Séries históricas As leader of the first Eco Invest auction, Itaú completes the deployment of R$8.4 billion in sustainable projects
The bank received the largest volume of approved funds in the program’s first round, with disbursements for sanitation, biofuels, circular economy, energy efficiency, sustainable construction and forest management projects.
São Paulo, September 2026 – Itaú Unibanco has completed the allocation of R$8.4 billion approved under the first Eco Invest Brasil auction, a Federal Government program coordinated by the Ministries of Finance and the Environment to expand financing for projects with positive environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Itaú received the largest volume of funds in the auction, comprising R$1.35 billion raised directly through the program and another R$7.05 billion in mobilized private capital.
Focused on financing greenfield projects, the auction sought to increase private and international capital participation in long-term investments with environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Itaú structured transactions capable of attracting funds for large projects, applying its expertise in capital markets and sustainable finance.
“Eco Invest’s main potential lies in its ability to scale financing for sustainable projects in Brazil. By using public resources catalytically to mobilize significantly larger volumes of private capital, the program creates conditions to expand long-term investments in sectors that are strategic to the country’s development. It also allows us to attract new investors and demonstrates how innovative mechanisms can accelerate the transition to a more sustainable economy,” says Luciana Nicola, Director of Institutional Relations and Sustainability at Itaú Unibanco.
The resources mobilized by the program are enabling investments with direct impacts on the transition to a low-carbon economy and regional development. Itaú structured 16 transactions under the first Eco Invest Brasil auction, directing resources to sanitation, energy transition, bioeconomy, circular economy and sustainable infrastructure projects. The transactions followed the auction’s priority areas:
- Circular Economy: initiatives expanded access to water and sanitation, with the potential to benefit approximately 1 million people, while strengthening waste management and recycling. Projects included Sabesp (R$1.07 billion and a second R$1.1 billion transaction), Aegea (R$500 million), Solví (R$400 million), and Global PET/Cirklo (R$135 million).
- Energy Transition: Coamo (R$400 million) and São Martinho (R$500 million) projects have the potential to add approximately 550 million liters of ethanol per year. Other transactions involved Oleoplan (R$300 million), Volkswagen (R$531 million and a second R$469 million tranche), CCM (R$85 million), and EDP (R$400 million).
- Green Infrastructure and Adaptation: transactions with Grupo Boticário (R$375 million) and Eurofarma (R$419 million) support the expansion and modernization of industrial facilities with environmental certification.
- Bioeconomy: transactions with Bracell (R$802 million) and Suzano (R$907 million) support renewable production chains and sustainable forest management.
Eco Invest’s main distinction is its innovative blended-finance structure, combining public and private resources to reduce risk and make sustainable-transition projects more attractive to the market. The facility offers more competitive financial terms and a more attractive cost of capital, expanding the ability to mobilize private and international resources for long-term investments.
To oversee transaction execution, Itaú established multidisciplinary governance involving sustainability, credit, legal, treasury, business, product and risk teams. The model ensures continuous monitoring of resource allocation, compliance with eligibility criteria and the program’s socioenvironmental safeguards, and periodic reporting to the responsible authorities. The process includes monitoring disbursements and project results, reinforcing the initiative’s transparency and credibility.
Participation in Eco Invest aligns with Itaú’s strategy of acting as a financial partner to companies leading Brazil’s climate transition. By supporting clients in structuring and financing long-term projects in sectors that are strategic to sustainable development, the bank reinforces its public commitment to mobilize R$1 trillion in sustainable finance by the end of 2030.