By Joao Oliveira

Bloomberg

March 30– Private equity funds have as much as $8 billion ready to buy stakes in Brazilian companies, Piero Minardi, a partner at Gavea Investimentos, said at the Bloomberg Brazil Economic Forum in Sao Paulo yesterday.

Minardi, who helps oversee $5 billion at the fund manager set up by former central bank President Arminio Fraga, said more than 3,000 companies could receive investment from private equity funds either based in or with units in Brazil.

“The numbers are lower than those for China, but they’re approaching those for India,” Minardi said. “There are opportunities in the most diverse sectors.”

Last year, Brazil had the largest value and number of mergers and acquisitions in at least 12 years, driven by economic growth of 7.5 percent, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Latin America’s biggest economy had 482 deals in 2010, worth $146.4 billion. The country’s gross domestic product expansion last year was the fastest since 1986.

Private equity firms raised $8.1 billion for investment across Latin America in 2010, according to Latin America Venture Capital Association. The amount was more than double that raised in 2009, according to LAVCA, as the association is known.

–Editors: Robin Stringer, Laura Price

To contact the reporter on this story: Joao Oliveira in Sao Paulo at [email protected]

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Francisco Marcelino at [email protected]

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