Brazil: Government, Public Sector

Brazil's Supreme Court has definitively upheld legal restrictions on foreign acquisition and lease of rural properties, including those imposed on Brazilian companies with majority foreign capital.

Declaração tem data-base em 31 de dezembro de 2025 e é aplicável a empresas com participação estrangeira e ativos a partir de R$ 100 mil...

Beginning in 2026, cross-border dividend payments from Brazil may become subject to a newly enacted 10% withholding income tax (WHT).

The Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office has restructured its organizational framework, expanding its Patent Directorate from 20 to 26 specialized examination divisions while dissolving eight existing units. These administrative changes, implemented through a series of normative ordinances in 2026, represent a significant reorganization of how patent applications will be processed and managed across different technical areas.

O Congresso Nacional aprovou a Lei nº 15.485/2026, estabelecendo um regime mais rigoroso de cadastro e responsabilização sobre o piso mínimo do frete rodoviário. A norma exige que a remuneração do TAC-agregado e do TAC-independente observe os pisos mínimos de frete, enquanto o teto da multa cai de R$ 10 milhões para R$ 1 milhão. O veto presidencial manteve intacto o passivo regulatório apurado pela ANTT, tema que deve gerar novos debates no Congresso.

Brazil's Decree No. 13,097/2026 opens the free electricity market to approximately 90 million low-voltage consumers, including households and small businesses, marking a transformative shift in how electricity is contracted. The regulation establishes a phased implementation schedule beginning in 2027, with specific requirements for migration between regulated and free contracting environments.

The State of Espírito Santo has launched Parklog Sul Capixaba, a BRL 25 billion logistics ecosystem designed to transform southern Brazil into a major hub for foreign trade and industrial development. With strategic ports, railways, and export processing zones, the program combines federal and state tax incentives to attract private investment, while navigating Brazil's ongoing consumption tax reform that will fundamentally reshape regional competition for capital.

This weekly bulletin from Mayer Brown's Brasília litigation team highlights upcoming judicial proceedings and legislative matters across Brazil's highest courts and federal legislative bodies.

Brazil's National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels has unveiled the largest permanent offer cycles to date, announcing 22 exploration block sectors and 2 marginal accumulation sectors under the concession regime, alongside 13 blocks under the production sharing regime. With public sessions scheduled for October 7, 2026, companies have until August 31, 2026, to submit expressions of interest for participation in these significant oil and gas bidding opportunities.

The U.S. government's recent designation of Brazilian criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations is fundamentally reshaping compliance obligations and regulatory exposure for companies operating internationally. How will these expanded FTO designations impact routine business operations, supply chain management, and financial transactions for Brazilian and multinational corporations? This analysis explores the practical implications of heightened transnational enforcement and the critical ste

Brazil has built a comprehensive legal framework to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, anchored by Law #9,613/98 and strengthened by Central Bank Circular #3,978/2020. The Financial Activities Control Council (COAF) serves as the nation's intelligence hub, analyzing 87 distinct laundering typologies that span corporate structures, cryptocurrency transactions, real estate schemes, and cash-based operations. Understanding these regulatory mechanisms and criminal patterns is essential for financi

The US Department of State has designated Brazil's largest criminal organizations—Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV)—as Foreign Terrorist Organizations, fundamentally transforming operational security challenges into high-stakes legal risks under US counterterrorism statutes.