On July 15, 2014, the presidents of the development banks in countries that comprise the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – signed a cooperation agreement for innovation. Formalized during the VI Brics Summit, the Brics Multilateral Cooperation Agreement on Innovation aims at providing support for projects and initiatives that foster investments in technological innovation as well as innovation in processes and products throughout several areas of industry, services and agribusiness.

Disbursements by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) reached R$ 58.8 billion in the 1Q2014, up 8% in comparison to the same period in 2013. The result was driven by the infrastructure sector, whose releases totaled R$ 21.6 billion, a 48% jump in comparison to the 1Q2013, representing a 37% stake in the Bank’s total disbursements in January-April 2014.

A study concluded by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) shows that the investments in the Brazilian economy should total R$ 4.07 trillion in the 2014-2017 period. The amount is expected to surpass the R$ 3.98 trillion assessed for the same period in the previous survey, disclosed in October 2013.

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) registered a net profit of R$ 1.56 billion in the first quarter of 2014. The amount is stable in relation to the same period in the previous year, R$ 1.59 billion, and it was sustained through financing and investment projects. The positive performance reflected the good result in the fixed-income segment.