Apex-Brasil

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Brazil's national trade and investment promotion agency that supports export growth and foreign direct investment attraction.
What are the main aims and objectives?

Apex-Brasil serves three core objectives for the Brazilian economy. The agency works to promote Brazilian exports by adding value to Brazilian products and services abroad, with particular emphasis on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It facilitates the internationalization of Brazilian companies by helping them navigate global markets and expand their international presence. Additionally, Apex-Brasil attracts foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil by identifying business opportunities and encouraging the transfer of innovative technologies to Brazilian companies. The agency prioritizes developing the competitiveness of Brazilian companies, particularly micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, which represent approximately 43.6% of supported companies. Through these activities, Apex-Brasil aims to contribute to the sustainable growth of the Brazilian economy by supporting national public policies and strategies, increasing Brazil's share of global exports, diversifying export destinations and products, promoting high value-added products, and enhancing Brazil's country brand image internationally.

How does the program work?

Apex-Brasil operates through a comprehensive ecosystem of programs and services delivered via an extensive geographic network. The agency maintains national headquarters in Brasília, four regional offices (São Paulo, Porto Alegre, Recife, and Belém), and nine international hubs (Beijing, Bogotá, Brussels, Dubai, Jerusalem, Miami, Moscow, San Francisco, and Shanghai).​

The agency is governed by a three-tier structure. The Governing Board is chaired by the Foreign Minister and includes five public sector representatives (from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Agriculture, the Special Secretariat for Partnerships, and BNDES) plus four private sector representatives (from SEBRAE, the National Industry Confederation, the National Agriculture Confederation, and the Brazilian Exporters Association). The Managing Board serves as the executive body headed by a CEO appointed by the President of Brazil. An Audit Committee composed of representatives from SEBRAE and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy provides oversight.​

Export Qualification Program (PEIEX) is a free program that capacitates Brazilian companies to begin exporting. The program offers diagnostic assessments of export readiness, implementation of customized work plans covering trade logistics, pricing, and international negotiation, personalized export plans, and technical assistance from specialized foreign trade experts. Companies receive up to 38 hours of training distributed according to their availability. PEIEX operates through regional nuclei across the country, implemented by partner entities including universities, industry federations, and organizations like SEBRAE.​

Trade Sector Projects are developed in partnership with business associations representing productive sectors. These projects organize trade missions (both prospective and business-focused), business rounds and matchmaking events, support for participation in international trade fairs, visits by foreign buyers and opinion makers to Brazil, and image promotion activities. The projects currently cover virtually all sectors of the Brazilian economy, with specific initiatives tailored to industries ranging from food and beverages to technology and creative economy.​

Business Internationalization Program provides customized coaching services for formulating internationalization strategies, executive training on relevant topics and markets, and internationalization missions with technical visits and meetings with local service providers.​

Exporta Mais Brasil launched in August 2023 as Brazil's largest export incentive program. The program facilitates business rounds between international buyers and Brazilian companies, generating expected business opportunities and connecting buyers from dozens of countries with Brazilian exporters.​

Women and International Business Programme launched in June 2023 applies a gender lens to all Apex-Brasil pillars including market intelligence, qualification, commercial promotion, international expansion, investment attraction, and country image promotion. The initiative includes affirmative mechanisms such as additional points in calls, reserved slots, discounts, and tie-breaking criteria for women-led businesses.​

The agency also conducts investment attraction activities including the Brasil Investment Forum (BIF), an annual FDI summit organized since 2017 that brings together key authorities and foreign investors. Apex-Brasil employs multiple service delivery methods including market intelligence and research, international business training, export capacity building, branding services, digital platforms for business matchmaking, and trade promotion at international events.

What is the overall cost?

Apex-Brasil is funded primarily through a fixed grant of 12.5% of SEBRAE's annual revenue, established when the agency was transformed into an autonomous non-profit entity in 2003. This funding mechanism ensures the agency is funded entirely by the private sector through this SEBRAE contribution. It is estimated Apex-Brasil has a budget of around US$ 500 million annually.

How was it implemented?

Apex was originally created in 1997 by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso as part of the SEBRAE system. This creation responded to industry and trade minister Dorothea Werneck's 1995 advocacy for an approach focused on the export potential of micro, small, and medium-sized companies. The initial agency was established as a subsidiary of SEBRAE, the micro- and small business support organization. Brazil's export promotion system had lost momentum in the 1990s due to budget constraints and the lack of a consistent national trade policy strategy, prompting the need for reform.​

In 2003, under President Luiz Inácio "Lula" da Silva's administration, development minister Luiz Fernando Furlan led a comprehensive restructuring. The agency was renamed Apex-Brasil and transformed into an autonomous non-profit entity. Funding shifted to be entirely by the private sector through the 12.5% SEBRAE revenue grant mechanism. The agency's attributions expanded beyond export promotion to include foreign investment attraction, and its institutional capacity and operational scope were enhanced.​

In 2016, under Foreign Minister José Serra, Apex-Brasil was officially placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which now chairs the Governing Board. This formalized the agency's integration with Brazil's diplomatic and trade promotion activities conducted through the Brazilian Foreign Service.​

From its inception, Apex-Brasil has operated through partnerships with sector associations and business confederations, SEBRAE for SME support, universities and research institutions, state and municipal governments, and international organizations. The agency established a national network of regional offices and gradually expanded its international presence to nine strategic hubs worldwide. Over time, specialized programs were developed including PEIEX launched around 2008-2009, the Startup Support Program initiated around 2012, the Women and International Business Programme launched in 2023, and Exporta Mais Brasil launched in 2023.

What impact has been measured?

Apex-Brasil supported companies account for approximately one-third of Brazil's annual exports. In 2023, supported companies generated US$ 140.7 billion in exports. The agency directly supports over 17,000 companies, with 4,181 companies actively monitored, and approximately 43.6% of supported companies are SMEs.

In its first year (2023-2024), Exporta Mais Brasil facilitated 5,145 business meetings between international buyers and Brazilian companies, generated expected BRL 469 million in new business, benefited 738 companies, and brought buyers from 63 countries across 22 editions. The Women and International Business Programme in its first year (2023-2024) increased Apex-Brasil's assistance to women-led companies by 32% from 2,161 in 2022 to 2,883 in 2023, supported nearly 700 new women-led companies, and impacted more than 1,500 companies overall through 75 actions focused on qualification, investment, and international trade promotion. The programme won the 2024 World Trade Promotion Organizations Awards.​

Research by IDB (2014) using firm-level data covering Brazil's full manufacturing sector found that Apex-Brasil's treatment increased the probability of non-exporting firms starting to export by 2.3 percentage points one year after program implementation. This represented an increase of approximately 130% in export propensity from 1.75% to 4.05%. The effect was positive and statistically significant for micro, small, and medium firms, but not for large firms. The impact was heterogeneous according to firm size categories and sectors. Studies also documented spillover effects on untreated firms that are in the same region and sector as Apex-Brasil's treated exporting firms.​

Apex-Brasil contributes to facilitating at least one-fourth of Brazil's foreign direct investment (FDI) inward flows each year. The 2024 Brasil Investment Forum announced R$ 54 billion in investments, 35% higher than the previous year. In 2023-2024, international sales of Brazilian fruits surpassed US$ 1.3 billion, representing 22.2% growth compared to the previous year, with Apex-Brasil's trade promotion activities contributing to this expansion. The Brazil IT+ sectoral project involved over 1,000 companies in 19 years, generating US$ 793 million in business in 2023, with participating companies growing from 175 in 2022 to 230.
 

What lessons can be learned?
  • Firm selection matters significantly: Research on PEIEX indicates program results are contingent on proper selection of the profile of participating firms. Not all firms benefit equally from export promotion assistance, and programs work best when there is alignment of firm expectations about program scope and sequential arrangement with other export promotion or competitiveness development programs.​
  • Size and sectoral heterogeneity: Impact is positive and statistically significant for micro, small, and medium firms, but not for large firms. Effects are heterogeneous according to sectors, requiring tailored support approaches rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. International research suggests strong diminishing returns in export promotion, indicating that as far as export promotion agencies are concerned, small is beautiful.​
  • Limited reach despite scale: Despite supporting 15,000-17,000 companies, this represents a small fraction of Brazil's potential exporters. Even with positive program effects, the low propensity to export for both treated and control groups reinforces the importance of other firms' determinants widely emphasized by trade literature such as productivity. Export promotion cannot overcome fundamental productivity constraints.​
  • Credit access remains critical: Research shows that credit is the only type of support that significantly affects all outcome variables for SMEs. Export promotion activities cannot fully substitute for financial constraints that many small firms face, and Brazil faces the so-called "Brazil cost" including high transaction costs, extensive red tape, insufficient infrastructure, skill shortages, and an overly complex tax system that export promotion agencies can only partially mitigate.​
  • Gender gaps require intentional intervention: Only 14% of Brazilian exporting companies have women-majority boards, revealing significant structural barriers. The success of affirmative mechanisms (additional scoring, reserved slots, mentorship) in achieving 32% growth in women-led companies supported demonstrates that inclusive policies can rapidly increase participation. Women entrepreneurs face socio-emotional barriers in international negotiations beyond technical barriers, necessitating support networks and mentorship.​
  • Geographic concentration persists: Companies in North and Northeast regions remain underrepresented, necessitating targeted initiatives like the 2024 SEBRAE partnership emphasizing these regions. Quality variation across PEIEX's dozens of regional nuclei implemented by different partner organizations challenges program standardization.

CURATED BY

Tom Hancock

Research Associate
Global Entrepreneurship Network
United Kingdom