CCBC’s Financial Affairs Committee will base its activities in 2022 on disseminating knowledge and encouraging the exchange of experiences between companies and finance specialists

By Sérgio Siscaro

Acting as a bridge linking the corporate environment to the world of finance. In general, this is the main objective of the Financial Affairs Committee(CAF) of the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC), whose line of action in 2022 should be guided by the dissemination of quality economic information to companies – enabling them to make their decisions more aligned with the possible movements in the economic scenario.

This strategy is conducted by the coordinator of the Committee, Rodrigo Garros Zorzetto. Partner at Conexão BR Investimentos, an office accredited to XP Investimentos, he intends to promote regular meetings with experts in the financial market, who can offer CCBC members analyzes of the current situation and outline the main trends in the economic scenario. The first meeting was held on November 17th and was attended by the Chief Investment Officer of XP Private, Artur Wichmann, who made a diagnosis of the current economic scenario and the issues that most directly impact business and investments.

“The committee was created with the intention of being a source of  exchange of knowledge, experiences and information – and for identifying business opportunities. And update regarding the economic and financial scenario. The idea is to establish a routine for this – after all, this scenario, both local and global, is quite uncertain. By providing CCBC members this contact with specialists, it is possible to offer them valuable information for the investment, business or credit-taking decision-making process,” he says.

According to Zorzetto, the intention is to promote these meetings every two months, always bringing guests who can discuss topics of interest to members. “Some of the specific themes that should be addressed at the events may include the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda; the possibilities of portfolio diversification, using legal and accounting mechanisms, as well as offshore investments; the tax agenda; financial investment options for companies; fusions and acquisitions; and several other topics.”

Election year

One factor that will cause turmoil in the Brazilian economic scenario next year is the holding of presidential elections. As on other occasions, it is possible to anticipate a high level of volatility in the financial markets, due to the disclosure of candidate statements and the results of opinion polls. In this context, the need for a more analytical look at the possible impacts of this scenario on business is of great value.

“We have a full political team at XP, headed by Richard Back – who can also be invited to participate in these events and present a neutral, professional position on the matter. In addition, we must think about publishing newsletters and articles on specific topics for members,” says Zorzetto. Additionally, he continues, companies can also be invited to participate in the monthly meetings of the XP Global Allocation Committee, headed by Paulo Leme and Artur Wichmann – which will enable updated analyzes of the economic scenario.

Another CAF initiative for the upcoming year will involve specific events for areas such as heritage and succession planning, or the international scenario. “We are also considering the possibility of holding in-person events,” he says.