A market like no other

Running a company in Brazil means navigating formalisation rules, financial obligations, tax legislation across three layers of government and a payments landscape in constant change. That tax system is mid-reform, running through 2033. Old and new rules will coexist throughout the entire transition.

No one knows this complexity better than the founders who built companies to face it.

For many Brazilians, the business journey starts before the business does. Registering as an MEI, Brazil's formal status for solo entrepreneurs, is the first step. Understanding everything that comes with it is a different challenge entirely.

"The biggest challenge is not necessarily formalisation itself, but understanding everything that comes with it," says Mateus Vicente, founder and CEO of MaisMei. "When the process feels complex, there is a risk that people will put off formalising, make mistakes, or start their entrepreneurial journey already feeling uncertain."

Once a business is running, financial management becomes critical fast. In Brazil, that gap between ambition and control has real consequences.

"Companies don't close because of a lack of dreams or hard work," says Vinicius Roveda, founder and CEO of Conta Azul. "They close because of poor financial management."

Tax adds a layer of complexity few markets can match.

"Thousands of regulations, three layers of legislation that are constantly changing," says Yvon Gaillard, founder and CEO of Dootax. "An old consumption-tax system with five completely different taxes now being replaced by three new ones. Both models will have to coexist during the transition, through 2033. No team can keep up with this manually without error and without risk."

And even when the numbers add up, execution is where things break down. A payment is never just a payment.

"A payment is just one step in a much larger financial process," says Marian Canteiro, founder and CEO of Pag Útil. "In a context of change like the Tax Reform, this integrated view becomes even more important."

Built from the inside 

Companies that understand a market from the inside have an advantage no global product can replicate. That is the kind of company Visma looks for and backs for the long term. 

In Brazil, that means businesses built on deep local expertise. Conta Azul connects businesses and their accountants around cash flow, invoicing, inventory and reporting and it gives both sides a clear view of the company's financial position. MaisMei turns MEI formalisation into something entrepreneurs can navigate with confidence. Dootax automates tax payments, digital certificates and fiscal mailbox monitoring, making compliance predictable. Pag Útil centralises the full payment process, from obligation to reconciliation, with visibility into who approved what, when and why.

Together, those capabilities complement one another and create a broader foundation for supporting Brazilian businesses as their needs evolve. 

Each company stays close to its customers, its regulations, its market. Local products solving local problems, strengthened by shared capabilities.  

The difference scale makes 

Building software that works for Brazil isn't enough. It has to last.

In Brazil, many businesses still run on spreadsheets or on-premises systems. Moving to the cloud takes time, and it takes trust. Businesses want to know the software they choose will be there as regulations change, as their business grows and as the reform runs its course. That is harder to signal as a local start-up than as part of a larger group. That stability comes from Visma. Security infrastructure, investment capacity, technology development and the experience of more than 150 software companies in similar markets. The local brand stays. What grows is what it can do. .

"Visma wants to build an ecosystem for invoicing, tax, accounting and HRM, supporting Brazilian business owners and accountants with innovative technology and the best customer satisfaction in the country," says Steffen Torp, Chief Commercial Officer and Segment Director.

In Brazil, that's how business software gets better. Built local. Backed global.