AGP Executive Report

Rare Earth Rush: Brazil is drawing surging rare-earth exploration permits, with 42% of applications tied to foreign-backed firms, but critics warn of major environmental and Indigenous impacts—especially near the Amazon. Mining Services Expansion: Metso is investing about €45m to expand South America mining repair and support capacity, including a new service centre in Minas Gerais planned for 2028. Digital Payments & Policy: India’s UPI debate turns to whether it can stay “free” as Parliament creates a Merchant Discount Rate, while Brazil’s Pix faces US scrutiny—raising digital payment sovereignty questions. Cybersecurity: Grandoreiro, a long-running banking Trojan, is resurfacing with a new Mexico-focused campaign, showing continued stealth and regional targeting. AI Ads & Regulation: OpenAI is rolling ChatGPT ads into 31 European countries, with opt-out affecting personalization but not ad delivery. EU App Store Shake-up: Apple reached an EU deal simplifying App Store fees, replacing a per-install charge with a 5% commission structure. Health Research (Brazil): Brazil is advancing a vaccine approach for Plasmodium vivax malaria, targeting a species that’s harder to study and culture than P. falciparum. Data Centers: Ascenty is seeking about $1bn from a new investor to fund AI-focused data-center expansion. Climate Risk: El Niño is intensifying, with forecasts pointing to major drought/flood impacts that could hit food and commodity prices worldwide.

Space & Aerospace: INNOSPACE’s SEBIT suborbital rocket test from Alcântara ended early after the vehicle strayed from its planned trajectory, triggering Brazil’s Air Force flight termination system; the company says it’s now analyzing flight data and will attempt a follow-up test. AI & Cybersecurity: A workplace-focused podcast highlights how AI prompt injections can manipulate hiring and decision tools, while a separate report warns of exposed biometric databases: ClarityCheck’s facial data reportedly sat unencrypted and freely accessible, creating identity theft and fraud risk. Digital Identity & Privacy (Brazil): Brazil’s ANPD ordered Paraná schools to stop collecting children’s biometric attendance data via facial recognition, citing weak legal basis and insufficient security and governance under the LGPD. Climate Science: New seafloor findings off Brazil suggest the Atlantic AMOC can surge back during abrupt climate disruptions, making it more volatile than once thought. Energy & Industry: Lula said Brazil should enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, including potential exports, as the country pushes nuclear capability and a submarine program. EVs & Manufacturing: Coverage argues India’s EV push is demand-led and security-oriented, while Chinese automakers expand by exporting full production chains and building factories overseas.

Biodiversity in the Amazon: Conservation International (CI-Brazil) and Panará Indigenous partners are building a species inventory in the Panará territory, already logging nearly 15,000 flora and fauna records across 500,000 hectares, as illegal mining pressures the region. Public health & climate links: Scientists point to an extreme drought as a possible driver behind Brazil’s first urban yellow fever outbreak in decades, suggesting changes in howler monkeys, marmosets and mosquitoes pushed the virus toward cities. Developer ecosystem in Brazil: AWS will open new Builder Lofts in São Paulo (plus Hyderabad and Berlin) to host free workshops and AI-focused training for developers. Open-source IP relief: A Brazilian MPEG-4-related patent filed by Siemens expired in July, removing a long-standing legal risk for some Linux video codec implementations. Regulation hits tech business: Apple says EU App Store fee changes tied to DMA compliance are already pressuring its services margins as alternative payments spread. Industrial AI push: Siemens and HighByte partner to scale industrial AI by connecting OT and IT data via Siemens Industrial Edge. Food safety research: A UNIFESP study links long-term xanthan gum intake to colon inflammation and gut barrier changes in rats, raising reformulation questions. Market signals: Foreign investors pulled R$12.6bn from Brazilian stocks amid election uncertainty.

El Niño Watch: A “super El Niño” is forecast to peak with central Pacific sea-surface temperatures above the 2015-16 record, and central bankers are already flagging food inflation spillovers through 2027. Food Security & Tech: A new study projects how agri-food trade power could shift by 2035, while separate research says Brazil could improve nutrition and public health by raising seafood to 25% of total protein intake. Amazon Under Pressure: New findings show microplastics reaching Amazon wildlife even inside protected areas, raising concerns about impacts across aquatic and land food chains. Brazilian Health & Work: A massive meta-analysis links leisure exercise with lower dementia risk, but finds job-based physical activity may not deliver the same protection. Cyber & Regulation: Google is rolling out stricter “advanced” sideloading on Android ahead of developer verification, and Apple is revising EU App Store fees to settle its DMA dispute. Payments in Brazil: Instant payments hit $22T in 2024 globally, with Brazil’s Pix cited as a standout adoption story. Biotech Deal: Henlius and Sandoz expand a biosimilar collaboration, with global commercialization rights outside China. Brazil Pharma: Eurofarma and Eisai bring lemborexant (Dayvigo) to Brazil’s insomnia market. Environment Monitoring: Amazon Sentinel Lakes launches a network to track extreme drought conditions and protect river dolphins and riverside communities. Amazon Energy/Industry: Global refined fuel supply is squeezed as Middle East disruptions and Russian refinery attacks collide, with diesel supply hit hardest.

EU Trade & Biofuels: Brazil is pressing Brussels to revise soy biofuel rules after the European Parliament vetoed a plan that would have effectively phased out soybean oil in EU renewables targets, arguing the land-use change methodology overstates risk for Brazil. Digital Safety & Regulation: Discord suspended livestreams in Brazil after a child suicide case and a data protection watchdog order, as Brazil tightens internet rules for minors with mixed results. AI in Brazil’s Market: OpenAI formally launched its business operation in Brazil, aiming to win corporate customers while addressing concerns about AI agent security after a prior cyberattack incident. Semiconductors & Manufacturing Tech: Silvaco and Dassault Systèmes partnered to build interoperable digital twin workflows for semiconductor manufacturing, targeting faster “first-time-right” process development. Energy Storage Cooperation: India’s IESA urged BRICS partners, including Brazil, to deepen collaboration on advanced energy storage and mineral security for renewable targets. Environment & Local Tech: A former fruit vendor in Curitiba scaled river-waste capture tech (ecobarrier/ecosifter), now replicated in multiple Brazilian cities. Apple Antitrust Impact: Apple acknowledged in an SEC filing that App Store regulatory battles are weighing on its services business. Space & Geopolitics: SpaceSail’s Qianfan satellite internet raised about $1.0B but barred foreign capital, underscoring state-linked control. Commodities Watch: Sugar prices jumped on expectations of a global sugar deficit, with Brazil’s ethanol-heavy production cited as a factor.

Emerging Markets Rebound: Investors kept piling into developing economies despite war, tariff noise, and AI-driven market swings, with emerging-market debt inflows at a more than two-decade high as reforms and stronger local capital buffers help. OpenAI Research Push (Brazil included): OpenAI will fund 14 university and policy-led research and pilot projects worldwide, with Brazil among the locations, focusing on AI’s economic opportunity and safer, responsible public use. Brazil Election Tech Readiness: Researchers warn Brazil’s electoral justice system is unprepared for AI-enabled disinformation and irregular political ads, calling out weak platform transparency and campaign safeguards. Discord Crackdown in Brazil: Discord suspended livestreams and video calls after Brazil’s data protection watchdog cited child-safety failures following a teen suicide case. AI in Brazilian Finance: PicPay launched a ChatGPT integration so customers can query balances, bills, cards, and transactions via natural language after secure authentication. Petrobras Offshore Find: Lula called new oil discoveries near the Amazon “a passport to Brazil’s future,” while Indigenous and environmental groups continue legal challenges over licensing and spill risks. Climate Science in Brazil: A study links climate change to the Cerrado’s worst drought in 700 years, with major impacts on the São Francisco River system. Ume Raises for AI Credit Infrastructure: Fintech Ume raised US$95.9M via FIDCs to scale AI-driven credit analysis and financing access for retailers and e-commerce in Brazil. Marine Science Off Brazil: An expedition in the tropical South Atlantic discovered 31 new midwater species, including multiple jellyfish types, using robotics and advanced imaging.

Brazil-U.S. Trade Clash: President Lula triggered a reciprocity law mechanism after Trump tariffs hit hundreds of Brazilian exports, setting up diplomatic talks while Lula says he’s ready to defend Brazil. Amazon Climate Risk: El Niño is strengthening with a high chance of a “very strong” event in 2026-27, raising fears of severe Amazon drought, lower river levels, and more wildfires. Digital Cooperation: BRICS ICT Working Group meetings kicked off in Pune under India’s presidency, with all 11 members set to feed into a ministerial event on Aug. 20-21. Cold Data in Brazil: Geyser Data launched a managed cold archive service in Brazil with Amazon S3-compatible access and predictable pricing. Space Supply Chain: FDH Aero’s name is engraved on INNOSPACE’s HANBIT-Nano payload adapter, marking partner support for a November 2026 launch. AI & Payments Leadership: EBANX expanded its senior leadership team to deepen regionalization across 60+ countries. Android Security: Google rolled out stronger Android theft protections, including lock features that activate when snatch-and-run patterns are detected. Conservation Update: Jaguarundi was moved up to near threatened on the IUCN Red List, as monitoring suggests it’s rarer than expected.

Amazon Deforestation Watch: Brazil is pushing the EU to trust its deforestation monitoring data as Brussels prepares to enforce its deforestation rules from Dec. 30, 2026—rules that could hit major Brazilian exports like cattle, soy, and coffee. Satellite Monitoring Win: Brazil reports Amazon deforestation fell 8.7% in 2025 to the lowest level since 2017, helped by stricter enforcement and high-resolution satellite surveillance. Rio Energy Costs: In Rio de Janeiro’s favelas, residents say electricity bills spiked after utilities replaced traditional meters with electronic ones, fueling complaints about costs and fairness. Archaeology via LiDAR: Airborne laser mapping in Acre is reshaping views of the Aquiry civilization, suggesting far larger populations and thousands of ceremonial earthwork centers. Physics Breakthrough: A “glueball” made of pure gluons was confirmed by Chinese researchers using long-running collider data, a major step for strong-force physics. Industry Automation: LG opened a new smart factory in Paraná, Brazil, investing about $310M to boost refrigerator production with AI-driven manufacturing.

OpenAI Monetization Push: OpenAI is expanding its ChatGPT advertising pilot beyond the US into markets including the UK, Mexico, Brazil, Japan and South Korea, aiming to offset massive AI infrastructure costs while keeping free access. Brazil Election Tech & Platforms: X says it exposed a Brazil 2026 election filter that blocks certain opposition accounts from being recommended in the “For You” feed unless users follow them, tying algorithmic reach to court-ordered rules. Local Politics: Lula kicks off his final reelection campaign in São Bernardo do Campo, pitching protections for app-based gig workers as he tries to reach a new labor reality. Policy & Trade Risk: A US report places Thailand in a “Tier 2” risk category for China-linked transshipment, noting it’s not a tariff hike but could trigger tighter customs scrutiny—Brazil is listed alongside other economies. Climate & Food: With strong El Niño forecasts, parts of South America and Brazil face shifting rainfall risks, while global food-security warnings point to weather shocks and fertilizer pressure. Health in Brazil’s Favelas: Rio’s community dashboard reports rising Covid cases but lower mortality, highlighting how local organizations keep testing and care running. Science & Food Tech: Hebrew University researchers report engineered plant seeds producing a key dairy protein (β-casein), a step toward more sustainable dairy ingredients. Robotics Showcase: Brazil is sending a national team to the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, as participation and real-world robot tasks expand.

Brazil Election Campaign: Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro kicked off their races with polls showing a tight contest and huge rejection rates, leaving the outcome likely to hinge on undecided voters. Social Media & Courts: X disclosed a Brazil-specific recommendation filter that blocks certain opposition accounts from appearing in the “For You” feed for non-followers, tied to court orders. Android Security: Google starts mandatory developer verification for app installs on certified Android devices in Brazil (and other countries) from late September, aiming to curb sideload scams and malware. Climate & Health: A UFRJ researcher warns heat waves are a “neglected disaster” in Brazil, with tens of thousands of deaths recorded over two decades, and says a strong El Niño could worsen impacts. Food & Agriculture: JPMorgan warns a potential “super El Niño” plus war and supply disruptions could keep global food inflation elevated into 2027, with fertilizer as a key risk. Energy Access in Rio: A field study maps electricity access and public lighting realities in Morro do Sereno, showing how infrastructure and billing systems shape daily life in Rio’s favelas. Tech/Industry Watch: China’s car exports keep surging while domestic sales slump, intensifying pressure on global automakers.

Heat & Health in Brazil: A UFRJ meteorology professor warns heat waves are a “neglected disaster,” citing SUS data showing about 50,000 heat-wave deaths in 14 metro areas from 2000–2020, and says El Niño could intensify the risk. Digital Rights in Europe: France’s top constitutional court struck down an under-15 social media ban, arguing age checks would force unconstitutional adult surveillance without clear privacy safeguards—setting a template other countries are now watching. BRICS Tech Cooperation: India will host the BRICS ICT Track in Pune (Aug 17–21) to push secure, inclusive digital ecosystems, cybersecurity, digital skills, and startup innovation across member states including Brazil. Brazil Tech & Industry: Rockwell Automation says it’s moving deeper into software-driven industrial control, embedding AI and cloud-native updates into manufacturing platforms. Public Health Innovation in Brazil: Belem is using Wolbachia-infected mosquito programs and “larvicide bucket” tactics to cut dengue and other mosquito-borne disease spread. Science & Society: A new study links higher ultra-processed food intake with lower key nutrient levels, while noting the findings are associations, not proof of cause.

Energy & Infrastructure: Brazil’s Belo Monte UHVDC Phase II is now operating, a 2,534-km “green artery” built by China’s State Grid to move Amazon hydropower to the southeast, including Rio de Janeiro. Broadcast Tech: TV Globo deployed Triveni Digital’s TV 3.0 live broadcast chain for a demanding football test, with components installed in Brasília and service-quality verification across host cities. AI & Courts: A U.S. judge sanctioned a self-represented plaintiff after hidden “prompt injection” text was found in court filings—raising new concerns for AI-assisted legal workflows. Space/Comms: The FCC says Starlink has over 7 million U.S. subscribers, far above earlier figures, while noting rapid satellite expansion. Health & Food: A review links higher ultra-processed food intake to lower blood levels of key nutrients (vitamin A/E, selenium, carotenoids). Mining & Finance: Sigma Lithium reported strong Q2 metrics, including higher lithium oxide concentrate output and continued debt reduction. Environment: Brazil will join COP17 desertification debates in Mongolia, with a focus on land degradation impacts in biomes like the Caatinga.

Space & Disaster Monitoring: Brazil and China detailed CBERS-5, a new meteorological and environmental satellite meant to cover all of South America, with Brazil handling the platform and China the payload, targeting a 2030 launch. Health & Nutrition: A review links higher ultra-processed food intake to lower levels of key nutrients (like vitamin A/E, selenium and carotenoids), though the findings are associations, not proof of cause. Mobile Entertainment Spending: Omdia reports iPhone users pay more for micro-drama apps than Android users, with Brazil showing a bigger iPhone-to-Android gap in payment rates. Cybersecurity: Trezor says a ShipMonk-related breach exposed ~14,000 crypto customers’ personal data, raising risks of physical “wrench attacks.” Climate & Water Security (Brazil): New research warns Brazil’s aquifers have shrunk for decades, with potential knock-on effects for agriculture and even hydropower as El Niño intensifies extremes. AI in Healthcare: Vuno’s DeepCARS AI cardiac-arrest tool faces slower adoption during a regulatory review, pressuring revenue and losses. Infrastructure Execution: Brazil’s flood-prevention funds remain stuck, with bottlenecks delaying drainage and landslide-control projects despite available money. Security Updates: Microsoft’s August Patch Tuesday fixes 421 flaws, including a actively exploited Windows kernel driver issue tied to North Korea’s Lazarus.

Discord Ban in Brazil: Brazil’s National Data Protection Agency ordered Discord to suspend live rooms and video sharing after a 13-year-old’s suicide tied to self-harm requests during a livestream, with restrictions lasting until the platform proves stronger protections for minors. AI Surveillance in Rio: A report highlights how facial-recognition cameras are expanding in Brazil’s public security, with hundreds of projects using AI to match faces against arrest-warrant databases—raising privacy and governance questions. Soy Moratorium Upheld: Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld the 20-year Soy Moratorium, allowing the private agreement to stand while also ruling parts of state laws constitutional, a decision that could reshape incentives tied to Amazon deforestation. Brazil’s Next-Gen TV: Triveni Digital was selected by TV Globo for TV 3.0 broadcast chain and monitoring tools, supporting next-generation live coverage for major tournaments. Public Health Research: A systematic review links higher ultra-processed food intake to lower micronutrient levels, while a separate study reports orange juice may improve blood pressure, inflammation, and blood sugar. Neuroscience Breakthrough: Researchers published a cross-species mouse-marmoset brain atlas to better translate lab results into primate biology.

Amazon Soy Moratorium: Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld state rules that effectively ended the 20-year “soy moratorium,” shielding major traders from damages and pushing the deforestation pledge out of the market. Climate & Food Tech: Experts warn a potentially record-strong El Niño could reshape rainfall and drought risk across Latin America, with knock-on effects for irrigation, harvests, and shipping routes. Cyber & Safety Regulation: Brazil’s data protection authority ordered Discord to suspend livestreaming features after a teen’s suicide tied to content promoting self-harm, with fines looming. Elections Security: Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court says electronic voting verification is decentralized and public, with encrypted result files checked for machine identity and digital signatures. Health & Nutrition Science: A review links higher ultra-processed food intake to lower blood levels of key micronutrients, while a separate study suggests daily orange juice may shift immune-cell gene activity tied to inflammation and blood pressure. Biotech/Environment: Louisiana released giant salvinia weevils—an invasive species from South America—to biologically curb giant salvinia choking lakes. Digital Advertising: DoubleVerify expanded independent measurement for TikTok Pangle across the US and multiple international markets, including Brazil. Energy Storage & Telecom: Market reports point to lithium-ion batteries and telecom power systems growing fast as 5G densification drives new energy infrastructure needs.

Cybersecurity in Brazil: Brazil’s Supreme Court upheld the soy moratorium’s core logic while allowing states to punish firms that comply, keeping pressure on deforestation-linked agriculture. AI & data governance: A new global survey says 66% of organizations moved AI workloads off public cloud to private or on-prem, citing governance, compliance, and rising infrastructure costs. Major Windows zero-day: Check Point links North Korea’s Lazarus to Operation Dream Job, using a newly patched Windows kernel flaw (CVE-2026-68820) plus trojanized PDF lures to target defense and aerospace workers, including in Brazil. Online safety regulation: Brazil ordered Discord to suspend livestreaming features after a teen’s suicide tied to a livestream, demanding safeguards for minors. Forensics modernization: Regula says it upgraded Brazilian Federal Police document exam capacity nationwide with dual-video spectral comparators for faster, more consistent analysis. Rare-earths & mining: Brazilian Rare Earths released a scoping study for Rocha da Rocha, while Solis Minerals reported early drilling progress at its Mandacaru lithium project in Brazil. Environment & land use: MapBiomas found native vegetation now covers 65% of Brazil, with El Niño years linked to stronger drought impacts across biomes. Agritech spotlight: IICA selected 15 AgTech startups for Digital Agriculture Week, including Brazil’s ManejeBem.