BR Financing Agencies: FINEP & BNDES

Brazilian Development Bank – BNDES

  

BNDES is Brazil’s leading development bank, established in 1952 and headquartered in Rio de Janeiro.  It provides long-term financing, credit lines, and project finance for large-scale infrastructure and industrial projects, including renewable energy.  Funding typically ranges from millions to hundreds of millions of BRL, supporting solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, and energy storage projects.  BNDES focuses on mature, scalable investments, offering long repayment terms and requiring robust collateral, making it a key driver of Brazil’s energy transition.  Key features:

  

• Financing amount: typically millions to hundreds of millions of BRL:

  • Large-scale REN energy proj.: PV, wind, biomass, hydropower & energy storage.

  • For research or innovation proj.: supported via the BNDES Inova line.

• Term: long-term, generally 7–20 years, with flexible repayment schedules.

• Calls for proposals (standard): active calls

• Calls for proposals (Inova line): active calls

• Collateral requirements: robust, including receivables, equipment, or real estate; less stringent for BNDES Inova projects.

• Areas of support:

  • Large-scale infra & industrial projects.

  • REN energy generation & storage.

  • Tech dev. & protos thru BNDES Inova.

  

Financier of Studies & Projects – FINEP

  

FINEP is a Brazilian public agency dedicated to financing research, dev., and innovation projects, particularly in the energy sector.  Founded in 1967 and based in Rio de Janeiro, it provides grants, soft loans, and venture funding, usually ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of BRL  Unlike BNDES, FINEP prioritizes early-stage, exp. projects, such as pilot plants and innovative techs, offering flex financing terms and less stringent collateral criteria to foster technological adv. & scalable innovation.  Key features:

  

• Financing amount: typically BRL 100,000 to several tens of millions:

  • For technology R&D or pilot plants: commonly BRL 1–20 million.

  • For non-reimbursable grants: BRL 200,000–5 million.

• Term: medium term, usually 3–10 years, with grace periods for R&D projects.

• Calls for proposals: active calls

• Collateral requirements: less stringent, especially for grants or support to startups/SMEs.

• Areas of support:

  • Tech innovation projects, prototypes, pilot plants.

  • Feasibility studies and technical assessments.

  • Disruptive technologies (hydrogen, batteries, new biogas routes, smart grids).