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Tech Roundup: Startup brings favelas into e-commerce boom

A digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil

Paraisópolis favelas
Paraisópolis, in São Paulo. Photo: Fabio Utumi/Shutterstock
May 28, 2021 14:14 6 min read (Updated: May 28, 2021 14:23)

This week’s topics: B2W joins a logistics startup to improve delivery in Brazil’s favelas. A study shows the effects of digital exclusion on accessing Covid-19 emergency benefits. And the debate on cryptocurrency regulation increases with a public hearing on pyramid schemes. 

Startup puts favelas on the Brazilian delivery map

favelas delivery
“We put favelas’ zip codes on the Brazilian e-commerce map,” says CEO Giva Pereira

Brazil’s favelas pose a significant problem for logistics services....

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Bolsonaro drama makes electoral court ceremony event of the season
Power

Bolsonaro drama makes electoral court ceremony event of the season

With a view to defending Brazil's electoral system — under attack from President Bolsonaro — almost all major political figures showed up to the swearing-in ceremony of new electoral court head Alexandre de Moraes

23 hours ago • Amanda Audi
Multiple institutions were invited to inspect the Brazilian voting machines' source code at the Superior Electoral Court's headquarters. Photo: Antonio Augusto/Secom/TSE
Power

Voting machine source code used for electoral disinformation

The electronic voting machines used in Brazil’s elections are the main targets of President Bolsonaro’s electoral disinformation campaign — despite tests showing them to be extremely secure

1 day ago • Cedê Silva
Power

EU-Mercosur agreement faces a crossroads in Brazil’s presidential election

The free trade agreement reached in 2019 remains stalled, largely due to EU concerns with Brazil’s environmental commitments. But it is not clear if a change of government in Brasília would resolve the deadlock

2 days ago • André Spigariol and Gustavo Ribeiro
congress House Speaker Arthur Lira (left) and Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco. Photo: Zeca Ribeiro/CD
Power

How Brazilian Congress changed the balance of power in Brasília

The return in force under the current government of opaque budgetary grants for lawmakers has given Congress unprecedented power — that will last beyond this legislature

3 days ago • Amanda Audi
putschist Bolsonaro erratic diplomacy
Power

A putschist meeting shows up Bolsonaro’s erratic foreign policy

The guest list for President Bolsonaro’s July 18 meeting with foreign diplomats lays bare the Brazilian president’s erratic approach to foreign policy, and highlights how he shuns key partners such as Argentina and China

1 week ago • Cedê Silva
Milk has become more expensive than gasoline in São Paulo
Insider

Milk has become more expensive than gasoline in São Paulo

1 day ago • Ana Ferraz
dom bruno murders senate
Insider

Senate to vote on report on Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira murders

2 days ago • Cedê Silva
Petrobras slashes gasoline prices for a third time in less than a month
Insider

Petrobras slashes gasoline prices for a third time in under a month

3 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Federal Police marshal requests arrest of his police superiors for interference
Insider

Federal Police marshal requests arrest of his police superiors for interference

3 days ago • Amanda Audi
Central Bank index GDP omens
Insider

Central Bank index brings good GDP omens to Brazil

3 days ago • Ana Ferraz
mask mandate planes airports
Coronavirus

Anvisa lifts mask mandate for planes and airports

1 day ago • Cedê Silva
bolsonaro drugs covid
Coronavirus

Bolsonaro once again touts ineffective drugs against Covid

3 weeks ago • Lucas Berti
senators pro-Bolsonaro prosecutor
Coronavirus

Opposition senators accuse pro-Bolsonaro prosecutor of malfeasance

3 weeks ago • Amanda Audi
São Paulo fourth vaccine dose rollout
Coronavirus

São Paulo moves forward with fourth vaccine dose rollout

3 weeks ago • Eric Zalcman
oi roaming regulators
Coronavirus

Regulators threaten to cancel Oi Telecom sale amid stalemate on roaming prices

4 weeks ago • Fabiane Ziolla Menezes
polls First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro and President Jair Bolsonaro. Photo: Isac Nóbrega/PR
2022 Race

Bolsonaro yet to feel effects of cash benefits in polls

1 day ago • Cedê Silva
voting machine Armed Forces
2022 Race

Electoral court authorizes Armed Forces to inspect ballot code

2 days ago • Amanda Audi
stabbed Antonio Scorza / Shutterstock
2022 Race

Bolsonaro to launch campaign in city where he was stabbed

3 days ago • Cedê Silva
jair bolsonaro constitution
2022 Race

How Bolsonaro fends off pressure for democratic commitment

6 days ago • Cedê Silva
manifesto defense of democracy
2022 Race

Brazilians unite in defense of democracy

7 days ago • Constance Malleret
ESG bonds
Business

Market roundup: Latin America less keen on ESG bonds

The issuance of ESG debt bonds in Latin America has seen a major fall, much bigger than the global trend.

6 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Why banks are now voicing concern about Brazilian democracy
Business

Why banks are now voicing concern about Brazilian democracy

Fearful of the economic consequences of a Bolsonaro-led coup attempt, Big business has belatedly decided to speak up, signing manifestos in defense of democracy

2 weeks ago • Amanda Audi
Market roundup interest rates fixed income
Business

Market roundup: Higher interest rates push retail investors to fixed income

The returns on fixed income fluctuate in opposite direction to the benchmark interest rate. With rates at a six-year high, investors are fleeing from variable interest

2 weeks ago • Ana Ferraz
Brazil's Central Bank signals pivot on interest rates
Business

Brazil’s Central Bank sends ambiguous message on interest rate hikes

The monetary authority raised benchmark rates by a half percentage point and said it is appropriate to continue tightening "significantly into even more restrictive territory." But many policy wonks believe it might not pull the trigger

2 weeks ago • Ana Ferraz
brazilian retailers
Business

Retailers will benefit from recent stimulus measures. But it won’t last

The case of Brazilian retail behemoth Magazine Luiza illustrates the challenges facing the country’s retail sector. The government’s electorally-motivated stimulus measures will provide a boost for retailers after a post-pandemic slump, but only in the short term

2 weeks ago • Ana Ferraz
open finance whatsapp
Tech

Tech roundup: Open finance gets to WhatsApp

Of the 24 million customers that interact digitally with Banco do Brasil, 10 million do so every single day, showing the need for more digital channels

3 days ago • Fabiane Ziolla Menezes and Ana Ferraz
With solutions from AI-driven chatbots to all-in-one communication dashboards, companies like the Brazilian Nasdaq-listed Zenvia are among those surfing the so-called conversational or messaging commerce trend.
Tech

AI is overhauling Latin America’s services industry

With solutions from AI-driven chatbots to all-in-one communication dashboards, companies like the Brazilian Nasdaq-listed Zenvia are among those surfing the so-called conversational or messaging commerce trend

5 days ago • Fabiane Ziolla Menezes
Brazilian scientists add to research on superconductors
Tech

Brazilian scientists add to research on superconductors

Computer simulations have allowed Brazilian researchers to reach new findings on superconductivity, an area of growing research globally

6 days ago • Fabiane Ziolla Menezes
5g debut brazil
Tech

Tech roundup: A look at the 5G debut in Brazil

5G officially launches in São Paulo, but we take a look at how companies are already using the technology around the country

1 week ago • Ana Ferraz
video game addiction
Tech

Tech roundup: Brazil’s video game problem

The flip side to the boom in Brazil’s video game industry is excessive usage, and high levels of associated problems, among young Brazilians

2 weeks ago • Ana Ferraz
Explaining Brazil #211: Deflation for whom?
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #211: Deflation for whom?

Brazil registered 0.68-percent deflation in July, suggesting that prices are easing. But a look beneath the headline numbers makes for some sobering discoveries

1 day ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
democracy lula bolsonaro
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #210: Pro-democracy pushback

As President Jair Bolsonaro's anti-democratic antics grow in volume, banks and tycoons become vocal in their defense of democracy. A coup, after all, is bad for business

1 week ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
monkeypox brazil
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #209: The state of monkeypox in Brazil

Brazil has over 1,300 confirmed cases of monkeypox. With the exception of Peru’s 275 confirmed cases, no other Latin American countries have hit the 100-case mark, making Brazil the region's monkeypox hotspot

2 weeks ago • Euan Marshall
conventions Explaining Brazil #208: Electoral gears start to heat up
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #208: Electoral gears start to heat up

The main candidacies in Brazil's presidential election in October have been made official by their parties. We discuss what that changes in the race

3 weeks ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
anitta lula bolsonaro election
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #207: Anitta enters the presidential race

Arguably Brazil's biggest pop star of the moment, singer Anitta has endorsed former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — and is even giving him campaign advice

4 weeks ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
guns gangs
Society

Legal guns in the hands of illegal gangs

Regulatory confusion and frail oversight during the Bolsonaro government has made it much easier for Brazil's organized crime gangs to obtain guns through proper legal channels

2 hours ago • Euan Marshall
Indigenous groups during an August 2021 protest in at the Three Powers Square — where all three branches of government are headquartered.
Society

Neglect in Sarauá indicative of Bolsonaro’s indigenous track record

Hundreds of non-indigenous families have settled in the protected Sarauá indigenous territory, but government agencies have done nothing to remove them

4 hours ago • Amanda Audi and Gustavo Ribeiro
amazon Police take into custody one of the men who confessed to killing Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira. Photo: Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
Society

Senators want government investigated over negligence in Amazon murders

A committee has asked federal prosecutors to investigate what they see as a lackadaisical response from the federal government in the case of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira’s murders

2 days ago • Cedê Silva
massacre Mothers of slaughtered Carandiru inmates ask for justice during a 2016 event. Photo: Rovena Rosa/ABr
Society

House committee to vote on amnesty for Brazil’s worst prison massacre

The 1992 Carandiru massacre is the bloodiest episode of prison violence in Brazil’s recent history. A House committee could now vote to get the ball rolling on amnestying the perpetrators

2 weeks ago • Cedê Silva
monkeypox threat Covid failures
Society

With monkeypox threat, Brazil risks repeating Covid failures

The Health Ministry claims to have ordered vaccines but The Brazilian Report understands that approval has not been sought

3 weeks ago • Cedê Silva
congress pesticides regulation
Environment

‘Poison bill’ could progress this month, environment and human rights bodies are furious

The controversial bill would drastically change pesticide regulations, making it considerably easier for new and potentially harmful products to be licensed for use

1 week ago • Constance Malleret
Petrobras refinery in Paraná state. Photo: Gel Lima/Código19/Folhapress
Environment

Petrobras fines being used to set model for environmental compensation

Over BRL 100 million in compensation paid by Petrobras for a 2001 diesel leak has taken decades to reach its intended target, but environmental agencies hope latest deal will set an example

1 week ago • Amanda Audi
mato grosso deforestation
Environment

The disappearing vegetation of Mato Grosso

Literally translated as 'thick vegetation,' the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso has been changed dramatically by the power of major agribusiness, and the forest cover which gave it its name is now largely gone

2 weeks ago • Euan Marshall
carbon credit market Cattle grazing during the dry season in the Caatinga biome in Uirauna, Paraíba. Photo: Cacio Murilo/Shutterstock
Environment

Caatinga region to have Brazil’s first carbon credit cooperative

Landowners in the semi-arid Northeast are keen on getting involved in the carbon market, but their properties are too small to generate credits in the traditional manner

3 weeks ago • Ana Ferraz
amazon fund brazil norway germany
Environment

Bolsonaro feigns a return of the Amazon Fund

After ignoring and gutting the Amazon Fund for years, the Jair Bolsonaro administration now appears to want to revive it. Experts remain skeptical, however

3 weeks ago • Cedê Silva
argentina pesos exchange rate
Latin America

Argentina’s bizarrely convoluted multiple exchange rate system

A U.S. dollar can have more than a dozen prices, ranging from 90 to 300 Argentinian Pesos. But the system might not last much longer

4 days ago • Ignacio Portes
world cup Montevideo's Estadio Centenario hosted the 1930 World Cup final. But hosting the 2030 final might be a tall order. Photo: Shutterstock
Latin America

South American World Cup bid may be a poison chalice

Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay have launched a joint bid to host the World Cup in 2030. But, if they win, would they be able to afford it?

6 days ago • Lucas Berti
fishing Chinese squid trawler sailing next to Argentina. Photo: Michael Runkel/Alamy
Latin America

The scourge of illegal fishing in South America

South American coastlines are repeatedly plagued by illegal fishing vessels, often from China. Experts say regional cooperation is the key to mitigation

7 days ago • Lucas Berti
Bolivia protesters clash with police forces. Photo: Martín Alipaz/EFE
Latin America

How the census has provoked mass protests in Bolivia

Regional conflict between the ruling MAS party and the country’s easternmost provinces has often turned bloody. This time, the sides are at loggerheads over demography

2 weeks ago • Ignacio Portes
Violence and arrests compound swirling crisis in Guatemala
Latin America

Violence and arrests compound swirling crisis in Guatemala

Unpopular head of state Alejandro Giammattei was shot at during a visit to Guatemala's western highlands, while he faces criticism over arrest of prominent journalist

2 weeks ago • Lucas Berti
1922 election lessons for this year
Opinion

Brazil’s 1922 election contains lessons for this year

The 1922 presidential election in Brazil, during which the Armed Forces were courted by the losing candidate, was followed by a military uprising. This year, the politicization of the military once again looms large over Brazilian politics

1 week ago • Andre Pagliarini
Lower consumer prices give Bolsonaro a fighting chance in October
Opinion

Lower consumer prices give Bolsonaro a fighting chance in October

If the elections were today, former President Lula could beat Bolsonaro in a landslide. But there is still a long way to go

1 week ago • Luciano Sobral
President Jair Bolsonaro and Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira (left), a recently-retired Army general, have hinted that they may not accept the October election results. Photo: Marcos Corrêa/PR
Opinion

Bolsonaro’s authoritarian pursuits put the West in a bind

Two months ahead of the presidential elections, Western diplomats face a dilemma as Jair Bolsonaro signals he will not recognize the result if he loses

2 weeks ago • Oliver Stuenkel
bolsonaro Pro-democracy demonstration in Salvador, Bahia. Photo: Thales Antonio/Shutterstock
Opinion

Brazil goes Back to the Future for October’s election

Without the credibility as an outsider, Jair Bolsonaro is taking lessons from Trump's 2020 defeat: speaking to his base and bashing the electoral system

3 weeks ago • Mauricio Moura
corruption scandal President Jair Bolsonaro and House Speaker Arthur Lira (right) have worked in tandem to jack up budgetary grants for lawmakers. Photo: Marcos Corrêa/PR
Opinion

Why Bolsonaro’s “secret budget” is much worse than Lula’s Mensalão

Many have equated the main corruption scandal during the Lula years to Jair Bolsonaro's so-called "secret budget." But the comparison is not accurate

4 weeks ago • Beatriz Rey
tourism industry
Tourism

South American tourism industry hopes for boom from currency devaluation

A strong U.S. dollar has helped attract foreign tourists to Brazil and could make other South American destinations attractive to foreigners in the aftermath of the pandemic

2 days ago • Ignacio Portes and Ana Ferraz
cuisine "People became desperate to discover regionalities, to discover traditions," says Tuca Mezzomo, chef at Charco, a restaurant in São Paulo. Photo: Julia Rodrigues/Charco
Tourism

Rediscovery of local ingredients earns Brazilian cuisine international recognition

As globalized gastronomy seeks local ingredients and techniques, Brazilian food is reaping the rewards with its own culinary revolution

1 month ago • Eric Zalcman
travel industry
Tourism

War in Ukraine slowing down long-awaited recovery of Brazil’s travel industry

High oil prices, a still-unfavorable exchange rate, and inflation that bites into consumers’ discretionary spending mean the sector still faces a hard post-Covid road ahead

5 months ago • Ana Ferraz
gay tourism Farme de Amoedo Street, in Ipanema. Photo: Lazyllama/Shutterstock
Tourism

Brazil is an emerging gay tourism hotspot, but the government doesn’t want to know

Actions to promote gay tourism in the country have been actively ignored since Jair Bolsonaro came to power, despite Brazil having some of the world's best LGBTQ+-friendly spots

6 months ago • Amanda Audi
Marshal looking for survivors in Petrópolis
Tourism

Petrópolis disaster leaves a scar on Brazil’s historical landmarks

With hundreds dead and much physical destruction, evidence emerges of authorities’ negligence in preparing prevention and mitigation strategies

6 months ago • Renato Alves and Ana Ferraz
visa remote work
Guide to Brazil

Brazil creates a visa for foreign “digital nomads”

The country follows in the footsteps of dozens of nations around the world, offering temporary residence to people working remotely for foreign countries. Justice Ministry officials say it will attract foreign capital and boost tourism

7 months ago • Iure Pontes Vieira
october 12 People light candles to celebrate the day of Our Lady of Aparecida. Photo taken on Oct. 12, 2016. Photo: Nelson Antoine/Shutterstock
Guide to Brazil

October 12: a celebration of Brazil’s patron saint

According to legend, fishermen were inundated with fish to catch soon after finding an image of a black Virgin Mary. Since then, Our Lady of Aparecida has become Brazil's most popular and important saints

10 months ago • Euan Marshall
Rio's Christ the Redeemer. Photo: Ricardo Cohen/Shutterstock
Guide to Brazil

The story of Christ the Redeemer, 90 years old

Brazil's most popular tourist attraction, the story of how Christ the Redeemer came about is a fascinating one. This week's Rio celebrates the statue's 90th anniversary

10 months ago • Renato Alves
brazilian inquisition
Guide to Brazil

The lesser-known story of the Brazilian Inquisition

After terrorizing much of Spain and Portugal, the inquisition spread to many of these countries' colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Americas — including to Brazil

11 months ago • Renato Alves
Paulo Mendes da rocha
Guide to Brazil

Paulo Mendes da Rocha leaves behind incomparable legacy in Brazilian architecture

Among the most influential modernists in Brazilian history, Paulo Mendes da Rocha designed many of São Paulo's most famous tourist attractions and left a legacy of devoted followers

1 year ago • Renato Alves

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