01. Messages

Within the ESG agenda, social aspects gained momentum, especially with the intense debate about inequality and prejudice that arises in Brazilian society. Aiming to strengthen our work in diversity and inclusion, representatives from 25 institutions formed a working group to design the Association’s strategy related to the topic. The first step was to obtain the institutions’ perception of the subject and how they address it. Today, we are looking at the results of this survey to define what will be the role and performance of ANBIMA in fostering this agenda in the capital market.

Another debate intensified in 2021 was the diversification of investments abroad. After all, Brazilians have never invested as much abroad as they did last year. To give you an idea, the net assets of funds investing abroad grew 25% throughout 2021. At ANBIMA, the topic of internationalization has been on our agenda since 2016, when we carried out the first study, outlining a diagnosis and pointing out recommendations to expand the insertion of Brazilian investors in the international market and, at the same time, attract more foreign capital to the country.

Anticipating market movements is in our DNA. We do this based on an accurate vision of what happens here in Brazil and abroad. The members, whose list reflects the plurality of the markets we represent, give us this capacity. They are our greatest asset and give legitimacy to our work.

The recognition of ANBIMA’s work comes from numbers that indicate that we are on the right path. We ended 2021 with 291 member institutions, up 8% from the previous year, and a record number of 1,232 institutions that follow our self-regulatory codes.

As the membership base grows, the challenge is to ensure that everyone has a voice, regardless of the size or business segment. We started to hold open meetings to discuss contributions to the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission’s (CVM) public hearings or the review of our self-regulatory rules last year. It is a path of no return. After all, expanding the dialogue to a larger universe of institutions stresses our representation and guarantees alignment with the market interests.

Such actions will not only be intensified in 2022, but will become part of an even bigger umbrella, which is our new sustainability strategy. It defines what sustainability is for ANBIMA and the Association's public commitment on three fronts: contribute to the transparency and security of markets; embed sustainability in financial and capital markets; and reduce our ecological footprint.

These are initiatives that join another even more transformative process, which is to prepare people to be agents of change. Why? Because the market is dynamic and we need to be in the constant transformation to not only follow but anticipate the movements. Only then can we ensure protagonism in the markets we represent.

For this purpose, we invest in technology, processes and, above all, people. After all, it is the people who lead the daily challenges, which are reflected in what the Association is. How we address urgent issues, such as generational, inclusion and technological issues is what defines what ANBIMA is and indicates the paths it will follow in the future.

To continue meeting the expectations of our stakeholders, we are accelerating the digitalization of processes, adopting nimble problem-solving methodologies and strengthening the data and analysis areas to ensure faster and more assertive decision-making.

All this requires people who are better prepared, flexible, collaborative and have an entrepreneurial spirit, in an environment open to innovation and continuous learning. Thus, we invest in training and develop projects that encourage experimentation and the exchange of experiences. In this way, we are sure to be contributing to an Association that for 12 years has made a difference in the market, but that is permanently renewed and oxygenated to anticipate the desires of those who are its greatest asset: the members.