development model of São Paulo for the other states where, for instance, there is no skilled labor or adequate infrastructure available,” he said.

The president of Investe SP also stressed that over a hundred proposals for Public-Private Partnerships were received by the Government of São Paulo since the creation of the Expression of Interest from the Private Initiative (MIP) in October 2011 by Decree No. 57,289. The MIP provides an opportunity for investors to make suggestions for projects to be included in the PPP program. That is, by identifying a business opportunity, the investor can make a proposal to the State, presenting studies and surveys that show the importance and the need for the project they wish to implement. If the proposal is accepted by the State, but at the end of the bidding process, another investor is contracted, all expenses incurred for carrying out the studies will be reimbursed by the winner of the process.

Largest financial center in Latin America
Former Brazilian ambassador in the United States, Rubens Barbosa advocated the adoption of more effective leadership attitudes in disclosing the country’s image. “We will promote São Paulo as the largest financial center in South America. We need to launch a strategy for this,” he said.

“São Paulo has to become what it already is by nature,” argued the chairman of the ABC group, Nizan Guanaes. According to him, Brazil is too focused on the domestic market, without bothering to build a positioning abroad, a brand. “Brazil is much more sophisticated than the country of commodities that we sell,” said Guanaes. “We, at BRAiN, will disclose São Paulo as the financial center of Latin America,” said the publicist.

For the CEO of BRAiN, Paulo Oliveira, it is also essential that we develop actions for the companies to have more access to the resources available in the financial market. “The companies need the market to grow. We are developing a positive agenda in this sense, together with the state, and federal government and the private sector,” he said.

The report released on Tuesday is available for download in Portuguese, English and Spanish on the website of BRAiN.

http://www.brainbrasil.org/cgi/cgilua.exe/sys/start.htm?sid=15

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