Brazil is on a roll. Yesterday’s Financial Times included a special 10-page section devoted to Brazil. One of the articles, Olympic Accolade Sets Seal on Progress, written by Jonathan Wheatly, succinctly describes the “exuberant optimism” that has gripped the country since it was awarded the 2016 Olympic Games. And the Wall Street Journal recently reported on the Brazilian stock exchange making spectacular gains in the article Brazilian Stock Scores Spectacular Gains on US GDP Growth. This is following last month’s IPO of Banco Santander’s Brazilian unit, the world’s largest IPO so far this year, as reported in the New York Times article, Banco Santander’s Brazil Unit Raises $8 Billion in I.P.O.
While these events are certain to fund rapid expansion in Brazil’s capital sector, the exuberance is tempered by a look at the long road ahead. Yet it is impossible not to be blinded by the bright future that seemed out of reach not long ago. Antonio Quintella, country manager at Credit Suisse Sao Paulo put it succinctly:
Nothing is guaranteed. But it is reasonable to assume that [Brazil] won’t repeat the mistakes of the past…it is very difficult not to be bullish”
Brazil Should Ratify Bilateral Investment Agreements
Brazil has emerged from the global recession as the darling of international investors; this has created a wealth of investment opportunities. However, it lags behind all other Latin American countries in one important respect: it has yet to ratify any bilateral investment agreements (BITs). These agreements protect international investors when disputes arise in host countries. In light of Brazil’s recent good fortune, the time has come for Brazil to rethink its approach to BITs and implement measures to protect foreign investors.
Bilateral Invest Agreements Provide Important Safeguards
BITs obligate host countries to provide safeguards for foreign investment. If host governments fail to heed these safeguards, investors maybe awarded money damages. The following safeguards are among those afforded by BITs:
- host countries are prohibited from expropriating foreign investment without compensation.
- The agreements often include national treatment provisions, which require a government to treat foreign investors no less favorably than they treat domestic investors. They also often include most favored nation provisions, which extent the same protections afforded to foreign investors from one country to foreign investors from other countries.
- foreign investors have the right to transfer funds into and out of the host country without delay.
- In addition to substantive protections, BITs provide powerful dispute resolution mechanisms. Under these mechanisms, Foreign investors may choose to resolve disputes in binding international arbitration such as in the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and arbitral tribunals organized under the United Nations Commission of International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
These agreements provide important safeguards against government mistreatment, mitigating some of the political risks associated with making investments in foreign countries.
Conclusion
Although Brazil’s reluctance to ratify BITs may help to protect it against claims by foreign investors, the recent surge in outbound Brazilian investment should cause Brazil to reconsider its position against international investment agreements.
While Brazil is busy contemplating this proposition, there is a way investors can structure their investments to take advantage of BITs between other states. Stay tuned, and I’ll let you know how in a follow-up post.
Trend to Watch: A Surge in Investment Activity in Brazil Will Lead to the Adoption of International Investment Agreements