Brazil & LatAm market entry for fintech, AI and robotics
You bring the product. We run Brazil.
Saconato Aoki & Company is the Brazil operating partner for technology companies. You focus on product and sales; we handle everything else on the ground, from incorporation and compliance to communications, strategic deals and funding.
Why Brazil
A large, growing and resilient market.
Brazil is Latin America's largest economy and population, with five consecutive years of GDP growth, record employment and one of the world's most advanced instant payment systems.
Regulatory landscape
Know who regulates you, and how they think.
Brazil has independent, technically strong regulators. For technology companies, three matter most. We follow their agendas closely and engage with them on our clients' behalf.
Central Bank of Brazil
Licenses payment and financial institutions and runs Pix and Open Finance. Any fintech offering payments, accounts or credit in Brazil needs its authorization or a licensed partner.
National Data Protection Authority
Enforces Brazil's data protection law (LGPD) and runs a regulatory sandbox on AI and data protection. The AI bill under discussion in Congress names it as coordinator of AI regulation.
National Telecommunications Agency
Regulates telecommunications and certifies devices that connect or transmit radio signals, from IoT sensors to robots, before they can be sold in Brazil. Also active on AI through its IA.Lab.
How we engage
Regulatory monitoring and agenda tracking. Contributions to public consultations. Authorization, licensing and equipment certification processes. Sandbox applications. Technical meetings with regulatory staff, through formal and transparent channels.
Who we are
The Brazil operating partner for technology companies.
Foreign fintech, AI and robotics companies come to Brazil for its scale, its payments infrastructure and its talent. What slows them down is everything else: incorporation, tax, people, regulators, government and local partners. We take that on, so your team can focus on product and sales.
University of São Paulo
Faculty of Law, Largo São Francisco, one of Latin America's leading law schools.
Fintech regulation
Compliance and regulatory experience at N26 Brazil, Aarin and Sqala.
Sector focus
Fintech, payments, artificial intelligence and robotics.
One point of contact
In English, from the first call to full operation.
Operations
Everything a foreign company needs to land and operate in Brazil.
Brazil Landing
Company formation, tax registration, banking, accounting, employer of record and first hires, in one coordinated package.
Resident Representative
The local representative Brazilian law requires for foreign shareholders, and an interim country presence until you hire.
Brazil Tech Intelligence
Regulatory tracking and market briefings in English on AI, data protection, tax reform and innovation incentives.
GovTech Gateway
Pilot projects with Brazilian municipalities under the Startup Legal Framework's public innovation contracts.
Regulatory & Compliance Readiness
Preparation for Central Bank authorization, AML/CFT program design and governance structure for fintechs entering Brazil.
Strategic advisory
Senior judgment for the moves that matter.
Communications & PR
Brand positioning, narrative and spokesperson strategy for Brazil, executed with partner agencies under our direction.
Strategic Negotiations
Preparation and leadership of high-stakes talks with partners, distributors and government.
M&A
Target sourcing, deal coordination and commercial negotiation, alongside independent legal and financial advisers.
Funding
Access to Brazil's non-dilutive innovation funding, such as FINEP, BNDES, EMBRAPII and the Lei do Bem, plus advisory on capital raising.
Approach
One contact. A vetted network.
We lead the project and answer for the result. Specialist accountants, employer-of-record providers, recruiters, PR agencies and independent law firms execute under our coordination, so you deal with one team instead of ten vendors.
Assess
Market, regulatory and structure review before you commit capital. A short project at a fixed fee.
Establish
Entity, accounts, people and representation in place, on a fixed fee per package.
Operate
Ongoing representation, compliance calendar and regulatory updates for a fixed monthly fee.
Predictable by design
A fixed monthly base covers operations. Strategic work, from PR launches to M&A and funding, is scoped and priced as separate projects.
Discreet by default
Some companies prefer to explore Brazil quietly. From the first assessment to early talks with partners and regulators, we work under NDA and keep your plans confidential until you choose to announce.
Founder
Felipe Saconato Aoki
Felipe built his career inside fintechs regulated by the Brazilian Central Bank: compliance at N26 Brazil, ComplianceOps at Aarin, where he took part in a payment institution licensing process, and later leading legal, compliance, risk and AML at Sqala.
He is a Master's candidate at the University of São Paulo Faculty of Law, with a background in constitutional law and Brazil's superior courts.
“In Brazil, regulation is not the obstacle; not understanding it is. You don’t need ten vendors. You need one person who knows how the pieces fit.”
Planning your Brazil entry?
A first conversation costs nothing and leaves you with a clear map of what Brazil requires for your company.