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Atos to sell Latin American businesses to Brazil’s Semantix

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French IT services company Atos said on Friday it has signed a binding agreement to sell its Latin American operations to Brazilian technology firm Semantix, as part of a broader restructuring effort following severe financial distress.

The assets being sold employ around 2,800 people across Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. Atos did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction, but said it expects the deal to close in the coming months.

The divestment marks another step in Atos’ turnaround strategy after the once-prominent French technology group narrowly avoided collapse in 2024. Earlier this year, the company completed a sweeping financial restructuring that significantly reshaped its balance sheet and ownership structure.

As part of that process, Atos reduced its debt burden by approximately 2.1 billion euros, with banks and bondholders emerging as the company’s main shareholders. The restructuring plan places a strong emphasis on asset sales, allowing Atos to streamline operations, generate liquidity and refocus on its core activities.

The sale of the Latin American business underscores the scale of Atos’ transformation as it works to stabilise operations and restore confidence after years of financial and operational challenges.

Brazil Central Bank Tightens Cryptocurrency Rules to Curb Fraud and Illicit Payments

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Brazil’s central bank has issued long-awaited regulations for virtual assets and cryptocurrencies, introducing stricter controls aimed at preventing money laundering, fraud, and terrorism financing.

The new framework, which takes effect in February 2026, extends traditional financial-sector safeguards to virtual-asset service providers (VASPs), including brokers, distributors, and exchanges operating in the country.

“New rules will reduce the scope for scams, fraud, and the use of virtual asset markets for money laundering,” said Gilneu Vivan, the bank’s director of regulation, during a press conference in Brasília.

Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, approved its first legal framework for cryptocurrencies in 2022, but the rollout had been delayed pending regulatory guidance from the central bank. Authorities conducted four public consultations before finalizing the new rules.

Under the regulations, all virtual-asset transactions pegged to fiat currencies — such as the U.S. dollar or the Brazilian real — will be classified as foreign exchange operations. This also applies to international payments or transfers using cryptocurrencies, including those settled via cards or electronic platforms.

Central bank governor Gabriel Galipolo has voiced concerns over the rapid growth of stablecoins, which he said are increasingly being used as informal payment tools, often to bypass tax and oversight systems.

The new framework also mandates stronger governance, transparency, and internal control standards, as well as customer protection and compliance obligations for all crypto-related firms.

Analysts view the move as a major step in Brazil’s effort to bring digital asset markets under tighter regulatory supervision, as crypto adoption continues to expand across Latin America.

MercadoLibre enters Brazil’s online pharmacy market with first drugstore acquisition

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MercadoLibre, Latin America’s largest e-commerce company, will begin selling medicines online in Brazil for the first time after acquiring a local drugstore, executives said on Thursday. The move marks the firm’s entry into one of the region’s largest and most tightly regulated pharmaceutical markets.

While MercadoLibre already operates online drug sales in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia, Brazil’s laws require a company to own at least one licensed physical pharmacy to sell medications online. Local head Fernando Yunes confirmed the acquisition and said the company’s aim is to act as a marketplace platform rather than build a nationwide pharmacy chain.

“The pharmaceutical sector is the only one in Brazil we haven’t entered yet, and we see a big opportunity to improve access,” Yunes said. “We want small and medium-sized pharmacies selling through MercadoLibre, not to compete directly with them.”

Executives said the company will evaluate next steps based on the performance of its first pharmacy. MercadoLibre is also in discussions with Brazilian regulators to modernize existing laws that restrict online pharmaceutical trade, calling for reforms to make it easier for pharmacies to reach customers digitally.

The move signals MercadoLibre’s growing ambitions to expand its healthcare footprint in Brazil, its largest market by revenue, and tap into the country’s rapidly growing digital health sector.