BASF raises BRL800 million to accelerate input sales in Brazil

Multinational BASF announced raising BRL800 million (US$135 million) to boost agricultural input sales to its Brazilian customers. 

The operation was conducted through a new FIDC (Credit Rights Investment Fund) issuance, managed by Opea, which also acts as a collection agent.

According to BASF, the raised funds will be used to expand credit offerings for agricultural input purchases by distributors, cooperatives, and rural producers. For Patricia Honda, BASF's Commercial Operations Manager, this current issuance aligns with the company's strategy to understand customer needs and offer credit access solutions, in this case targeted at resellers.

"Financial operations involving structures like FIDC and other modalities account for an important portion of our business. We are attentive to market conditions and work in a differentiated manner to enable more accessible credit. All of this is also related to customer experience and our aim to be the best partner in the agricultural chain," Honda highlighted.

Renato Barros, Opea's Agribusiness Head, emphasized the solid partnership between the companies over the years: "We are in our eighth year of collaboration with BASF, which has already resulted in five CRA issuances, and now we're in the third year of an annual series for this FIDC, which has been showing exponential growth. Our objective remains the same: to provide more credit for BASF clients' input purchases. This type of operation is essential for Brazilian agribusiness development, especially in a scenario of increasing input prices and continuous agricultural production growth."

Opea's CEO, Flávia Palácios, highlighted the relevance of FIDCs as a bridge between companies and capital markets. "FIDCs cover various sectors, allowing companies from different areas to access the financial market in a structured way. With robust governance and clear rules, we offer security to both companies needing credit and investors, who are well-protected," explained Flávia, emphasizing that this is the largest FIDC managed by Opea.

Since the manager's foundation in 2022, Opea has issued over BRL4.3 billion in operations and currently manages 13 funds. By the end of the first half of 2025, the company plans to launch four new funds with a predominant focus on agribusiness.

The operation is supported by Vórtx, which acts as administrator and custodian, and Itaú BBA bank, which acts as the lead coordinator. Compared to the previous period, the fund grew 55% in its second year and achieved an impressive 93% growth in the third year.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)