The president of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Aloizio Mercadante.| Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil.

The president of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), Aloizio Mercadante, said this Wednesday (15) that he will discuss with the Ministry of Finance and the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban) the possibility of opening a credit line credit for Americanas’ small and medium-sized suppliers. For Mercadante, these suppliers are “the victims of this fraud”. The retailer filed for bankruptcy after detecting a BRL 20 billion shortfall.

“What we can do is for the financial system to open a line of credit for small suppliers, who are victims of this fraud. It is to offer alternatives so as not to aggravate the crisis. We are not going to go back to being a ‘hospital for companies’, what we are talking about is something else”, said the president of the BNDES, at an event in Rio de Janeiro, reported Estadão.

“They still had a debt of R$ 1.2 billion, but the BNDES was prudent, they had a letter of guarantee that has already been executed, has already been paid. We don’t have a real at risk with Americanas”, she reinforced. Mercadante pointed out that “the main partners [da Americanas] they have a very expressive volume of capital to contribute and save the company and, above all, to protect investment funds, 40 thousand workers and micro and small companies that are suppliers”.