INVESTMENTS

The investment financial market, including the stock exchange and investment funds, plays a strategic role in driving economic development both in Brazil and globally. In the Brazilian context, B3, the country’s main stock exchange, reached a historic mark of 3.4 million individual investors in 2023, representing a 20% increase compared to the previous year, according to official data from the exchange itself. This growth is largely attributed to the search for higher returns in an environment of historically low interest rates, which, in 2020, reached 2% per year. This phenomenon reflects the increasing adoption of investment culture among the Brazilian population, with a focus on stocks, real estate investment funds (FIIs), and ETFs, supported by a strong movement toward democratizing access to the financial market through digitalization and financial education.

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The investment fund market in Brazil has also demonstrated robust performance. In 2023, assets under management in the country reached R$ 10.1 trillion, according to ANBIMA (Brazilian Association of Financial and Capital Markets Entities), a 15% expansion compared to the previous year. Among the most prominent funds, equity funds accounted for R$ 531 billion in assets under management, highlighting investors’ growing willingness to allocate resources into higher-risk and, consequently, higher-return assets. On the global stage, the growth trajectory is equally notable. The total value of assets under management in investment funds worldwide surpassed US$ 140 trillion in 2023, according to the Investment Company Institute (ICI), representing a 6% growth compared to the previous period. Also noteworthy is the rise of passive funds, such as ETFs, which represent approximately 45% of the value of equity funds globally, reaching a total of US$ 9 trillion in 2023, according to BlackRock.

 

The continued expansion of financial investment markets is driven by multiple structural factors, including the digitalization of financial services and the growing appetite for products aligned with ESG principles (environmental, social, and governance). Globally, ESG funds showed a 17% growth in 2023, with assets exceeding US$ 4.5 trillion, according to Morningstar. In Brazil, the fundraising for sustainable funds also grew significantly, reaching R$ 25 billion in 2023, according to ANBIMA. The consolidation of institutional investors, such as pension funds and sovereign funds, combined with increasing geographical diversification and innovation in financial products, such as cryptocurrency funds and digital assets, has amplified the expansion of this market, reinforcing its relevance as a key driver of global economic growth and value creation in various economies.