Brazil is a developing mixed economy ranking the ninth-largest in the world by GDP and 8th largest by purchasing power parity in 2019. But those ranks are not reflecting the fact that Brazil has been in rather tumultuous waters in this decade. While the 2000-2012 period has been bountiful netting a GDP growth rate of over 5%, the following years have been somewhat disturbing. Expectations of a miraculous recovery have not been reached and for 2019 the graph underlined a 1.1% GDP growth.
One main impediment to the cause of recovery is the issue of soaring unemployment of 13.4 million and the underutilisation of 28.3 million people (circa 13% and 27% of the population, respectively), as pointed out by the official unemployment survey. There are still other economical problems on Brazil’s horizon in need of a problem-solver. Regardless of these major decelerating factors, Brazil has managed to diversify its industrial base, grow to being the second-largest manufacturing sector in the Americas and get to be one of the top ten steel producers and exporters in the world. We created this list of the largest 15 Companies in Brazil by Assets in 2019 to show how they have fared in this sluggish year, leaving it to you to decide whether these can help the economic situation improve in the near future.
1.Banco Itaú Unibanco S.A. - $408.8B
Banco Itaú Unibanco S.A.is the leader of our top 15 Companies in Brazil by Assets in 2019. It’s a publicly quoted bank with the main offices in São Paulo, and is the outcome of the 2008 merger between Banco Itaú and Unibanco. While the bank is an important pillar of Latin America’s economy, its operations have far reached some European and Asian countries. At the end of 2019, Banco Itaú Unibanco S.A. held $408.8B in assets.
2.Banco do Brasil S.A. - $359.5B
Banco do Brasil S.A. is the second largest bank in Latin America, achieving $359.5B in assets at the end of 2019. It is also on the list of the oldest banks in continuous operation. Founded in 1808 at the behest of King John VI of Portugal, the bank served three important roles: commercial bank, the government’s fiscal agent, Brazil’s first bank of issue. Aside from banking services, Banco do Brasil S.A. finances the national volleyball team and used to do the same for Felipe Nasr, racing driver.
3.Banco Bradesco S.A. - $337.9B
Banco Bradesco S.A. is now the third-largest bank by assets in Brazil. It used to be the largest private bank, however, that changed once the merger of Banco Itaú and Unibanco took place. The bank's main quarters are in the metropolitan area of São Paulo while its pioneers of influence count over 5,300 branches, 4,800 service branches, and 38,400 “Bradesco Expresso” units. Besides Bradesco's service portfolio, one feature stands aptly named “Segurança Bradesco na Palma da Mão” - vascular patterns as an additional password. All in all, Bradesco’s assets measured $337.9B worth as of 2019.
4.Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. - $230.2B
Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (further Petrobras), the 4th company on our top 15 list, diverges from the banking atmosphere set by the companies above. Petrobras is a state-owned corporation chiefly dealing in oil and gas as well as its byproducts. The corporation manages upstream, midstream, and downstream operations with a side activity in the production of biofuels. Despite the negative image petroleum companies have, Petrobras has made a few initiatives in the cause of preserving the environment. In 2019, Petrobras reported $230.B in assets.
5.Vale S.A. - $84.8B
Vale S.A. (further Vale) is a metals and mining multinational corporation with the main offices located in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to the various metal products pouring from their factories, Vale operates nine hydropower plants and a considerable network of railroads, ships and ports as part of their internal logistics. The company is the largest producer of iron ore and nickel, the latter being an important component for modern batteries. At the end of 2019, Vale reported $84.8B in assets.
6.Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. - $44.1B
Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. (further Eletrobras), as the name implies, is an electric utilities company. Founded back in 1962, today it is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. A considerable part of Eletrobras’s influence is the stakes they hold in various electric companies. Eletrobras generates about 40% and transmits 69% of Brazil’s electric supply. Most of the generating power comes from hydroelectric plants which is also why the company is one of the largest to use clean energy. At the end of 2019, Eletrobras held $44.1B in assets.
7.Banco BTG Pactual S.A. - $40.3B
Banco BTG Pactual S.A. (further BTG) is a financial services company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. It operates across three markets: investment banking, wealth, and asset management. BTG was founded in 1983 and was initially a brokerage firm. Today, its clients are companies, retail and institutional investors, and various sizes of government bodies. While the company is primarily focused on Latin American cities, it does not shy away from having offices in the world’s leading financial centers. At the end of 2019, BTG recorded $40.3B in assets.
8.JBS S.A. - $31.4B
JBS S.A. (further JBS) takes away 8th place in our top 15 Companies in Brazil by Assets in 2019 having ended the year with $31.4B in assets. However, it is the largest meat processing company worldwide when accounting for sales. It was founded in 1953 and the initial purpose was to be a slaughtering business. Today, it produces processed beef, chicken, and pork in addition to selling the resulting by-products.
9.Suzano S.A. - $24.3B
Suzano S.A. is a pulp and paper company headquartered in Salvador and with offices in other Latin American countries as well as London, Shanghai, and Signy. It has eight industrial units whose efficient operation has pushed the company as one of the most prominent in its sector worldwide. Suzano is a top 10 producer of market pulp and the leader of eucalyptus pulp in the world. All in all, 2019 spelled success as Suzano had $24.3B in assets.
10.Braskem S.A. - $16.9B
Braskem S.A. is a petrochemical company with the main office in São Paulo and the largest one at that in Latin America. Braskem is a leader in thermoplastic resin production, with 36 industrial plants pushing over 16 million tons of resins and other petrochemicals per year. Braskem’s green ethylene plant was inaugurated in 2010 and was an important step towards more sustainable chemicals. It achieved a feedstock of 100% renewable raw materials. It is a rather new company, having been founded in 2002, but in 2019 has achieved $16.9B in assets.
11.Itaúsa Investimentos Itaú S.A. - $16.8B
Itaúsa Investimentos Itaú S.A. (further Itaúsa) is a holding company chiefly for businesses in financial and real estate, wood panels, pottery, metal, chemicals, and fashion. It is one of the largest private conglomerates in both Brazil and the world. Itaú Unibanco, Duratex, and Alpargatas are the main companies under the control of Itaúsa. The combined effort of the staff, numbering 126,800 heads together with efficient management, has pushed Itaúsa’s assets at the end of 2019 to $16.8B.
12.Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição - $14.4B
Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição (further GPA) is the biggest Brazilian company that deals in food, general merchandise, electronic goods, and home appliances retailing under the format of supermarkets, hypermarkets, and general stores. GPA’s parent company is the French conglomerate group Casino. There are three types of business units that GPA operates, each featuring a different banner logo: Pão de Açúcar, Extra, Assaí. In 2019, GPA had assets worth $14.4B.
13.Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais S.A. - $12.4B
Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais S.A. (further CEMIG) is a power company with headquarters in Belo Horizonte. The company is among the prominent players involved in contributing to the power grid and is responsible for 12% of national distribution. In terms of revenue, it ranks the fourth largest. CEMIG is jolting in 22 Brazillian States and with 50 power plants under their name, most being hydroelectric thus contributing to having a “green” image. In addition to electricity, it deals in natural gas and telecommunications. All in all, CEMIG had $12.4B in assets at the end of 2019.
14.CPFL Energia S.A. - $11B
CPFL Energia S.A. (further CPFL) is another participant in the Brazilian electric grid. The corporation is made up of 7 companies operating as holding companies which own a myriad of other businesses. With headquarters in Campinas and an employee count of over 7,900, CPFL has smoothly snatched 13% of the distribution segment market share. By the end of 2019, the corporation recorded $11B in assets.
15.B3 S.A. - $10.3B
B3 S.A. is the last but not the least on our top 15 Companies in Brazil by Assets in 2019, reporting $10.3B in assets. It is quite distinct when compared to the other contenders since at its core it is a stock exchange. It was founded in 1890 and has quickly picked up the pace especially considering the aid of the 60's financial system and stock market reform. Moreover, with the appearance of mobile phones, computer-based systems, and the internet the road ahead became smoother. At the end of 2019, the company reported $10.3B in assets.
